World-Class Summer Program for Teens in Gstaad, Switzerland

Course Description: World-Class Summer Program for Teens in Gstaad, Switzerland

🎓 Course Overview

This summer camp in the Gstaad region of the Swiss Alps is designed as an unforgettable first experience away from home for children aged 8–13. For two weeks, campers combine morning English or French lessons with afternoon mountain sports, arts and excursions, living alongside children from many countries in large Swiss chalets. Families can add an optional third week, the Ultimate Adventure Week, which replaces lessons with a continuous outdoor adventure. Up to 100 campers attend each session (30 in the third week).

📚 Academic Content

During the first two weeks, mornings are devoted to language learning. Campers choose either English or French for the whole camp and are taught in two 75-minute periods each morning. A level placement test on arrival is used to group campers by ability. The language academies are not suitable for native speakers. On Saturdays, campers have two shorter language lessons in the morning before the weekend excursion.

Ultimate Adventure Week

The optional third week has no language classes. Instead, morning lessons and afternoon sports are replaced by a single continuous adventure with off-campus activities, in groups capped at 30 campers.

📍 Campus & Location

The camp is based at the school's mountain campus at Schönried, in the Gstaad region of the Bernese Alps, where the school has spent its winter terms since 1916. In summer, campers stay in large Swiss chalets set in Alpine countryside. Facilities include classrooms, an IT room, games rooms and lounges, a dining room and an infirmary, while sports and outdoor facilities include swimming pools, tennis courts, a bowling alley, zip-lining routes, cross-country tracks, climbing walls and via ferratas for learning to climb safely, and a centre for Alpine expeditions. Geneva International Airport is the arrival point for escorted transfers.

🏫 Accommodation & Meals

Campers sleep in double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms in the boarding chalets, with teachers living in apartments in the same houses. Single and triple rooms are not available. Each camper has a mini-safe, and bedding and towels are provided. Roommate requests are honoured only when both campers are the same age and gender and both families make the same request; otherwise roommates are matched across two different nationalities or cultures.

Meals are internationally inspired, served buffet-style and prepared by the camp's own chefs. Each camper has an assigned table shared with teachers, and attendance at all meals is compulsory. Pork dishes are labelled and vegetarian options are offered; allergies must be declared in the health questionnaire. Kosher, halal and vegan meals are not available. Staff collect, wash, iron and return campers' laundry during camp.

🚌 Excursions & Activities

Afternoons in the first two weeks bring a varied programme of sports and creative activities, with a different mix each week drawn from basketball, climbing, cooking, creative arts, football, golf (practice only), mountain trekking, swimming, tennis and via ferrata. Campers are assigned to groups rather than building a personal timetable.

Evenings feature inter-team competitions, discos, movie nights, arts and crafts, board games, sports matches and barbecues, with an occasional night in a local mountain hut. On Saturdays, after morning lessons, there is an afternoon excursion such as canoeing, laser games or bridge-swing jumping. Sundays begin with brunch, followed by an all-day excursion, for example to an aquapark or Glacier 3000. Other highlights shown in the programme include rafting, canyoning, a cave excursion, climbing at the Gummfluh, a visit to a chocolate factory, karaoke, mini-golf, unihockey, a Swiss night and an awards ceremony.

⏰ A Day in the Life

Weekdays in the first two weeks follow a set rhythm: breakfast, two 75-minute language periods, lunch, afternoon sports, arts or excursions, dinner and an evening activity. Saturday has two shorter lessons followed by an afternoon outing, and Sunday starts with brunch and continues with a full-day excursion. On the welcome day, arrival and registration run from 09:00 to 16:00.

2027 Dates & Fees 📅

This is a residential camp of two or three weeks. Fees are quoted in Swiss francs (CHF).

• Sunday 4 July – Saturday 17 July 2027 — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: CHF 8,200

• Sunday 4 July – Friday 23 July 2027 — Length: 3 weeks (including Ultimate Adventure Week) — Residential: CHF 13,200

• Monday 26 July – Sunday 8 August 2027 — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: CHF 8,200

• Monday 26 July – Saturday 14 August 2027 — Length: 3 weeks (including Ultimate Adventure Week) — Residential: CHF 13,200

Payment: fees are invoiced in Swiss francs and include a non-refundable, non-transferable deposit of CHF 1,000 per child per session. Payment is by bank transfer or American Express only. Under the most recently published financial conditions (summer 2026), the deposit is due on receipt of the invoice for offers made between November and February, with the balance due within 30 days; offers made after 1 March must be paid in full on receipt. Cancellations before 1 May receive a 70% refund of camp fees (excluding the deposit); after 1 May no camp fees are refunded. A suggested pocket-money amount is added to the invoice, and any unspent balance is returned on departure. Enrolment for summer 2027 opens in November 2026.

✔️ What's Included

Full board and accommodation in an en-suite double room, bed linen and towels, a full laundry service (excluding dry cleaning), language lessons and materials, afternoon sports, arts and activities, evening activities, excursions and weekend activities, emergency accident and illness travel insurance (with conditions), personal liability insurance, local residence taxes, and escorted transfers to and from Geneva Airport on the official arrival and departure days within set timeframes.

Not included: cancellation insurance (recommended), flights and travel to Geneva, airline unaccompanied-minor service, visa and passport costs, excess baggage and pocket money. Transport to or from Zürich Airport or train stations is not provided.

🛡️ Safety & Welfare

The programmes are led by professional educators who teach at the school during the academic year. Teachers live on the same floors as the campers and are responsible for their wellbeing and safety: they wake them in the morning, supervise getting ready and sit with them at mealtimes. The teacher-to-camper ratio is 1:4. Boys and girls sleep in separate buildings (the youngest children may share a building with a separate floor for each sex).

Healthcare professionals are on campus 24 hours a day to give first aid and treat minor ailments, working with local doctors when needed. A health questionnaire must be completed before camp; the nurse keeps and administers all prescribed medication and self-medication is not allowed. Phones may be used in rooms only at set times (before breakfast, after lunch and before dinner) and are handed to the duty teacher each night; tablets, laptops, video games, internet-connected smartwatches and connected glasses are not allowed. Parents may not enter the residential buildings, and visits are only permitted at weekends (from Saturday until Sunday before dinner) by parents or an approved guardian.

💡 Who This Programme Is For

This camp is designed for children aged 8–13, especially those spending their first time away from home, who want to improve their English or French while enjoying the mountains with friends from around the world. The optional Ultimate Adventure Week suits campers who want to extend their stay with a full week of outdoor challenges.

Gstaad Yacht Club — Google Maps ↗

Untergstaadstrasse 15, 3780 Gstaad, Switzerland Google Maps ↗