School Trips to the Tower of London
It was once Britain's most notorious prison, fortress, and royal residence. But now, the Tower of London is a unique place for students to become fascinated by British history.
Expert presenters bring historical characters to life in curriculum-based learning sessions. Students from KS2 to A-level can enjoy hands-on learning at the Tower of London. The sessions cover a huge variety of themes, like:
- Crime, punishment, and torture
- Castles and historic environments
- Royalty, authority, and noble families - including the Tudors, Stuarts, and Normans
- Guy Fawkes' and the Gunpowder plot
- Religion and the treatment of religious prisoners
Step out of the classroom and into real locations - you'll see just how immersed students become in the topic. Your group can tour the tower with an iconic Beefeater: they'll share grim and gory stories dating back nearly 1,000 years. And you'll have the chance to meet the famous tower ravens!
Specially-made learning resources can accompany and support self-guided, teacher-led tours. But don't worry, your group won't miss anything if you want to explore yourself! You'll have access to a range of sites - including the Crown Jewel House, the White Tower, the Bloody Tower, the battlements, and the armoury!
Get in touch today to discuss your school trip to the Tower of London! Call our friendly team of travel experts on 0845 293 7970
Tower of London FAQs
How long does it take to go around the Tower of London?
It's recommended that you allow at least three hours for your school trip to the Tower od London and you can spend as much time on the site as you like on the date of your booking. Depending on the queues, it will take around three hours to go around the tower of london.
What is there to see at the Tower of London?
There are numerous hings to do on your school trip to the Tower of London. You can visit the Jewel House, which is home to the Crown Jewels, the White Tower, the Medieval Palace, the Bloody Tower, teh Royal Mint as well as much more.
What are the opening times of the Tower of London?
The opening times for the Tower of London vary for summer and winter months.
Tower of London opening times from 1st March to the 31st October:
- Tuesday- Saturday: 09:00-17:30
- Sunday-Monday: 10:00-17:30
The Tower of London opening times from 1st November to the 18th February:
- Tuesday-Saturday: 09:00-16:30
- Sunday-Monday:10:00-16:3
The Tower of London is open every day of the year except for:
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
- New Years Day
Can I bring a backpack to the TOL?
You can bring a backpack to the Tower of London and are always required to keep it with you. There are no luggage facilities for larger bags and all bags and rucksacks will be subject to a security check before you enter the Tower of London.
Can you bring food into the Tower of London?
You can bring your own food and drink into the Tower of London and in the summer months it is a good idea to bring a blanket to enjoy a picnic on the Tower Moat. There are cafe's and kiosks throughout the Tower of London if you wish to purchase food and drink at some point.
Can you take photos in the Tower of London?
You can take photos within the most areas of the Tower of London. The exception to this are the Jewel House, Martin Tower, the White Tower in the Chapel of St. John and inside the Chapel Royal of St. Peter and Vincula.
Our School Trips to the Tower of London
Cultural Trips
Our Cultural trips to London visits the Tower of London. Help to develop pupils’ understanding on the nature of authority and attitudes to crime and punishment in the early modern period. An ideal opportunity for a more in-depth study of Guy Fawkes and his attempt to destroy the Houses of Parliament in 1605.
Learn more about our cultural trips to London.
Primary School Trips
We can create an itinerary package around any them of your choice, so a primary school trip to London can include a visit to the Tower of London.
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
Speak to one of our school travel experts
Our team of school travel experts have unrivalled destination knowledge and experience so they can help to bring your tour ideas to life and might even suggest options you hadn’t already thought of too! So get in touch today and we'll help to create a bespoke, budget-friendly tour itinerary to meet your specific learning requirements.
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 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.
