School trips to Washington DC

Art & design

Spectacular art can be seen in the US capital with dozens of world class museums and galleries to be found here, whilst the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Museums are second to none. 

Learn more about our art & design trips to Washington here.

Cultural Trips & Tours

Chosen as the US capital for its tactical location between the South and the North, Washington DC offers a whole host of experiences for school groups. Home to the US Government, many of the nation’s monuments and museums, historic landmarks and memorials to great US presidents of the past, the city’s skyline might be low profile but its attractions certainly aren’t.

Learn more about our cultural trips to Washington here.

History School Trips & Tours - Political History

The US capital city is home to many excellent museums, educational visits and sites to give your pupils an invaluable insight into American history and how the country has evolved.

Learn more about our history trips to Washington here.

Walking Tour - Political Sites

Half day tour with a local guide covering externally all the major government buildings:

• Pennsylvania Avenue
• The US Capitol (the Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, Library of Congress)
• The Mall
• George Washington Monument

Ford's Theatre

Enjoy a self-guided tour of the Ford’s Theatre Museum - explore Lincoln's presidency from his arrival in Washington to the very minute he arrived at Ford's Theatre on the fateful night of April 14, 1865. You will see rare artefacts related to the assassination.

The Pentagon

The headquarters of the Department of Defense is one of the world’s largest office buildings. It is possible for groups to have a guided tour around the building which covers highlights of significant moments in history. Tours must be booked direct by the group via your local MP.

FDR Memorial

This park traces 12 years of the history of the US using a sequence of outdoor rooms; one for each of Roosevelt’s terms of office. Sculptures and murals depict scenes from the Depression enabling you to stand in the ‘Breadline’.

Lincoln Memorial Steps

Stand on the site of Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement in America.

National Museum of American History

Traces the country’s development in an entertaining and fairly lighthearted manner.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Covering a wide variety of themes and movements of American Art with notable works by O’Keefe, Hopper and Homer.

National Portrait Gallery

The portraits of Presidents and notable Americans are on permanent display. Works such as the ‘Lansdowne’ portrait of George Washington are among its many highlights.

Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden

Located beside the National Mall, the striking museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution and focuses on contemporary and modern art from the last 50 years.

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

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 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 your 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 tour group's 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

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

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

Take a look at our downloadable posters here.