Learning in the Capital
London school trips have a wealth of riches to explore, from Europe’s tallest building to the seat of British government. Many of the nation’s most important art collections are housed in the capital along with the nation’s leading museums such as the Imperial War, National Portrait and the hugely influential and important Natural History Museum.
London has also played a large part in shaping contemporary culture through the ages and was considered the fashion and music capital of the world in the 1960’s. Today London is still producing a large array of sporting, music, and movie stars and the glittering West End is the pinnacle of British theatre.
London School Trips Hotels & Hostels
Travelodge
Includes: WiFi, Restaurant, TVs, 24hr Reception, Air Conditioning
Elephant & Castle Hostel
Includes: Free WiFi, Lounge, Vending Machines, Garden, Cash Machine, 24hr Reception, Luggage Storage, TVs
Holiday Inn Hammersmith
Includes: Free Breakfast, Luggage Storage, Free WiFi, 24hr Reception, Vending Machines
ENGLISH
MATHS
ART
GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY
DRAMA
ECONOMICS
SCIENCE
RELIGIONBank of England Museum
The Bank of England Museum features 10,000 square feet of galleries, exhibits and objects covering the extensive history of the bank from its formation in the late 1600's to the 21st century. Students can hold real bars of gold, explore the causes and effects of some of the world's worst financial storms, take the helm of the monetary policy boat and discover the hidden security features on banknotes that keep our money safe today.
The museum also offers expert talks, encouraging audience participation and engagement as the history of the bank comes to life through pictures, video and other formats.
Get a quoteBritish Museum
The British Museum is the oldest of its kind in continuous existence today. It has a collection of over 3.5 million objects spanning the length and breadth of human history, and a series of exhibits focusing on different cultures from around the world. For school visits, London now offers the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre, an interactive space breathing new life into the ancient collection of cultural artefacts.
The museum also offers regular tours, handling sessions and galleries exploring the ages and civilisations of Earth in depth, including exhibitions on the Ancient Greeks, Romans and lost Egyptian cities.
Get a quoteCoca-Cola Education Centre
The Coca-Cola Education Centre is set inside the global manufacturer's Edmonton factory, housing 40,000 square metres of active production space. Students can enjoy purpose-built facilities designed to give visitors a unique, inside look at the fascinating manufacturing process behind some of the world's most popular soft drinks and the business practices of a leading international brand.
On a guided tour of the education centre, students will typically experience a short video presentation, an interactive activity and a tour of the factory facilities.
Get a quoteImperial War Museum
For 100 years, London's Imperial War Museum has documented the history, the causes and the effects of war throughout modern times. Exhibits include the First World War Galleries with over 1,300 authentic world war artefacts, the Secret War, a gallery exploring the undercover world of espionage and the award-winning Holocaust exhibition remembering the 20th century's greatest tragedy.
The Imperial War Museum also features special art exhibits discussing different portrayals of war, as well as temporary galleries investigating modern conflicts and the Global War on Terror.
Get a quoteLondon Eye
To this day, the London Eye remains a marvel of modern engineering, with 3.75 million visitors riding the iconic wheel every year and 85 awards for national and international tourism. When the Eye was first erected in 1999 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel at 443 feet, with a diameter spanning 395 feet. Only the Shard has a higher public vantage point of the city, and even though the wheel only had planning permission for five years, the Eye still stands strong over 16 years later.
On a clear day, the London Eye offers an expansive view of 25 miles; Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and the 02 are just a few of the famous landmarks that can be seen at the peak of the wheel.
Get a quoteMadame Tussauds
First opening over 250 years ago, London's Madame Tussauds was the first waxwork museum of its kind, and has survived public scandal, a huge fire and the blitz to become one of the most enduringly popular attractions in the capital, welcoming over 2.5 million visitors a year. The museum celebrates historical figures of popular culture from Charles Dickens and Albert Einstein, to YouTube vloggers Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes.
