German language immersion and adventure school trip to Rhine-Westphalia

Immersive learning and adventure in rural Germany

From the moment you set foot in the centre, all on-site activities and evening games are led in German by our experienced native Betreuers, to create a totally immersive language experience. Every opportunity is seized to encourage German language practise in real-life situations with a fully German team! Groups can spend two full days experiencing the on-site activities which include high ropes, climbing, GPS expedition, archery, rope bridge construction, go-kart building and more! These activities are a conduit to speaking the language. If students want to take part in the activity, they have to speak German! Your students will be making tangible improvements in their language speaking and confidence, whilst having fun and gaining invaluable team work skills.

National Park excursions offer plenty of fun for your school group. A popular visit is a walk around the beautiful Rurberg lake, followed by a boat trip, ending at the wonderful Eiscafe! The pretty resort town of Monschau and the wildlife park and bird of prey centre in Hellenthal are also very close by, or you can opt for a day at Phantasialand theme park, which is just an hour away and always proves a big hit with our groups.

Read about Kesteven And Sleaford High School's German language immersion trip to Hellenthal.

See how our language programmes link to the MFL curriculum here.

This is our sample short German immersion trip. Contact us with your budget and learning objectives for a bespoke itinerary.

Ready-made resources to get your trip off the ground

These ready-made trip resources are designed to reduce your admin and help speed up the process of planning, promoting and getting approval for your French trip:

• Letter to send to parents
• Poster to promote the trip to students
• School trip presentation for parents' evening
• Guide to restarting school trips for you to share with SLT

If you need any further assistance, just let us know or visit our Travel Hub for full details of our Peace of Mind Promise and travel insurance.

This German school trip is located in Hellenthal which is set in the Eifel Hills of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Though close to the Belgium border, the area has a traditional German feel with forests, picturesque villages, half-timbered houses and lakes to visit. Because the area is not well known to English tourists, your learners are encouraged to use their German on all the excursions. Take your pick from our suggested excursions below. But don't forget to leave at least a day to make the most of the adventure facilities at the centre.

The Hellenthal Youth Hostel is well equipped with fantastic onsite activities, including an all-weather high ropes course housed in a huge open barn, and a giant swing activity, set in the centre's woodland, which is designed to promote teamwork. 

Our highly trained Betreuers will supervise all the onsite activities and ensure that students only hear and speak German throughout their trip. 

Groups can spend two full days experiencing the on-site activities such as climbing, GPS expedition, rope bridge construction, go-kart building and more! Many of the onsite activities have the added focus of teaching students about sustainability. 

Read a teacher's inspection visit to Hellenthal for more information about the onsite activities. 

 

 

This German language immersion programme includes:

• A trained German-native Betreuer to lead all on-site adventure activities, such as high ropes, and team building activities in German
• Nightly German language evening entertainment at your accommodation
• A German language activity workbook per student
• Off-site trips and cultural excursions as specified in your itinerary
• Board and lodging as detailed in your itinerary
• Free teacher to student ratio approx 1:8 (coach trips) / approx 1:10 (air groups)
• Your choice of return travel; coach travel, with ferry crossing, applicable tolls and taxes included, or return flights and overseas transfers
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• 24-hour emergency support
• Subsidised inspection visit

Extras to budget for:

• School to airport transfers (if required)
• Visa charges, collective passports
• Supplements for small parties, single rooms and additional adults
• Drinks with meals other than breakfast
• Meals en route
• Entrances other than those specified in your itinerary

Rhine-Westphalia is a year-round destination for schools and depending on when you choose to visit our knowledgeable team can recommend seasonal activities, traditions and festivals to match your educational objectives.

Low season travel offers excellent value for school groups and for Rhine-Westphalia, there are learning opportunities, activities and excursions all year round. Travelling during low season is cheaper, the excursions less crowded and the accommodation centre will be quieter meaning more round the clock attention for your students.

All year round excursions

• Monschau Glassworks
• Historic sawmill
• Freilichtmuseum Kommern (open-air museum)
• The Vogelsang Castle (dark Nazi past)
• Grube Wohlfahrt mine
• Remouchamps Caves ( February - November)
• Eifel-Therme Zikkurat (swimming pool, open all year round except September for 3 weeks)
• Kasselburg Eagle and Wolf Park      

Spring  / Summer Activities

• Summer tobogganing (Open April to October)
• Urft dam and boat trip back (Open April to October)
• Rursee Lake swimming and canoeing ( Summer months only)

Winter Activities

• Monschau Christmas market