Cycling promotes many skills, is fun, healthy, good for the environment and affordable. During this trip, school students can learn how far they can take their own muscle power and discover how the bicycle can be a practical and environmentally-friendly means of transport. We have put together a cycling camp programme for you and your class, including routes, checklists and additional activities.  

The bike tour starts in St. Gallen and continues via Kreuzlingen to Schaffhausen. You can get to St. Gallen by bicycle, train or coach. If you are arriving by train, you can reserve the bikes through our partner Rent a Bike and collect them directly at St. Gallen railway station and return them at Schaffhausen railway station. 

One, two or three nights in multi-bed rooms for your students and double rooms for the accompanying adults, including meals. 

Our experienced booking centre staff are at your disposal to provide individualised advice and information. 
Contact us by phone or email. 

Contact details of Swiss Youth Hostels: 

Schaffhauserstrasse 14
P.O. Box

8042 Zurich
Switzerland

Tel: 044 360 14 14
contact@youthhostel.ch

Bicycle check 

Before you set off, check the roadworthiness of your students’ bikes with a bicycle check at your school. You can either arrange for a bicycle expert to do this or you can carry out the bicycle checks yourself and, if necessary, find out more in advance with these excellent tutorials. 

Testing and developing cycling skills 

We have put together a “Safe cycling” checklist for you to give to your students' parents. We recommend that you carry out various activities with your class prior to the cycling camp. For example, you could get the students to take part in a four-week Bike2school competition. This is an ideal way to prepare for the cycling camp. The students would gain the necessary confidence on their bikes and it would also strengthen class camaraderie.  

Do you want to integrate bicycles into everyday school life? Here you will find a sample annual cycling plan, with suitable tips, teaching materials and other offers for the third school stage. Annual plans for the other school stages and upper-secondary level can be found here… 

What else is needed? 

Ensure that at least two accompanying adults can come along so that you can divide your class into guided groups. You can find out what else you need to think about when preparing for your cycling camp in the checklist provided by the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, which will help you plan your trip down to the smallest detail like a pro! We’ve also added the class camp packing list for you with the extras that every pupil needs to have with them on the cycling camp. You can record the key details of your cycling camp and the most important telephone numbers here and distribute the form to everyone before you leave.

Stage 1 and 2: Nature, people, society (NMG) 

NMG 8.5 g) Students can travel independently by bicycle and public transport in the area where they live, paying attention to traffic safety and obeying the rules.   

Stage 3: Exercise and sport (BS)  

BS.5.1 1c) Students are able to ride their bicycles safely on the road (e.g. one-handed, at a controlled pace, can look backwards). 

Stage 3: Rooms, times, societies (RZG)  

RZG.2.4 c) Students can investigate mobility and transport and know the criteria for sustainable and safe mobility conduct and can apply these to reflect on their own mobility conduct.