Zurich with your class
Switzerland's largest city wears its wealth lightly. Set at the head of a beautiful lake with the Alps on the horizon, Zurich combines a perfectly preserved medieval old town with a reputation as a global centre of finance, art and design. For an older secondary group, it offers a refined, manageable few days that connect culture, economics and spectacular geography.
The old town invites exploration on foot, the lanes of the Niederdorf, the twin landmarks of the Grossmünster and the Fraumünster (the latter home to a celebrated set of stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall), and the smart Bahnhofstrasse, one of the world's great shopping and banking streets. That financial dimension makes Zurich a natural fit for business and economics students: this is one of the world's most important banking centres, and the city wears its prosperity in its architecture and its calm efficiency.
Culture runs deep. The Kunsthaus Zürich is among the finest art museums in Europe, and the city's strong design tradition, Swiss typography and graphic design shaped the modern visual world, gives students plenty to explore. A boat trip on Lake Zurich offers a different perspective entirely, with the city, the shoreline villages and the distant Alps sliding past.
The trip's natural showpiece sits just outside the city. A day trip to the Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Europe by volume, is a thrilling encounter with the power of the natural world and a vivid geography lesson, the spray rising as the whole river pours over the rocks. Students return with an appreciation of art and design, an understanding of Switzerland's place in global finance, and a memory of that roar.
Trip highlights
The Kunsthaus and Zurich's celebrated design tradition
A boat trip on Lake Zurich and the medieval old town
A day trip to the thundering Rhine Falls
Curriculum links
Practical information
- Zurich sits at the head of Lake Zurich in northern Switzerland, with the Rhine Falls within easy reach.
- Switzerland is not in the eurozone, local currency is the Swiss franc; spending money recommended.
- Note that prices in Switzerland are high.
- On the Move is the officially accredited school trips provider for the European Schools in Belgium; every trip has a dedicated project manager with 24/7 emergency support.
A day by day
✏️ This is an example timetable — we can adapt the destination, programme, duration and budget to suit your group.
Students come home with…
- an introduction to world-class art and design, an understanding of Switzerland's role in global finance, a feel for Alpine lake-and-river geography, and some practice in German.
In pictures
Cultural Stays - your questions
History, art, civics, languages and religious studies all benefit. Bastogne suits primary P5 groups studying WWII; The Hague suits civics and international relations; Berlin, Aachen and Málaga are ideal for secondary history and arts groups.
Yes. We arrange expert local guides for museums, monuments and walking tours, in English or French as you prefer.
The Belgian Ardennes — Bastogne programme is specifically designed for P5 (ages 10–11), with content pitched carefully for that age. Other destinations in this category suit secondary groups.
Return travel, central accommodation, all entries and guided visits, supervision, insurance and your On the Move coordinator.