School trips to London aren't complete without seeing Madame Tussauds which regularly updates their collection of lifelike models, featuring special exhibits from the Star Wars and Marvel universes, as well as the Spirit of London Ride taking visitors through 500 years of the city's history.
Get a quoteNational Gallery
The National Gallery houses an expansive art collection of over 2,300 works, dating from the 13th century to the early 1900's. Some of the world's most famous pictures can be found here, including van Eyck's Anolfini Portrait, Velazquez's Rokeby Venus and Van Gogh's Sunflowers.
Monet, Canaletto, Ingres, Cezanne, Rembrandt, Claude, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo are among the celebrated artists represented in the collection. Highlighting the tremendous history of European art, from the portraitists of the Renaissance to the rise of French Impressionism.
Get a quoteNational Portrait Gallery
With a vast collection of 200,000 paintings, The National Portrait Gallery was the first of its kind, and offers the most extensive collection of portraits in the world, with established artworks ranging from the Tudor era to the present day. These include prints, photographs, sculptures, negatives, miniatures and drawings from throughout British history, dating back as far as the 16th century.
William Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, The Bronte's and Queen Elizabeth I are among the significant historical figures represented in the gallery. Special exhibits also offer a chance to see rarer portraits from the likes of Pablo Picasso and more.
Get a quoteNational Theatre - Backstage Tour
The National Theatre's Backstage Tours offer the chance to see behind the scenes of one of the UK's largest working theatres, producing over 20 new productions every year. Show preparations; including rehearsals, costume design and prop-making all happens on-site, giving visitors a unique glimpse of what goes into some of the country's biggest theatre productions.
The theatre was founded in 1963, however, the company didn't move to the National Theatre as we know it today until 1977. Since then, the theatre has hosted some of the UK's most celebrated productions, including Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Danny Boyle.
Get a quoteNatural History Museum
London's Natural History Museum is the home of more than 80 million natural specimens, some of which are billions of years old. More than 5 million visitors explore the museum every year, while the working scientists behind the museum's Darwin Centre continue to research the solar system, our geology and life on Earth using the latest technologies.
The museum is separated into 4 different zones. Blue Zone showcases the remarkable variety of animals that have lived and continue to thrive on Earth, Red Zone highlights the effects of space on our planet while the Green Zone shows the growing importance of the environment to our wildlife.
Get a quoteRoyal Observatory
Greenwich's Royal Observatory is in a unique location on our planet and marks the historic Prime Meridian of the World. It was on this very site that GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) was established in 1675, and the Observatory remains a site of great scientific and geographic importance to this day as the home of the prime meridian line.
The Royal Observatory also features several galleries discussing longitude, astronomy and the immense history of the site for visitors to explore. As well as exhibits, the Observatory has its own planetarium using the latest video technology to take viewers on unique journeys through space and time.
Get a quoteScience Museum, London
Founded in 1857, the Science Museum welcomes 3.3 million visitors a year to explore it's dynamic, interactive exhibits covering space travel, the engineering of flight, medical discovery, the effects of climate change and how our lives are becoming increasingly digital. The museum also features one of London's only IMAX 3D cinemas.
To date, the museum houses a vast collection of over 300,000 scientific artefacts, including famous articles such as the oldest surviving steam locomotive, the first jet engine and the first prototype of The Clock of the Long Now.
Get a quoteShakespeare's Globe - Theatre Workshops
Opened in 1997, Shakespeare's Globe is a faithful recreation of the theatre built by the Lord Chamberlain's Men in 1599, just 750 feet from the site of the original. As well as regular performances of The Bard's most famous plays, the theatre runs interactive theatre workshops, encouraging visitors to engage themselves with Shakespeare's plays, themes and characters in new and exciting ways. Each session is led by an experienced guide, taking place in the same surroundings an Elizabethan player might've found themselves in.
