German Language Summer Camp in Austria

Course Description: German Language Summer Camp in Austria

🎓 Course Overview

This two-week German language camp in Zell am See, Austria, is for young people aged 10–17 who want to learn German in a German-speaking country. The emphasis is on having fun while learning: campers build vocabulary and confidence, learn to hold a conversation and give a presentation, and practise with native-speaking teachers, staff and locals.

Afternoons bring sign-up activities, evenings a social programme, and weekends excursions around the Salzburg region.

📚 Academic Content

Lessons run Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:00 (about 15 hours a week, with a short mid-morning break). Campers are assessed on the first morning and placed in small groups by ability and age across four levels: beginner/elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate/advanced. Continuous assessment means campers can move up a class at any point as they progress. Classes are taught by native German-speaking teachers.

Warm-ups & Conversation

Each morning opens with a warm-up in German: tongue-twisters, word games such as Scrabble, music and group conversation to get everyone speaking from the start.

Project-Based Learning

Groups choose projects of varying difficulty and finish by presenting their work, often through a film, brochure or song. Typical projects include:

• Personality Poster: describing yourself with new adjectives, a gentle first step in the language.

• The Great Survival Debate: an imaginary debate about which equipment to take for survival in the desert.

• The Food Tasting Festival: vocabulary for smell, texture and flavour, rewarded with traditional dishes to taste.

• The Song Project: rewriting a well-known song with humorous new lyrics.

• Holiday Brochure: choosing destinations and designing a travel brochure.

• Film Project: writing a script, designing a poster and shooting a short film.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

German learners also enjoy a special session in a 360° cinema exploring the natural world of the Alps, using interactive German-language materials.

Every camper receives a certificate at the end of camp, and a full progress report is sent separately to each family.

📍 Campus & Location

The camp is in Zell am See, in Austria's Salzburg region, on the south side of town, about five minutes from the shores of Lake Zell and ten minutes from the town centre. The valley setting looks out to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier and the Hohe Tauern National Park, and the city of Salzburg is about 90 km away.

The camp's base, the Kitzsteinhorn Klub, has activity areas, classrooms, two sports halls, bouldering halls and climbing walls, beach-volleyball and basketball courts, trampolines, a dance and yoga studio, an outdoor pool with waterslides, a high-ropes course, a campfire area, bowling lanes, billiards, table tennis and a theatre. Nearby are hiking and mountain-biking trails, the lake for swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and windsurfing, mini-golf, waterfalls and mountain huts.

🏫 Accommodation & Meals

Campers stay at the Kitzsteinhorn Klub, a recently renovated, family-run, purpose-built complex. Rooms are modern four-bed rooms, each with its own shower and toilet, and roommates are assigned by age and gender. The hallways, wings and lounges used by the camp are reserved exclusively for its campers. Bed linen is provided.

Meals are served in four themed dining rooms, with a menu that mixes local and international dishes and a special barbecue once a week. Vegetarian options are available at every meal, and other diets can be accommodated on request.

🚌 Excursions & Activities

Saturdays are excursion days. Highlights include a day trip to Salzburg, the Krimml Waterfalls, a trek through the Sigmund Thun Klamm gorge, a visit to the Welten Museum and an overnight stay in a mountain hut. Excursions include free time for cultural visits, shopping and exploring in small groups, and admission fees for places of interest are included. Sunday starts with a late wake-up and a relaxed morning.

Afternoons are spent on sign-up activities and evenings on a social programme, shared with campers from the other programmes and organised and supervised by counsellors.

⏰ A Day in the Life

A sample weekday (subject to change):

• 07:30 — Activity: Wake up

• 08:00 — Activity: Breakfast

• 09:00 — Activity: Period A – speciality programme

• 10:45 — Activity: Period B – speciality programme

• 12:15 — Activity: Lunch

• 13:30 — Activity: All-camp meeting

• 14:00 — Activity: Period C – sign-up activities

• 15:45 — Activity: Period D – sign-up activities

• 17:15 — Activity: Free time

• 18:15 — Activity: Dinner

• 19:30 — Activity: Evening programme

• 22:00 — Activity: Lights out for ages 10–12 (22:30 for ages 13–14, 23:00 for ages 15 and over)

Saturday is excursion day; Sunday begins with a late wake-up and a relaxed morning.

2027 Dates & Fees 📅

This is a residential camp. Each session runs for two weeks, from Sunday to Saturday. Campers arrive between 10:00 and 16:00 on the first day and are collected before 12:00 on the last day. Fees are quoted in euros (EUR).

• Sunday 4 July – Saturday 17 July — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: €3,800

• Sunday 18 July – Saturday 31 July — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: €3,800

Optional extras: accident and illness insurance (€130 per child per two-week session; if declined, families must give their own policy details on the health form), escorted transfers from Salzburg Airport, Munich Airport and Zell am See train station (available for an additional fee), and early arrival or late departure nights by prior arrangement (€150 per child per night; not available before the first or after the last session).

Payment: a deposit of €800 per booking is due within 48 hours of booking, and the balance is due by 1 May 2027 (it can be paid in instalments before then). Bookings made after 1 May 2027 must be paid in full within 48 hours. If a family cancels before 1 May the deposit is forfeited; from 1 to 31 May, 50% of the total paid is charged; and from 1 June, 100% is charged. No refund is given for late arrival or early departure.

✔️ What's Included

Two weeks of residential camp: shared en-suite accommodation with bed linen, all meals, the morning speciality programme (about 15 hours of German lessons per week, a certificate and a progress report), afternoon sign-up activities and the evening programme, weekend excursions with admission fees to places of interest, 24/7 supervision by counsellors and basic first-aid care from the on-site health team.

Not included: travel to and from camp, escorted transfers, accident and illness insurance, early arrival or late departure nights, and pocket money (around €150–250 is recommended for a two-week session, depending on age, and is deposited in the camp bank on arrival). Medical care beyond basic first aid is at the family's expense unless the optional insurance is taken.

🛡️ Safety & Welfare

There is an average ratio of one counsellor to six campers on each site; counting managers, nurses and other support staff, the overall adult-to-camper ratio can be as generous as 1:4. Residential counsellors are at least 21 years old (most are 21–35), come from many countries and all speak English. They are selected through interviews and reference checks, complete pre-camp training and are required to hold full CPR and first-aid certification. Experienced management teams run each site.

Full-time health care specialists are based on site, with nurses available 24 hours a day; they hold and dispense all medication and liaise with local doctors and hospitals, and parents are called at the first opportunity if a child is ill or injured. Mobile phones and tablets are handed in and returned once a day during free time (parents are encouraged to call between about 16:30 and 18:00). On excursions, campers aged 12 and under are always with a counsellor, while those aged 13 and over may explore in groups of at least three, carry emergency contact numbers and check in at meeting points at least every 90 minutes; parents of older campers can ask in writing for constant counsellor accompaniment. Passports and pocket money are kept securely in the camp office, and smoking, alcohol and drugs are strictly prohibited.

💡 Who This Programme Is For

This camp is ideal for 10–17-year-olds who are learning German at school or starting from scratch and want to speak with more confidence. Beginners through to advanced learners are welcome, and the mix of lessons, projects and Alpine activities suits campers who learn best by doing.

FOX SUMMIT Feriencamps — Google Maps ↗

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