School Trips to Belgium
Often described as the ‘Pearl of the Low Countries’, Belgium is a beautiful country with a unique mixture of influences from neighbouring France, Netherlands and Germany. Our school trips to Belgium are excellent for students, offering a wide range of educational and cultural experiences to enjoy.
Why go on a school trip to Belgium?
Belgian architecture is second to none, whether you’re touring the majestic grade-listed buildings of Ghent or discovering the origins of Art Nouveau in Brussels, if your focus is history, where better to get a true experience of World War I than the deeply moving sites and museums at Ypres and Flanders Fields.
And of course, no school trip to Belgium is complete without a visit to the Musée Magritte or the Comic Strip Centre, home of Belgian cartoon culture and famous creations such as Tintin. The country is also known for its artisan chocolatiers who set the standard for European confectionery.
What’s more, travel time from the UK during a school trip to Belgium is easy and quick compared to other European countries. Take some time to look through the range of trips we offer, or give us a call for more information or advice.
School trips to Belgium highlights for pupils and teachers
On a Belgium school trip, there’s a breadth of sightseeing and educational opportunities for both teachers and students. These include:
- The King’s House in Brussels is a great opportunity for history students to learn about the hierarchy of the country and its past, with a museum that talks about the town's development.
- The Royal Palace of Brussels is an ideal landmark as a symbol of the constitutional Monarchy.
- The town of Ypres was the scene of several major battles during World War 1 and is a perfect trip for history students and military enthusiasts.
- The Christmas markets are a magical experience for everyone who visits Belgium around December.
- The Euro Space Center - This is a fun and engaging science school trip to Belgium for all. Perfect for students who want to feel like a real astronaut.
- Belgium Towns - School trips to Belgium can offer tours to towns such as the medieval town of Ghent, which blends modern architecture and is the ideal place for geography students.
- The Waterloo Battlefield is a must-see for history students, where the French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated in a bid to dominate Europe in 1815.
- Antwerp is the fashion capital of Belgium with its world-renowned museum and a great spot for design students to visit and find inspiration.
Browse our curriculum-linked Belgium school trips
A Belgium school trip has much to offer students studying any subject. The country’s rich history, great economy and location make Belgium a perfect place for a school trip. There are medieval towns to be seen and a showcase of the horrors of the First World War.
Brussels
Brussels
This city of Brussels is a fascinating hub for your students to visit on school trips to Belgium and is within easy reach of the UK.
You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or by visiting our page about Brussels school trips.
Science
The iconic Atomium monument says it all when it comes to Brussels! We’ll tailor your science tour to Brussels to suit your group’s specific learning requirements.
Business
On a business studies school trip to Brussels, students will undoubtedly gain a greater understanding of global politics and business.
Belgian Coast including Brussels
Belgian Coast including Brussels
With a variety of concert venues to choose from, together with a wide range of cultural visits to be enjoyed, Belgium is an ideal destination for a concert school tour.
Belgium school trip experts
Hundreds of students travel with NST to Belgium on school trips every year, and members of our team regularly visit Brussels, the Belgium coast and Bruges 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 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
- Parents’ leaflets covering how NST manage safety, financial protection and details of our travel insurance
- Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip
For selected destinations, we’ll provide a trip launch web page using video footage and imagery. This web page is provided by a weblink and can be shared with pupils and parents in many ways.
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment support including preview visits
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
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 resources and educational posters to brighten up your classroom!
Take a look at our downloadable posters here
Brexit & your school trip
Brexit & your school trip
How will Brexit affect my school trip?
Following the end of the transition period there are several changes that will affect groups travelling with us to the EU.
For more information on these changes, visit our dedicated Brexit page here.
If you're travelling with NST and have any specific questions. please contact your Educational Travel Advisor.
Why choose NST...
Here's why thousands of teachers choose NST each year...
- Unrivalled knowledge
Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise of Belgium 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 and trip launch resources to support your 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 50 years’ experience
With over 50 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.
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.
Financial protection from the moment you book
NST are fully bonded:
- ABTA
- ATOL
- IATA
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
We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured
The Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.
Students are safe on Belgium school trips
There is no need to worry when you book a Blegium school tour with NST. With our safety management system you have 24-hour emergency cover on all of your trips incase anything goes wrong giving you peace of mind.