Shakespeare's Globe also offers special events highlighting specific moments in the world-famous poet's career. Past events have included 1616: A Momentous Year, marking the anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and celebrating the rise of the playwrights he left in his wake.
Get a quoteSt Paul's Cathedral
This world-famous place of worship was founded in 604AD and remains a site of great religious importance for Christians all over the world. The cathedral contains a large variety of artefacts, including monuments to Horatio Nelson, John Donne and memorials to some of Britain's most iconic historical figures, counting Florence Nightingale, Lawrence of Arabia, William Blake and Sir Alexander Fleming among those remembered.
The cathedral also runs regular events and exhibitions, such as the Out of the Fire exhibit, marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London in 1666. After the flames subsided, Christopher Wren undertook the rebuilding of the cathedral, establishing the recognisable dome seen today.
Get a quoteTate Modern & Britain
Housed in the former Bankside Power Station, the Tate Modern is one of Europe's leading galleries of modern and contemporary art, and is the largest museum of its kind in the world today. The collection includes examples of performance art, action paintings and mixed media pieces, with notable artists that have been represented in the gallery including Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst's Turner Prize-winning "Mother and Child Divided" installation.
On the other side of the Thames is the Tate Britain, with the most extensive and comprehensive collection of British art (circa 1500 onwards) in the world. The Tate Britain also hosts the prestigious Turner Prize, showcasing each year's nominees.
Get a quoteThe Museum of Brands, Advertising & Packaging
The Museum of Brands, Advertising & Packaging houses an extensive collection of over 12,000 authentic products from the unique Robert Opie Collection, including vintage posters, toys, games and packaging from the Victorian era to the present day. Including WWI-era Oxo cubes and Mars bars, Rolos and Kitkats from the 1930's and even Rimmel cosmetics from the 1890's.
Guided tours offer a unique perspective on these rare items and how they were shaped by the turbulent historical events of the 20th century. Students can also see special exhibitions showcasing more specific elements of packaging and design.
Get a quoteTower of London
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Tower of London has enjoyed a remarkable life, spanning nearly 1000 years of British history. It has served as the prison of infamous criminals including the Kray twins as well as housing an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office and most recently, the home of the Crown Jewels, which visitors can still see here today.
The Tower offers tours, talks, debates and regularly invites the public to honour its heritage with the 700-year-old Ceremony of the Keys, the nightly locking of the fortress.
Get a quoteTwickenham Tour
Twickenham is the largest rugby stadium in the world today, and the iconic home ground of the England Rugby Union Team. On a guided tour of this world-famous site, students will see the England dressing room and learn how international players prepare for the biggest games in world rugby, explore the royal box, walk the players tunnel and go pitch side to see the ground from the eyes of England international.
At the end of a tour, visitors are welcome to learn more in the World Rugby Museum's interactive exhibits housed in the East Stand.
Get a quoteVictoria and Albert Museum
Commonly referred to as the V&A, the Victoria and Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of art and design, boasting a collection of over 4.5 million objects in 145 galleries. As well as the famous Gilbert Collection celebrating European and British luxury objects, the V&A includes permanent collections of over 2000 paintings, photographs dating back to 1852, 75,000 individual textile objects and examples of design from as long ago as 300AD.
The museum also features regular special exhibits, spotlighting specific movements in history and their effect on art and design.
Get a quoteWarner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter
This unique tour gives students the chance to enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most successful film franchises in cinema history. The Making of Harry Potter showcases thousands of authentic objects used in the famous movies, as well as original sets, animatronic beasts and special effects all used in the filming of the eight-part series.
On a tour, students also will get to walk along Diagon Alley's iconic cobbles, step inside the great hall of Hogwarts and explore the studio's backlot, featuring Privet Drive, the Knight Bus, Hagrid's Motorcycle and more. Guests can also enjoy an authentic butterbeer after their visit.
