Join our swimming summer Camp in France for teens aged 13–17! Train for approximately 30 hours per week with qualified French swimming coaches, improve your strokes, speed, and endurance, and practice alongside French teenagers. Located in Vichy, France, this one- or two-week residential camp combines intensive swim training, French language immersion, and supervised activities for competitive young swimmers.
Interested in this program?
We're happy to help you plan your stay.
Why choose Nacel's swimming summer camp in France?
Designed for boys and girls who already train and compete at a swimming club, the program combines approximately 30 hours of swimming and physical preparation per week, qualified coaching, and French language immersion. You'll work on your swimming technique, speed, endurance, and race preparation while sharing the camp experience with French swimmers.
Where does the swimming summer camp take place?
The sports complex provides access to swimming pools, a gymnasium, sports fields, tennis courts, recreational areas, and dining facilities.
What swimming training will you receive?
Your training covers several aspects of competitive swimming:
- Swimming technique: Improve all four competitive strokes—butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle—with particular attention to body position, propulsion, and breathing.
- Starts and turns: Practice dives, starts, gliding, and turns to improve efficiency in the water.
- Speed and endurance: Develop your physical capacity and swimming performance through structured exercises.
- Technical equipment: Train with pull buoys, mini-fins, snorkels, paddles, and other specialized swimming equipment.
- Physical preparation and recovery: Work on strengthening, flexibility, stretching, and recovery techniques.
- Competition preparation: Develop concentration, race visualization, and the ability to evaluate your performance.
This high-intensity swimming camp is designed to help experienced young swimmers develop their technique, physical condition, and confidence in competition.
How can you improve your French while attending a swimming camp?
Yyou'll practice French naturally while training and spending time with French teenagers. 90% of campers and coaches are French, making French the main language of communication throughout the camp. You'll have opportunities to practice French during swimming sessions, meals, leisure activities, and conversations with your new friends.
There are no formal French language lessons in this program. Instead, you'll develop your listening and speaking skills through everyday interactions in a French-speaking environment.
You should already have some knowledge of French and be willing to communicate in French during your stay.
What makes our sports summer camps in France special?
Want to learn more about the experience? Read our interview with Juliette, our French Sports Camp Director, and discover how our sports camps bring together athletic development, French immersion, and friendships with local teenagers.
What activities can you enjoy at our swimming summer camp in France?
At Nacel's swimming summer camp in Vichy, you'll enjoy a full schedule of intensive swim training, physical preparation, and recreational activities alongside French teenagers.
During the camp, you will:
- Train for approximately 6 hours per day, Monday through Friday, combining swimming sessions and dry-land exercises.
- Improve your competitive swimming techniques, including strokes, starts, turns, and breathing.
- Participate in swimming challenges and training workshops to develop your skills and confidence.
- Enjoy free time with other campers between training sessions and after dinner.
- Take part in organized evening activities, including games, contests, and group entertainment.
- Join weekend activities and spend time with your new friends.
For two-week stays, a theme park excursion may also be included, depending on the camp's activity schedule.
What swimming level do you need to participate?
This is a high-intensity swimming camp for experienced competitive swimmers, not a learn-to-swim program. You must already train at a swimming club, hold a competitive swimming license, and have at least two years of competitive swimming experience.
Where will you stay during the swimming summer camp in France?
During your swimming summer camp in Vichy, you'll stay at the Lycée Valery Larbaud campus, in shared rooms with full-board accommodation. You'll share a room with 2 to 4 campers, with shared bathroom facilities. Living alongside other teenagers gives you opportunities to make new friends and practice French outside training sessions.
The camp provides 24-hour supervision, with an overall staff-to-camper ratio of 1:7. A camp director and a trained health assistant are also available to support students' safety and well-being throughout their stay.
What meals are provided at the swimming camp?
You'll enjoy four meals a day, including balanced and varied menus prepared on-site and served in the campus dining room. Meals are designed to meet the nutritional needs of young people participating in sports activities. Eating together is also an opportunity to chat with French campers, share experiences, and practice your French in an informal setting.
⚠️It is important to note that French high school buildings, where students are accommodated, do not have air conditioning, only ventilators.
Each camp session lasts for 7 or 14 days. Arrival on Sunday and departure on Saturday.
Arrival dates in Macon are:
- July 4, 2027 (1 or 2 weeks)
- July 11, 2027 (1 or 2 weeks)
- July 18, 2027 (1 or 2 weeks)
- July 25, 2027 (1 or 2 weeks)
- August 1, 2027 (1 or 2 weeks)
- August 8, 2027 (1 or 2 weeks)
- August 15, 2027 (just 1 week)
Swim Summer Camp in France 2027
*price in Euro's
TRAIN TRANSFERS
For an additional fee, we can arrange accompanied transportation by train from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Rennes, Metz, and Bordeaux to the camp and back.
This extra option includes:
A round-trip train ticket
camp supervision throughout the journey
Transfers between the train stations and the camp
Students may also join the group directly at the designated train station and travel to the camp using our daily shuttle service.
Please note that this shuttle operates only once per day, at the same time as the group arriving from Paris, for both arrival and departure. (Please contact us for the exact schedule.)
AIRPORT TRANSFERS (On Request)
We can arrange airport transfers on request through a trusted taxi service specialized in transporting minors. This service is available for arrivals and departures, and pricing is customized based on the airport and schedule.
Please contact us to receive a personalized quote.
💰 What's Included in the Price?
