friLingue St. Bernard Spring Camp in Liddes, Valais

The St. Bernard Spring Camp takes place in Liddes, a village in the Val d'Entremont in the Swiss canton of Valais, on the road that climbs towards the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Aosta valley in Italy. friLingue runs the camp from its own chalet, Relais de Dranse, a renovated house standing in a quiet spot beside the Dranse river with no passing traffic. The camp takes participants aged nine to seventeen, with arrivals on Sunday and stays of one to four weeks. Mornings belong to the classroom. Each course runs for twenty lessons, fifteen hours in total, every week, in two blocks before lunch. English, German and French are all offered, and every level is accepted, from complete beginner to proficient. Groups are formed after a placement on arrival and hold about six participants, so speaking time is shared out rather than concentrated on a few. The syllabus is built around communication and practical use of the language, with attention to speaking, listening, reading and writing. Participants who want more classroom time can add an intensive option with two or three extra afternoon classes a week in even smaller groups. Afternoons and evenings are organised by the camp team. A typical week includes a full-day excursion and two shorter trips, with destinations such as Sion, Martigny and its Roman amphitheatre and Barry museum, the mountain village of Vichères, the Bavon area and, on longer trips, Aosta across the Italian border. Workshops, laser tag and free time fill the remaining afternoons. Evening activities range from a challenge evening and a campfire concert to karaoke, film nights, a themed evening, a disco and games evenings. A horse riding course and tennis lessons can be booked separately; the riding course requires a minimum number of participants and is conducted mainly in French. Participants live in the chalet in dormitory rooms sleeping four, six or eight in bunk beds. The largest rooms are covered by the standard fee and smaller rooms carry a weekly supplement. For participants who want to be surrounded by the language outside class as well, a twin room with a local host family is available for a supplement; host-family participants join the group for lessons, meals and activities. Full board is included and served in the chalet, and special dietary requirements can be arranged in advance. Supervision is round the clock and a certificate of participation is issued at the end of the stay. Airport transfers from Geneva and accompanied train transfers from Zurich and Bern can be booked separately, as can laundry and check-in assistance for the return journey. Availability, dates and prices may change quickly. Please always confirm details directly with the camp provider before making travel arrangements.