German courses abroad

German courses open at €120/week in 2026, and a four-week stay with tuition and accommodation together usually runs €1,000 to €4,200. Germany is the affordable end: Berlin and Freiburg are the cheapest, Munich from €150/week, Hamburg from €155. Austria starts around €342/week in Vienna and Salzburg, while German-speaking Switzerland begins at €469/week in Zurich and Lucerne. Three things move the final figure: course intensity (general, intensive or one-to-one), your accommodation (host family, residence or apartment) and the extras (transfers, exam fees, activity programme). For an exact quote, talk to your local advisor or grab the free brochure.

Your goal, your budget and the trip you have in mind decide it. Germany takes most of our students, around seven in ten, and it is easy to see why: the most courses, the lowest prices, the widest spread of cities. Berlin for the creative scene, Munich for the mountains on the doorstep, Hamburg for the harbour. Austria is the choice for imperial elegance, classical music and Kaffeehaus afternoons; Vienna and Salzburg both teach Hochdeutsch with a clear local colour. German-speaking Switzerland is the premium pick: Zurich and Lucerne, small classes, weekends in the mountains. Your advisor maps a free shortlist to your level, dates and budget.

Age is rarely the obstacle: German courses open at 8 and carry on with no ceiling. The junior camps take 8 to 17s on full board with round-the-clock supervision, pairing lessons with sport and excursions in Berlin Wannsee, Freiburg, Heidelberg and Frankfurt-Lahntal. Adult courses start at 16, every level and every length. For the over-50s, 50+ runs small groups, classroom mornings and afternoons out with peers who share the same chapter of life.

Your passport and your length of stay are what count. EU and EEA holders need no visa for Germany or Austria, for any duration, and Switzerland is visa-free as well, though over 90 days calls for registration with the Gemeinde or canton. Carrying a non-EU passport, you can study in Germany up to 90 days on a Schengen tourist visa, with a Sprachkursvisum or full student visa beyond that. Austria keeps the same 90-day Schengen rule and adds an Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student for longer stays, while Switzerland requires a national D visa past 90 days. Since the detail shifts, our advisors monitor each country and take you through the paperwork at no charge.

Passport and visa are the deciding factors. EU holders in Germany, Austria or Switzerland may work within term-time limits. On a study visa, Germany allows 140 full days a year, Austria 20 hours a week and Switzerland 15 to 20 hours a week after six months, while a Sprachkursvisum usually rules work out altogether. For that reason most students keep their focus squarely on the German.

This is the rewarding stage of the planning. Our advisors set it out as five clear decisions. Lead with the goal: a quick refresh, university entry, a career move across the DACH region or a long break, each shaping the course and its intensity. Sound is next, from crisp Hochdeutsch in Germany to the melodic Wienerisch of Austria, or Swiss German with Hochdeutsch kept for the classroom. Then weigh the budget, Germany the most affordable, Austria mid-range, Switzerland the most premium. Map the weekends after that, Berlin clubs or skiing out of Zurich, and close on length: one or two weeks to refresh, four to twelve for real progress, six to nine months for fluency. Not settled yet? Order the brochure, or take a free 20-min call.

Book with ESL and the price matches going direct, while several extras come bundled that schools seldom give alone. To start, a free comparison and a shortlist are prepared before you commit, underpinned by the best price guarantee: find the same course cheaper elsewhere and the difference is refunded. Visa guidance reaches across Germany, Austria and Switzerland wherever it applies, and a pre-departure briefing covers how the city runs, what to pack and what to leave behind. An emergency line answers around the clock while you are away, and changes are free if life intervenes before departure. Every course already carries an activity programme, museums through food walks, at no extra cost. Your advisor stays a message away from the first call to your return, in person at any of our 40+ offices or by phone, email and video.

No level is left out, from an absolute beginner (A0) up to full mastery (C2), all tied to the Common European Framework. A free online placement test before you travel sets you, on day one, among students at your level. Beginners (A0 to A2) work through survival German, travel basics and the present and past tenses. Intermediates (B1 to B2) tackle jobs, study and current affairs, the threshold most employers and DACH universities set. Advanced learners (C1 to C2) reach for nuance, debate and exam preparation, and any mismatch on day one is fixed by the school within 24 hours. From B1 the Goethe-Zertifikat, telc Deutsch, and DOP all open up, each recognised by German-speaking universities and most DACH employers.