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School Trips & Tours to Belfast

Belfast is quickly becoming an exciting city to visit - and with more and more exhibitions and cultural visits opening, it's a destination that's suitable for all ages. The Titanic Belfast® has brought a new life to the Titanic Quarter. With this and the wide range of visits for studying Politics and Society in Northern Ireland, Belfast is an excellent low budget visit for school groups.

When it comes to the educational side of things, Belfast offers a wide and diverse range of educational tours and visits that will enlighten and expand the imagination of pupils across all age groups.

Take a look at some of our most popular Belfast school trips, or get in touch for more information or advice – we’re always happy to help.

Browse our curriculum-linked school trips to Belfast

Cultural & Transition Year

Cultural & Transition Year

Belfast is quickly becoming an exciting city to visit with the newly opened Titanic Belfast® bringing new life to the Titanic Quarter. With this and the wide range of visits for studying Politics and Society in Northern Ireland, Belfast is an excellent low budget visit for school groups.

Learn more about our cultural & transition year trips to Belfast here

History

History

With a wide range of History based visits, NST’s tour to Belfast is a great opportunity to explore Politics and Society in Northern Ireland first hand. Belfast also has a great choice of cultural visits to excite students studying a variety of topics including the newly opened Titanic Belfast®. 

Learn more about our history trips to Belfast here

Primary

Primary

Belfast is quickly becoming an exciting city to visit - and with more and more exhibitions and cultural visits opening. This is a low budget school trip destination that's suitable for all ages. 

Learn more about our primary trips to Belfast here​

Belfast trip highlights - our groups love...

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast

Visit the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience at this fascinating museum in Belfast. Students don’t just learn, they become enthralled by full scale replicas and visually stunning displays through nine interactive galleries.

Guided Tour

Guided Tour

Explore Belfast with a knowledgeable guide, taking in all the sites.

Crumlin Road Gaol

Crumlin Road Gaol

HMP Belfast, also known as Crumlin Road Gaol, is a former prison situated on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the only Victorian era prison remaining in Northern Ireland since 1996.

Stormont Parliament Buildings

Stormont Parliament Buildings

The interior floor space of Stormont totals nearly 5 acres and the building stands at the end of a mile long driveway in 300 acres of parkland. Stormont is a public park and all visitors can enjoy the grounds and visit the Great Hall. Groups can visit the Parliament Buildings for a 2 hour presentation, activity and tour.

W5 – Science Exhibition

W5 – Science Exhibition

An award-winning science and discovery centre at Odyssey in Belfast. A magical place with exhibitions and workshops that place learning in context and provide memorable learning experiences for students and great ideas for teachers.

Belfast school trip experts

Hundreds of students visit Belfast with NST every year, and members of our team regularly visit Belfast to really get to know the ins-and-outs of the area, from logistics and visits to our range of student-friendly accommodation.

Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their knowledge of Belfast to create an itinerary that’s tailor-made, perfectly timed and meets your exact school travel needs. They’ll be able to share their first-hand experience, suggest options you might not have considered and give you insight into the feedback other teachers have given us too.

Planning your first school trip?

If you're planning your first school trip, our essential guide will take you through each step of the process...

  • Choosing your destination
  • Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
  • Promoting your tour in school
  • Confirming your booking
  • Tailor-make your tour
  • Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
  • Quick reference timeline
  • Pre-tour checklist

Additional support, resources & information

Tour planning service

Tour planning service

With NST, you’ll get your own dedicated, knowledgeable Tour Co-ordinator who’ll work with you from start to finish. You’ll benefit from their unrivalled destination knowledge, and their experience gained from working with many other groups too. They’ll tailor-make your itinerary from scratch and take care of everything for you: 

  • Pulling together an itinerary that runs smoothly 
  • Planning the right balance of visits every day with realistic timings 
  • Pre-arranging and pre-booking your visits, entrance tickets, passes and meals 

 

You’ll receive your final itinerary a full 4-weeks before you travel too.

