School Trips to Poland
With its storied history, vibrant culture and wealth of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Poland is a perfect setting for any school trip.
The picturesque cities of Warsaw and Krakow are perhaps the most well-known, though there are countless other must-see sites dotted all around the country. NST has been arranging school trips to Poland for decades, so you’ll certainly be in safe hands when deciding on a bespoke itinerary that meets the specific requirements of your class.
The benefits of an educational school trip to Poland
A school trip to Poland offers students plenty of valuable educational and cultural benefits. It provides pupils with a first-hand opportunity to boost their knowledge of music, psychology, sociology, religion, science, literature and history while visiting iconic landmarks and sites like Malbork Castle, the Old City of Zamość, Toruń, Centennial Hall and many more.
Krakow is steeped in history, bearing the marks of World War II and the Holocaust. Additionally, its historical significance spans across to the beautiful Old Town which is known as the city’s historic centre. Here you’ll find meandering cobbled streets, interesting museums and galleries. There’s also the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a massive expanse of caverns, lakes and crystalline sculptures that have been growing for 900 years. It’s easy to see why these areas were named among the first urban UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Poland also has a distinct gastronomic reputation and is famous for merging cuisine from foreign countries, notably Italy and other Baltic nations. It’s safe to say that the country’s multitude of restaurants cater to every possible taste. Couple that with the number of wonderful concert halls, performance venues and language-learning experiences on offer, it’s easy to see why Poland is one of Europe’s top cultural destinations.
Learn more about our school trips and tours to Poland
Krakow
Krakow
Krakow offers groups an unforgettable experience through one of the most historically and culturally rich cities in Europe. You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or by visiting our page about Krakow school trips.
History - The Holocaust
A history school trip to Krakow will provide an in-depth study of the Jewish community in the city, one of the most important centres of Jewish life in pre-war Europe.
Music
Poland is a wonderful destination for established music groups, choirs and orchestras, with venues like The Gardens of Archaeological Museum as the backdrop for concerts and open-air events. Please see our music school tours to Krakow.
Psychology & Sociology
Evidence of the wartime experience of Europe’s Jewish population in ghettos such as Podgorze, coupled with a school trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, will enable pupils to develop a thorough, rounded picture. Pupils analyse persecution, conformity and obedience in this psychology and sociology trip to Krakow.
Religious Studies
Given the recent history of this city, a religious studies trip to Krakow and the surrounding areas is highly thought-provoking. Your students will be able to visit important places of worship, including the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy and the holy sites of Saint John Paul II.
Gdansk
Gdansk
History
For A-Level groups (and GCSE groups studying the OCR GCSE depth study ‘Poland 1956-1990: The People and the State’), Gdansk provides an ideal destination. A city where a study of recent events will help pupils to understand the realities of life in a communist state and to follow the ideological and physical struggles that led to the collapse of communism in Central Europe.
Poland school trip experts
Hundreds of students travel with NST to Poland every year, and members of our team regularly visit Krakow and Gdansk to really get to know the ins-and-outs of both areas, 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 Poland 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.