- Administration fees
- Full board accommodation in shared rooms
- Sports activities are carefully supervised and led by certified chaperones
- Access to all sports equipment on the campus
- Social activities during the weekend and in the evenings
- Support, assistance, and 24H emergency response phone number during the whole program
🚫 What's Not Included?
- Round-trip international airfare
- Non-compulsory insurance (luggage lost, flight delay, etc.)
- Visa, passport, and medical exam fees
- Group transfer from a Paris train station to the Vichy campus by train, with French chaperones, and back
- Personal expenses and spending money
- Medical, Liability, and Emergency Repatriation insurance: please provide an insurance certificate
If you want to be part of our Swim Camp in France, you must consider that:
- We only accept students from 13 to 17 years of age
- You must have studied French for two years
- You must have strong motivation and willingness to create friendships with other participants
- You have to make your best effort to speak in French at all times
- You have to make sure that you have the physical and mental condition to be part of this program
This program lets you improve your French, practice a sport, and make new friends. Our campers are expected to be mature and flexible.
THIS IS A NON-SMOKING PROGRAM.
Frequently Asked Questions
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During our sports camp in France your child will be surrounded by French teens. Improvement comes from constant immersion, using the language daily with native speakers. Studies show that four weeks of immersion can be as effective as a year of college language study due to the constant practice.
Cell phones are allowed at the camp and their use is subject to the following rules:
- They may only be used during free time and just before meals.
- They cannot be used during camp activities to ensure smooth operation.
- Phones are collected by the management team every night to avoid disturbing campers while they sleep.
- Wifi access on campus is not guaranteed.
- Parents can contact the camp director daily from 6 pm to 7 pm.
- In case of an emergency, parents can contact our 24/7 emergency phone number.
Please remember to disclose any allergies during registration. If you indicate on the booking form that your child has allergies, we will provide you with an allergy form. Please complete the allergy form as soon as possible so that we can assess the camp's ability to accommodate your child's condition.
For stays of two consecutive weeks, laundry will be done at the end of the first week. However, we advise you to bring clothes for 10 days.
The supervision ratio is one adult for every 6 children. The camp staff is present during the campers' daily activities, including waking up, meal times, bedtime, evening entertainment, sports training, and language classes. Campers are not allowed to leave the campus unsupervised.
It is common in France not to have A/C in school buildings. As the camps are held in boarding schools that are available during the summer, they do not have A/C.
Their day starts at 7:30 am and ends at 10:00 pm
Yes. Your child can be dropped off between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm on the first day. Pickup time on the last day is between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm.
If you are unable to collect your child yourself and allow another person to pick them up, we will send you a parental authorization form, which you will need to complete and sign.
If you authorize your child to return home alone, we will send you a parental authorization form, which you will need to complete and sign. For those traveling on their own, we provide a free shuttle service between the station and the accommodation center, at a fixed time on arrival and departure. The shuttle times will be shared 1 week in advance. We recommend booking a taxi in advance to make sure your child catches the train/plain.
After booking you will receive a welcome pack with all the information about the camp including a packing list with clear instructions what to bring for each sport.
.If your child's train timetable does not correspond to the free shuttle bus timetable you'll need to book a cab in advance. You must let us know the name of the cab company, phone number and pick-up time
Once classes are booked, they are non-refundable.
Your child may need a medical consultation. In that case one of the staff members will accompany your child to the doctor or hospital. The cost of the visit is their responsibility and should be immediately paid at the location of the appointment.
- Estimated price for a doctor who comes to see the patient: 45€
- Estimated price for a visit to a general practice doctor: 23€
- Estimated price for a visit to a specialized doctor: 45€
Please keep in mind the following information:
- To fully immerse your child in the French experience, we would like to encourage you to limit contact with them. However, your child may reach out to you if necessary.
- In case of an emergency, please contact our 24/7 emergency phone number
- A blog with daily updates and pictures of the camp will be available. You will receive the login and details a week before the camp.
All stays include full-board meals (breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner) served either self-service or at the table, well-balanced and adapted to sports activities.
- 7:45 am - 8:15 am: Wake-up call
- 8:15 am - 9:00 am : Breakfast
- 9 am - 12:30 pm: Sports program
- 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch
- 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Free time
- 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Sports program or French courses
- 5:30 pm - 7 pm: Showers + Free time
- 7 pm - 8 pm: Dinner
- 8 pm - 9 pm: Free time
- 9 pm - 10 pm: evening activities
We recommend that participants have 25 € pocket money per week. To avoid loss or theft, the pocket money must be given (it is compulsory) to the center's director. A coach opens the “bank” daily.
We are committed to doing everything in our power to motivate your child to stay and provide the necessary support. However, if your child decides to leave early and you agree to end the camp, please note that there will be no refund for the remaining days.
Arrival:
Direct Drop-off: Bring your child to the camp in Macon, Montauban, or Vichy on Sunday.
Train Arrival: Bring your child to Paris' Gare Bercy (for Vichy) or Gare de Lyon (for Macon) to join campers traveling by train between 12-2 p.m.
Departure:
Pick-up: Collect your child from camp on Saturday.
Train Return: Your child can return by accompanied group train travel to Gare Bercy or Gare de Lyon. You may pick them up at the station.
Other French stations available upon request. We do not offer Airport transfers.
Yes. As part of the application process, students must provide a copy of their vaccination record before joining the programme. Families should make sure that all required health information is updated and submitted to Nacel during the registration process.
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