Free school trip promotion pack

Free school trip promotion pack

We’ll support you and provide everything you need to advertise your school trip around school and to parents. Our free school trip promotion pack consists of: 

  • Parents’ letter & permission slip template for you to complete A3 posters to promote your trip around school 
  • PowerPoint presentation templates which you can tailor to your own needs 
  • Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip 

Risk assessment support including preview visits

Risk assessment support including preview visit

Risk assessment plays a vitally important part in the planning and organisation on any school tour.

Our risk assessment guide aims to help you understand more about your obligations and how you can more effectively manage group safety on your next educational visit and provide you with risk assessments for your trip.

Planning first school trip

Planning first school trip

Organising your first school trip can appear to be a daunting process. 

If you're planning your first school trip, our guide will help to take you through each step of the planning process, answering frequently asked questions and providing tips and support along the way. 

Our helpful guide covers the following: 

  • Choosing your destination 
  • Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head 
  • Promoting your tour in school 
  • Confirming your booking 
  • Tailor-make your tour 
  • Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment) 
  • Quick reference timeline 
  • Pre-tour checklist 

 

View our essential guide to a successful school trip here

Get live updates on your group's tour location

Get live updates on your group's tour location

Locate My Trip uses GPS technology and is the easy, convenient way for your school to follow your location whilst on tour. Specifically designed to provide reassurance to both parents and teachers, NST will know where your group are 24/7. If your schedule needs to change, we’ll put plans in place to keep your tour on track. 

With Locate My Trip your group can also share photos and videos with the school and parents, via a secure link, to keep them updated on your experience whilst you’re away.

Watch our short Locate My Trip video here

Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager

Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager

Save time and stay on track with your school trip admin with our online orgnaniser - designed to help busy teachers like you. 

With My Tour Manager, you'll be able to download FREE resources and access trip paperwork online and in one place. Your personalised checklist details what you need to do and by when, plus you'll receive fortnightly reminders too. 

What's more, you can take all your trip documents on the go whilst on your tour with our app, My Tour Manager-On-the-Go. 

Find out more and watch out short My Tour Manager video here

Free classroom resources

Free classroom resources

We've created a range of free geography resources and educational posters to brighten up your classroom!

Take a look at our downloadable posters here

Why choose NST...

Here's why hundreds of teachers choose NST each year...

  • Unrivalled knowledge

Your dedicated tour co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise of Belfast to create a tailor-made, curriculum-linked itinerary to meet your group’s exact needs.

  • Making it easier for you

With our online school trip organiser, travel app, free classroom posters to support in-school promotion.

  • FREE group leader inspection visits

We offer a free inspection visit to your chosen destination to support your risk assessment planning. 

  • Value for money

We’re committed to bringing you the best possible value trips to help make every penny count.

 

  • More than 20 years’ experience

With over 20 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.

  • Risk assessment guidance

Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip. 

  • Peace of mind

Your group’s location can be followed with our trip tracking device - Locate My Trip - plus you’ll have 24/7 support from us whilst you’re away.

  • Offsetting carbon emissions

For every trip taken, we'll plant a Maya nut tree in Peru to support reforestation, local communities & biodiversity. Plus, we'll offset an additional tonne of CO2 to guarantee carbon emission reductions. 

Looking for protection on your next school trip? 

Booking with a school travel company is the best way for you to protect parents’ money and give yourself peace of mind.

Financial protection from the moment you book

NST are fully bonded & licensed:

  • ABTA
  • ATOL
  • IATA
  • Commission for Aviation Regulation

 

Managing safety on school trips

For your protection, NST's independently audited Safety Management System covers:

  • 24-hour emergency cover
  • Audited accommodation & transport
  • Excursions & school visit assessment
  • Group leader preview visits to assist with risk assessment planning

Package Travel Regulations 2018

Don't forget - if your school arranges transport, accommodation and other services directly, you’ll be liable under the Package Travel Regulations – meaning you’ll have all the responsibilities of a travel company, both legal and financial. 

We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured

For groups travelling from Northern Ireland... the Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.

Learn more here