Get a quoteWest End Theatre Show
London's West End is world-renowned for having some of the greatest and most successful theatre productions of all time. Students will get the chance to see famous actors, amazing production and design, sets and costumes of recent shows which will go on to appear around the globe. Productions are changing all the time but recent that started in the West End include;
- Stomp
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Les Miserables
- The Woman in Black
- An Inspector Calls
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- Blood Brothers
- Miss Saigon
Westminster Abbey
Westminster's traditionally gothic abbey is still very much at the centre of the country's most important religious festivals and royal events. There have been at least 16 royal weddings in the church since it was first used for coronations in 1066 and there are 3,300 people buried or commemorated within the abbey walls, including 17 former monarchs.
Westminster Abbey also houses Poets Corner, the final resting place of some of Britain's most revered literary minds. Geoffrey Chaucer, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Noel Coward, Aphra Behn and Jane Austen are just a few of the famous writers buried here. Opened in 2010, the Abbey Learning Centre offers talks, tours and varied events to bring the history of this storied building to life.
Get a quoteWimbledon Guided Tour
Guided tours of Wimbledon offer students the unique chance to see behind the scenes of the iconic All England Tennis Club. Visitors are free to explore Aorangi Terrace (or as it is currently fondly known, Murray Mount) as well as the press rooms, millennium building and even centre court.
At the end of the tour, students will be able to enjoy the Wimbledon Museum, documenting the extensive history of this storied sporting venue through multimedia exhibits like the 3D film theatre and the CentreCourt360 viewing gallery. Guests can also see the Wimbledon trophies up close for the first time.
Get a quoteA City of Art, Nature and Technology
From the bustling financial hub of the City of London and Bank of England to the National Theatre and the Globe, for school trips London offers something to suit every student, teacher, assistant or willing volunteer for the day. From Downing Street to Apple Studios, Westminster to the West End, London is a city that has shaped the nation.
London School Trip Facts - Did you know...
- The Queen is not allowed to enter the City of London without first seeking permission of its Lord Mayor.
- The actual City of London is only 1 square mile, the surrounding area is the City of Westminster.
- Each year 80,000 umbrellas are lost on the London Underground.
- Around 20 rivers run underneath London completely unseen by its inhabitants.
- If calculated in terms of how many French nationals live there, London is actually France’s 6th largest city.
- The tomb of Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser in Westminster Abbey is believed to contain unpublished manuscripts thrown in to honour his genius by his contemporaries, including Shakespeare.
- Before the 17ft statue of Nelson was erected on top of the Trafalgar Square column in 1842, 14 members of the committee who commissioned it held a dinner party at the summit of the 170ft-high plinth.
- London’s O2 Arena is big enough to house the Statue of Liberty or the Great Pyramid at Giza.
- London is 15 x bigger than Paris (1,572km2 and 105km2 respectively).
Places to go, people to meet...
Great London Locations
- Tower of London
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Buckingham Palace
- British Museum
- Natural History Museum
- National Gallery
- Tate Modern
- Imperial War Museum
- Kensington Palace
- London Dungeon
- V&A Museum
- Globe Theatre
- Science Museum
- Churchill War Rooms
- London Zoo
- Royal Observatory
Famous London Residents
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Lord Byron
- Clement Attlee
- John Keats
- Michael Faraday
- David Bowie
- Michael Caine
- Sir John Gielgud
- John Milton
- Mary Shelley
- Virginia Wolf
- Robert Baden-Powell
- David Beckham
- Florence Nightingale
- Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington)
- Elton John
- Emily Pankhurst
- Alexander Fleming
- Charles Darwin
- Sir Isaac Newton
We're ready to help...
Simply send us your school trip requirements to get started...
Contact Us- Dedicated Account Manager
- 24/7 Support
- Full Itinerary Support
- Online Payment Area
- ABTA & ABTOT Bonded
- FCO Members
Travelling abroad? Stay informed.
For information on staying safe and healthy while travelling abroad as well as local laws and latest government advice on destinations visit the FCO Travel Aware website.
