School Trips to Austria
Austria is a remarkable country that is surprisingly overlooked by many teachers when looking to decide their ideal destination for a school trip.
NST’s travel experts have helped to organise hundreds of school tours to Austria, each one tailored to suit the specific learning focus of a group. We’re here to take the stress of organisation away from teachers by creating a watertight itinerary that covers everything: travel, accommodation and tickets.
As well as being fairly manageable in size, Austria is also renowned for its excellent transport system which offers a very safe and simple way to travel between places. Our most popular destinations are Vienna and Salzburg, both of which are fantastic cities to experience authentic Austrian culture – from music, art and architecture to shopping and food.
Vienna boasts a fascinating history that few other major European cities can rival. The origin of iconic areas such as the Graben and Kohlmarkt can actually be traced back to Roman times, and have remained at the heart of city life for centuries. Meanwhile, the Gothic and Baroque eras spawned magnificent, ornate structures such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Schönbrunn Palace.
There are few better ways to learn about Vienna’s evolution – particularly moving into the 20th century – than our exclusive walking tour of the city. Key sites such as Leopoldstadt, Judenplatz and the Museum of Austrian Resistance offer a memorable learning experience for history groups focussing on World War II. Many groups also choose to visit Mauthausen Concentration Camp or the nearby town of Linz, famously Adolf Hitler’s hometown. For those focussing on psychology or sociology, the Sigmund Freud museum and Narrenturm are must-see attractions.
Salzburg lies over in the east, a mere two-hour train journey away from the capital. As the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg has an unrivalled classical musical heritage that continues to this day. The range of top notch performance venues catering to all levels of ability – Salzburger Dom, St Michael’s Basilica, Schonau am Konigsee and the Mirabell Gardens to name just a few – makes it a fantastic location for a music school tour. Beyond music, the city also offers plenty of interesting excursions such as the famed Konigsee boat trip.
Thinking about your own school trip to Austria? Get in touch with our team of travel experts today on 0845 293 7970 to talk through options and arrange your perfect school trip.
Browse our curriculum-linked school trips to Austria
Salzburg
Salzburg
Music
Music groups visiting Salzburg can follow the ‘Sound of Music’ in Salzburg, perform in spa venues and bandstands against beautiful backdrops!
You can find out more information about our school trips to Salzburg here
Vienna
Vienna
One of the oldest major cities in Central Europe, Vienna ignites a passion for learning that will stay with your students far beyond the duration of their trip.
You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or by visiting our page about Vienna school trips.
History
From the capital of a huge Empire to a small troubled nation state, from its Nazi past to its role in the Cold War, a history trip to Vienna will allow students to to deepen their understanding of many of history's major events.
Psychology & Sociology
Vienna, home to Sigmund Freud and birthplace of psychoanalysis, is a city linked with the atrocities of World War II. A psychology and sociology tour to Vienna makes for a eye-opening learning experience.
Music
A music tour to the city of Vienna will provides groups with an enthusiastic reception and the chance to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in Europe.
Austria school trip experts
Hundreds of students travel with NST to Austria every year, and members of our team regularly visit Salzburg and Vienna 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.
On-tour support for music groups
For music groups we can offer support from a Tour Manager who will assist you throughout the duration of your tour in Vienna or Salzburg including at your concerts where they will be on-hand to provide extra support.
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 geography 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 Austria 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.
Book your next school trip with confidence
With NST your peace of mind is guaranteed, thanks to our comprehensive package of financial protection. Our market-leading ‘Book with Confidence’ promise gives you all the reassurance you need when booking and paying for your trip and provide the full range of financial protection measures as recommended by the DfE.
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COVID Cancellation Protection - including full refund option
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Extended Payment Terms - to support with financial planning
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Financial Security - fully ABTA & ATOL protected
