LevelUp English Comes to Switzerland: Three English Holiday Camps in Summer 2026
- Apr 24
- 5 min read
This summer, LevelUp English — one of Germany's most loved English immersion camp providers — crosses the border into Switzerland, bringing three of its most extraordinary holiday camps to three of the country's most remarkable locations. From the shores of Lake Zurich to the baroque streets of Solothurn to a historic fortified castle in Brugg, Aargau: something new is happening in Switzerland, and it's been a long time coming.
Seven Years in the Making: Who is LevelUp English?
LevelUp English has been running exceptional English holiday camps for seven years. What started in Berlin has grown into something considerably larger — pushing south through Germany, from the capital all the way down to Baden-Württemberg, building a reputation along the way for camps that are genuinely different from anything else on the market.
Different, because LevelUp doesn't teach English. It creates worlds in which English is simply the language that everything happens in. Over seven years, LevelUp has developed and refined five distinct camp themes, each with its own identity, its own curriculum, and its own magic:
The Academy of Magic, where young wizards and witches discover that English is the language of the wizarding world
The Academy of Heroes, a camp built around courage, confidence, and the heroism that exists in every young person
The Spotlight Academy, a performing arts camp for the bold and ambitious
The Teen Growth Academy, a residential programme for teenagers ready to discover who they are
The StartUp Academy, for the entrepreneurial minds who want to build, pitch, and create
Five themes. One constant: English immersion that works because it never feels like studying. And now, LevelUp isn't stopping at the German border.
English Holiday Camps in Switzerland 2026: Three Locations, Three Experiences
Academy of Magic, Brugg, Aargau — 27 September to 2 October 2026
For children aged 8–13 | All English levels welcome | Herbstferiencamp
The flagship. The original. The one that started it all. The Academy of Magic arrives in Brugg, Aargau this autumn — taking up residence in the Swiss Youth Hostel's historic fortified castle, one of the most atmospheric venues in Switzerland. Children aged 8 to 13 are sorted into Houses, craft their own wands, compete in Broomstick Tournaments, brew potions, and navigate a week of magical challenges — all entirely in English, with no grades, no pressure, and no textbooks in sight.
Running during the autumn school holidays (Herbstferien), this is Switzerland's first English immersion holiday camp of its kind — and one of very few English Feriencamps available outside of the summer season. Easily accessible from across Aargau, and from Baden, Aarau, Zurich, Luzern, Basel, and Solothurn.
Spotlight Academy, Solothurn — 12 to 17 July 2026
For teenagers aged 13–17 | All English levels welcome | Musical Theatre Summer Camp
Switzerland's most beautiful baroque city meets LevelUp's most theatrical camp.
The Spotlight Academy is a residential musical theatre summer camp for teenagers, based at the Swiss Youth Hostel in the heart of Solothurn's old town. A week of musical theatre workshops, dance and movement training, filmmaking, improvisation, and creative performance — led by native English-speaking creative professionals, and building to a Final Performance Showcase at the end of the week.
For the performers, and the ones who don't know it yet. A short train ride from Bern, Zurich, Basel, Aarau, and Olten — one of the most accessible English performing arts camps in Switzerland this summer.
Teen Growth Academy, Rapperswil-Jona — 5 to 10 July 2026
For teenagers aged 13–17 | All English levels welcome | English Teen Summer Camp Lake Zurich
For teenagers who are ready to do more than just have a good summer. The Teen Growth Academy is LevelUp's residential English immersion camp for young people aged 13 to 17, based at the Swiss Youth Hostel on the shores of Lake Zurich in Rapperswil-Jona. A week of strength-finder workshops, confidence building, leadership activities, creative expression, theatre, filmmaking, and team challenges — all in English, all led by native-speaking creative professionals.
Set in one of Switzerland's most beautiful lakeside settings, well connected by S-Bahn from Zurich, Winterthur, Zug, Schwyz, and across the region — this is the English teen summer camp in Switzerland that parents have been searching for.
Why an English Immersion Holiday Camp — and Why Now?
The world your child is growing up into runs on English. Not as a foreign language to be studied and tested — but as the living, breathing common tongue of international business, science, digital culture, and creative industry. It is the language of the opportunities that matter most, and the confidence to use it fluently is one of the most valuable things a young person can carry into adulthood.
A residential English holiday camp delivers something no classroom can: total immersion. Not grammar drills, not vocabulary lists — but a week of living in English, thinking in English, laughing in English, arguing in English, making things in English. The language becomes instinctive because it has to. And the confidence that comes from that — from a week of doing rather than studying — is the kind that stays.
Add to that everything a residential summer camp delivers in its own right: independence, resilience, real friendships formed through shared challenge, memories that last for years. Screen-free, outdoors, fully present, fully alive. In a world that moves faster every year, a week like this is not a luxury. It is exactly what young people need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do children need to speak English to attend a LevelUp camp?No. All English levels are welcome at every LevelUp camp, from complete beginners upward. The immersive environment — where English is simply how the world works that week — is the most effective way to build confidence, regardless of starting level. German-speaking staff are on site at every camp throughout the week.
What age groups do the Swiss camps cover?The three Swiss camps cover ages 8 to 17 between them. The Academy of Magic in Brugg is for children aged 8–13. The Spotlight Academy in Solothurn and the Teen Growth Academy in Rapperswil-Jona are both for teenagers aged 13–17.
Where are the camps located and how do I get there?All three camps are based at Swiss Youth Hostels and are easily accessible by public transport. Brugg (Aargau) is reachable by rail from Baden, Aarau, Zurich, Luzern, and Basel.
Solothurn has direct trains from Bern, Zurich, Basel, Aarau, and Olten. Rapperswil-Jona is on the Zürich S-Bahn network with direct connections across the region.
When do the camps run?The Teen Growth Academy in Rapperswil-Jona runs 5–10 July 2026. The Spotlight Academy in Solothurn runs 12–17 July 2026. The Academy of Magic in Brugg runs 27 September–2 October 2026 during the Herbstferien.
How do I book? Places are limited and LevelUp camps regularly sell out. Use the links above to find out more about each camp, or contact us directly to reserve a place.
LevelUp English. In Switzerland. Summer 2026.
Three camps. Three extraordinary locations. One approach that has been transforming English learning across Germany for seven years — and is now doing the same in Switzerland.
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