School Trips & tours to Manchester
This lively city is a fantastic alternative to a school trip to London with a colourful array of educational and cultural visits. For an unforgettable primary school trip to Manchester, make sure you book tickets to see one of the major touring musicals at the Palace Theatre during your study tour to the city.
Exciting things have been happening in Manchester over recent years, and this vibrant city offers lots to see and do. Major touring musicals stop off at the Palace Theatre, MediaCity UK continues to grow, and the exciting tour of Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground is still our most popular visit.
When it comes to the educational side of things, Manchester offers a wide and diverse range of educational tours and visits that will enlighten and expand the imagination of pupils across all age groups. After spending a few days in the city students can spend a fun packed day at the thrilling Alton Towers Resort Theme Park, only a couple of hours drive from the city.
Take a look at some of our most popular Manchester school trips, or get in touch for more information or advice – we’re always happy to help.
Browse our curriculum-linked school trips to Manchester
Cultural & Transition Year
Cultural & Transition Year
This vibrant city offers lots to see and do, major touring musicals stop off at the Palace Theatre, MediaCity UK continues to grow, and the exciting tour of Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground is still our most popular visit.
Learn more about our cultural & transition year trips to Manchester here
Primary
Primary
For an unforgettable primary school trip to Manchester, make sure you book tickets to see one of the major touring musicals at the Palace Theatre during your study tour to the city.
Theme Park
Theme Park
Spend a day exploring the exciting visits of Manchester including Old Trafford before spending a fun packed day at the thrilling Alton Towers Resort Theme Park, only a couple of hours drive from the city.
Manchester trip highlights - our groups love...
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery is one of the country’s finest art museums. With a mix of wonderful historic collections alongside the best international contemporary art to bring fresh perspectives to familiar images, Manchester Art Gallery offers a blend of historic and contemporary architecture that echoes an innovative artistic programme.
The Lowry
The Lowry
Set in a magnificent waterside location at the heart of the redeveloped Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, The Lowry brings together a wide variety of performing and visual arts under one roof. The Lowry offers school groups the best in entertainment and education in the arts.
Whitworth Art Gallery
Whitworth Art Gallery
The Whitworth Art Gallery has been part of the University of Manchester since 1889, and holds both historic and contemporary collections and exhibitions. The gallery is well-known for its displays of modern art and sculpture, including works by British sculptor Jacob Epstein, British artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso.
The Manchester Museum
The Manchester Museum
This museum, based at the University of Manchester, is host to a mix of collections. From natural history to technology, dinosaur skeletons to mummies from Ancient Egypt, this diverse museum showcases objects which will engage and education any mind. With free, public tour running throughout the week, this would be a fantastic time for generate the students interest and gain and insightful view into the museums history and the collections housed here.
The Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre
Situated just five miles outside of Manchester city centre, here groups can enjoy a vast range of stores along three miles of granite and marble boulevards! There are many restaurants and places to eat plus the Trafford Centre is also home to the Odeon 20 screen cinema - one of the largest in the UK.
Manchester school trip experts
Hundreds of students travel with NST to Manchester every year, and members of our team regularly visit to Manchester 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 of Manchester 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
- 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 Manchester 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.
