School Trips to Madrid
Madrid combines a storied cultural history with modern infrastructure, food, art and design to offer a quality learning experience for all classes, whatever your focus.
The Spanish capital is home to a wealth of museums, plazas, elegant boulevards and beautiful, well-kept parks. A school trip to Madrid allows students to explore this fantastic city, picking up local customs, language and tapas along the way.
Visit the ‘Golden Triangle’ of art museums – Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza – for unique artistic perspectives that are all within a few hundred yards of each other.
Our trips to Madrid are part of a wide selection of school trips to Spain that we offer. Take a look at some of our popular school trip options below, or give us a call today for more information and advice on planning your ideal school tour of Madrid.
Browse our curriculum-linked school trips to Madrid
Art & Design
Art & Design
Soak up the Spanish culture and explore the many museums, monuments and parks during an NST school trip to Madrid.
Cultural & Transition Year
Cultural & Transition Year
Madrid combines a modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, with a range of cultural and educational visits to choose from, a trip to the city is certain to inspire your pupils.
Learn more about our cultural & transition year trips to Madrid here
Music
Music
Home to a wonderful cathedral, church venues and a warm climate, Madrid is a truly memorable destination for your music group school trip.
Spanish Language
Spanish Language
With a range of cultural and educational visits to choose from, a trip to Madrid is certain to inspire your Spanish language pupils.
Theme Park
Theme Park
Explore this vibrant city full of museums, monuments and parks. Madrid combines a modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, the legacy of centuries of fascinating history. Combine your city experience with a magical and fun-packed visit to Warner Bros Movie World!
Madrid trip highlights - our groups love...
Prado Museum
Prado Museum
Located right at the heart of Madrid’s cultural centre, the Prado is home to many European masterpieces. The extensive collection of historical works by artists such as Goya, Velázquez and El Greco celebrates Spanish heritage and clearly defines links to all the other major European schools.
La Puerta del Sol
La Puerta del Sol
This well-known and busy square houses many important statues including the bear and madrone tree (Madrid’s heraldic symbol), shops, cafés and occasional street music.
Guided Walking Tour of Madrid
Guided Walking Tour of Madrid
Experienced in taking youth groups, our local guides will bring the history and culture of Madrid to life. Students will be amazed as they walk down world-famous streets such as Gran Via and through Madrid’s many plazas.
Reina Sofia Museum
Reina Sofia Museum
Completing the cultural triangle of museums in Madrid, this centre houses a permanent collection of Spanish modern and contemporary art and is home to Picasso’s Guernica.
Flamenco Lessons
Flamenco Lessons
Groups can try the heart-stopping and passionate art of Flamenco dancing, a true cultural experience from Spain’s musical heritage.
Language Workshops at Madrid Language School
Language Workshops at Madrid Language School
In a relaxed environment, students will take part in speaking and listening sessions with native speakers, greatly enhancing their learning experience. This centrally-located school focuses on working at your group’s current skill level with workshops that involve topics linked to visits in the city. Groups are split into a maximum of 15 to encourage participation.
El Rastro (Flea Market)
El Rastro (Flea Market)
Groups can use their language skills to purchase bargains galore at this popular, bustling flea market, where there truly is something for everyone!
Football Club Tour
Football Club Tour
Choose from Real Madrid's stadium, or the Spanish Football National Stadium and take a guided tour of the trophy room, the pitch and players’ tunnel and everything behind the scenes!
On the ground support in Madrid
There’s a lot to contend with when travelling abroad, and many teachers find the service of NST’s Madrid City Representatives invaluable. We can arrange for your representative to meet you on arrival, assist you with hotel check-in, advise on points of interest and public transport and provide your group with 24 hour emergency assistance. With NST, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ll never be on your own on your school tour.
Our representatives will also be happy to discuss your programme of visits, offer an insight into your destination and suggest popular evening activities 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
- Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment support including preview visit
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.
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
Why choose NST...
Here's why hundreds of teachers choose NST each year...
- Unrivalled knowledge
Your dedicated tour co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise of Madrid 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 to support 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 20 years’ experience
With over 20 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.
Financial protection from the moment you book
NST are fully bonded & licensed:
- ABTA
- ATOL
- IATA
- Commission for Aviation Regulation
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
Package Travel Regulations 2018
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.
We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured
For groups travelling from Northern Ireland... the Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.
