
Les Elfes Summer Camp
Verbier · Multi-activity · 6–17 yrs
from $4,600





by TASIS The American School in Switzerland
TASIS The American School in Switzerland runs this residential language camp in Lugano, Switzerland. The camp welcomes children aged 4–10, with sports and adventure on the programme. Typically open June to August — new dates coming soon. Sessions last 3–4 weeks. Activities run in English, French, and Italian.
Set in beautiful Lugano, the TASIS Summer Programs in Switzerland offer intensive academic courses, an unparalleled performing arts program, thrilling outdoor adventures, advanced sports training, and exciting cultural excursions to students ranging in age from 4–17. When you come to TASIS, you will discover a vibrant global community of students who represent more than 50 nations and speak more than 30 languages. The TASIS experience unlocks the unique potential of every student and produces what our founder, M. Crist Fleming, called “international human beings—men and women who are capable of moving easily in any society and any civilization on the face of the earth.” The magic begins on our campus. Perched on a hillside in sunny southern Switzerland with commanding views of snow-capped mountains, palm trees, and Lake Lugano, our ever-evolving global village comprises 25 buildings dating from the historic 17th-century Villa De Nobili to the state-of-the-art Campo Science Center. Capitalizing on our location in the heart of Europe, our travel program will introduce you to majestic natural settings—from the Swiss Alps to the Italian lakes to the Mediterranean coast—and to stunning Swiss and Italian cities, including Andermatt, Basel, Zermatt, Zurich, Florence, Milan, Rome, Siena, and Venice. There is no shortage of adventure opportunities at the TASIS Summer Programs. Whatever you wish to try—be it whitewater rafting, canyoning, kayaking, canoeing, waterskiing, windsurfing, sailing, paddleboarding, glacier hiking, ice climbing, rock climbing, zip-lining, or riding an alpine slide—we have you covered. If you’re a sports enthusiast, you may choose to participate in our tennis or golf academies; in our Armani Junior Basketball Club, where coaches from the Olimpia Milan Armani Junior Program focus on physical strength and the elements of fitness necessary to improve player confidence and performance; or in our AC Milan Junior Camp, which offers you the exceptional opportunity to work on your skills with coaches from the renowned AC Milan Club. While our programs provide plenty of time to play and explore, most mornings are dedicated to traditional classroom learning with a first-rate team of dedicated educators. Among other options, you can take intensive courses in Italian, French, or English as an Additional Language; build an academic writing portfolio; learn how to cook like an Italian; develop your own lean startup; and study robotics, science, graphic design, digital photography, architecture & design, fashion & textile design, or musical theater. With our younger students, we focus on building confidence and nurturing curiosity about the world in a safe, family-like atmosphere. Small class sizes allow our professional educators to engage the children using songs, games, and hands-on activities that help make learning fun, and our international environment helps students develop an appreciation for other languages and cultures. Our visual and performing arts programs are designed to grow confidence and bring out the artist in every child. Whether you want to star in an original musical, learn a new instrument, perform a modern dance, write your own script or song, paint a canvas of the campus, take the perfect photo, design a poster, create an architecture model, or design a clothing line, our devoted team of professional artists and educators will help you achieve your goal. The most important aspect of our programs is friendship, and global friendships help us become global citizens. Where else can you meet people from more than 50 countries who quickly become a second family? The TASIS Summer Programs challenge you to grow into the best version of yourself. LEARN MORE
Optional — available at extra cost
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Language & activities · Languages
The shape of the day is simple and reassuring: each child selects one primary course and studies it for several hours daily, which gives the morning a clear focus and a familiar teacher and group. Everything around that course, the sports, music, arts, activities and weekend day trips, is included in the programme tuition and is chosen together with staff once children arrive on campus, so a shy four-year-old and a confident nine-year-old can each end up with a week that genuinely fits them. Minnows and Château des Enfants run as their own age-appropriate programmes rather than as add-ons to the older students' schedule, with STEAM, arts, music, dance and nature time threaded through the week. Because English is the language of the programme, children practise it naturally during activities, meals and outings without ever feeling they are in a lesson. A few specialist clubs and optional overnight trips can be added for children who want a deeper dive into one pursuit.
Other included activities
Filippo G
The settings are amazing, the teachers were very well prepared, the life spent in these weeks left me with memorable friendships and ideas. Truly there is no aspect that I do not remember with affection and nostalgia.
Jun 2018
Robert S
It was a wonderful time in my life, being a teenager, learning new cultures, and making great friends.
Jun 2018
Maggie R
TASIS was a community unlike anything I had experienced before. The structure of the camp was fun and exciting. I loved being surrounded by the beautiful scenery and getting to travel around the area. The culture, people, and experiences I had will stay with me for a lifetime.
Jun 2018
Courtney S
TASIS was my first significant international exposure. It informed my worldview and made me recognize other cultures and languages as equal to English/American culture from a very early age, which I think has made me a better world citizen.
Jun 2018
Where your child sleeps
Campus facilities
TASIS The American School In Switzerland, Via Collina d'Oro 15, 6926 Montagnola, Switzerland
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Getting your child there
Lugano Airport
Pickup service · If a student is arriving alone (without a parent or other responsible adult) he or she will be picked up at the airport by a TASIS staff member.
TASIS The American School In Switzerland, Via Collina d'Oro 15, 6926 Montagnola, Switzerland
Driving up, take the A2 Highway towards Lugano and leave at the Lugano-Sud exit, then follow the signs for Ponte Tresa, turning onto Via Paradiso and climbing the winding road past the Tamoil gas station. Turn onto Via Collina d'Oro in the direction of Montagnola/Agra, pass through the village of Gentilino and the Sant'Abbondio church with its lane of cypress trees, then take the sharp switchback curve where you will see the white wall reading The American School in Switzerland. Fifty metres after the curve there are two parking lots: the School's own lot on the left just past the main gate, and public blue-zone parking on the right, which is limited to one hour and requires a disc-dial displayed in the windscreen (staff can lend you one). Remember that driving on Swiss highways requires the annual motorway toll sticker, available at the border.
Milan Malpensa International Airport
Malpensa is the nearest large international airport for families flying in from further afield. From the terminal, TILO train connections run through to Lugano Train Station, from where the campus is roughly fifteen minutes away by road. Let the school know your arrival details ahead of time if your child needs to be met.
Zurich Airport
Zurich Airport is the other convenient international gateway, with Airtrain connections through to Lugano Train Station that can be booked together with your flight. Direct trains from Zurich to Lugano take approximately two hours, and the campus lies about fifteen minutes beyond the Lugano station.
Lugano Train Station
Lugano is easy to reach by rail, which many families find the calmest way to arrive. From Milan, the fastest Inter City trains take about an hour, while regional services from Milano Centrale or Porta Garibaldi can take up to 110 minutes and may involve a change; from Zurich, direct IC trains run roughly every hour and take around two hours. The campus sits about fifteen minutes from the town of Lugano, reached by taxi or by the local Posta Bus.
436 Posta Bus to Certenago Paese
The 436 Posta Bus links the campus with Lugano, leaving from either the Lugano Train Station or the Autosilo Balestra stop roughly every 30 minutes between 06:00 and 23:00. The stop to use for TASIS is called Certenago Paese, a short walk from the school gate.

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Jun – Aug
2027 dates not open yet