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History School Trips To Berlin

Berlin can be seen as a living history textbook. It is an excellent place for students to study modern history. Few cities in the world allow students to connect with history in the way that they can in Berlin.

 

During the 20th century, Berlin was at the heart of everything: the rise and fall of regimes, a terrifying dictatorship, the Holocaust, the dividing line of the global Cold War, and finally, a symbol of freedom and unity. The stories of the past are built right into the city, offering an unparalleled opportunity to relive the very history they are studying in a tangible way.

 

Our expertly created school trips take your students beyond what they read. They'll stand exactly where world-changing events happened, giving them a much deeper and more emotional understanding of the key concepts they are reading about.

 

We offer bespoke history trips to match your needs or learning outcomes. This means you can choose the trip that perfectly matches your curriculum needs, whether you focus on the World Wars and the Holocaust or the challenges of the Cold War and Division.

 

Berlin History School Trips & Tours - Germany 1918 to 1945

 

The historic city of Berlin offers an unparalleled setting for studying one of the most pivotal periods of the 20th century. Around every corner, you'll find reminders of its past—from moving memorials to streets where key events of the Nazi era unfolded. On this trip, your group will explore the rise of the Third Reich, the impact it had on everyday life, and the tragic events of the Holocaust.

 

Berlin History School Trips & Tours - Impact of the Cold War

 

The recent history of Germany’s capital is still clearly evident today, to the extent that it is impossible to walk through the city without being continually made aware of its recent past.

 

During a history school trip to Berlin, your group will see for themselves the breathtaking pace and breadth of change since 1989. A school history trip to Berlin provides students with the opportunity to learn from a range of excellent educational visits, covering all aspects of Berlin’s recent past, including Nazism: its rise, the impact on government and society, resistance and opposition to Natsism, propaganda and post-war division.

Prices start from £439pp


NST Subject Expert

NST Subject Expert

Educational support, local knowledge & on-tour assistance
Local Guide

Local Guide

For local knowledge at key sites
NST City Rep

NST City Rep

Assistance on-hand whilst you’re away

Price includes

  • 2 nights’ B&B accommodation
  • Return flights and overseas airport transfers
  • Services of an NST Berlin City Representative
  • Extensive group travel insurance
  • 1 in 10 free place ratio

Price shown is based on 40 paying passengers departing from selected airports and is subject to availability.


On-tour support

Get even more from your trip with an NST History Subject Expert. Contact us for a price.

On-tour support includes...

Additional on-tour support available...

  • Pre-booked meals at great group prices

 


Accommodation for students on tour in Berlin

Popular options in Berlin

We know that choosing the right accommodation is a crucial part of planning any school history trip. At NST, we partner with a handpicked selection of hotels and youth hostels in Berlin that are well-established in hosting school groups. Here are some of the popular options in Berlin. This is only a sample of our entire range, so for expert advice on accommodation to suit your group’s specific needs, speak to one of our Educational Travel Advisors.

MEININGER Hotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof

A very modern and comfortable hotel which offers a high standard of room as well as good in-house facilities. It is strategically-located in the heart of Berlin, with excellent access to public transport. 

 

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MEININGER Hotel Berlin Alexanderplatz

A very good standard of accommodation, care of the well-known MEININGER Hotels chain. Strategic location for visits in both former West and former East Berlin.

 

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Citylight Hotel

This hotel has received consistently high praise from returning groups. It is modern and spacious, with excellent leisure facilities and very professionally managed. Access to the city centre is easy using public transport.

 

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Aletto Hotel Kudamm

A large hotel and hostel with 231 rooms over 7 floors, centrally located. The rooms are modern and bright and there is a very welcoming atmosphere.

 

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MEININGER Hotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof

A very modern and comfortable hotel which offers a high standard of room as well as good in-house facilities. It is strategically-located in the heart of Berlin, with excellent access to public transport. 

 

More Information

MEININGER Hotel Berlin Alexanderplatz

A very good standard of accommodation, care of the well-known MEININGER Hotels chain. Strategic location for visits in both former West and former East Berlin.

 

More Information

Citylight Hotel

This hotel has received consistently high praise from returning groups. It is modern and spacious, with excellent leisure facilities and very professionally managed. Access to the city centre is easy using public transport.

 

More Information

Aletto Hotel Kudamm

A large hotel and hostel with 231 rooms over 7 floors, centrally located. The rooms are modern and bright and there is a very welcoming atmosphere.

 

More Information


Top visits

Guided Walking Tour - Fall of Communism - East Berlin

On foot and public transport, tour the former East Berlin including the Zionskirche, Gethsemanekirche and the Bornholmer Bridge.

Throughout a full day or split across two half days, our guides can cover a number of key historical sites, providing your group with full commentary that will put them in the context of your curriculum. 

Only available with a History Educationalist Guide

Guided Walking Tour - Fall of Communism - Central Berlin

This tour includes sites in and around Alexanderplatz concentrating on the events of September - November 1989. 

Throughout a full day or split across two half days, our guides can cover a number of key historical sites, providing your group with full commentary that will put them in the context of your curriculum. 

Only available with our Educationalist Guide.

Berlin Wall

Here, your group will see how East and West Berlin were divided for 28 years. The Bernauerstrasse Memorial allows students to see remains of the Berlin Wall as well as an exhibition on Berlin during the Cold War. The East Side Gallery is the longest surviving stretch of the wall and is nearly 1.5km long – and includes the work of various artists and political cartoonists.

DDR Museum

Situated in the city centre, this interactive museum offers fascinating insights into daily life in the DDR. Take a virtual drive round an East German housing estate in the Trabi simulator. This interactive museum immerses students into daily life during the Communist Era in East Berlin helping them understand the period in a unique and entertaining way.  The museum also provides school groups with free-of-charge quiz sheets to download from their website, which students can use to work their way through the exhibition in an independent but structured fashion (quiz solutions are available at the ticket desk).

DDR Museum Kulturbraueri

From idyllic countryside dacha to works canteen and Bautzen prison - the exhibition, spread over 600 square meters, presents original objects, documents, films and audio recordings that explore the gap between ideals and reality in the GDR. The individual experiences showcased illustrate the diverse attitudes towards the communist dictatorship, from loyal support to attempted neutrality or resistance.

Audience with an eyewitness at the DDR Museum

Bring history to life with this fabulous opportunity for your students. During this one hour session they are able to listen and ask questions to people who actually experienced the reality of everyday life in the former East Germany.

Wallmuseum-Haus at Checkpoint Charlie

Featuring exhibitions about the legendary border crossing point, this fascinating museum includes demonstrations of how individuals smuggled themselves across the border. Here, your group will have the opportunity to explore what drove some people to go along with the collectivist culture, and others to resist.  

Stasi Museum

At the site of the Stasi Headquarters, groups can gain a vivid insight into the huge power that this organisation wielded over citizens of the GDR. Visit the exhibition which includes the offices of key staff and learn more about the events that led to the opening of the border. 

Palace of Tears

The Berlin passport and customs office was known during the Cold War as the 'Palace of Tears'. This museum and memorial dedicated to documenting the separation of East and West Germany.

Hohenschönhausen Memorial

This former political prison for people detained by the Stasi is now a museum which covers not only the Stasi period but its origins as a Soviet Special Prison from 1946-51 and provides groups with a very authentic picture of prison conditions in the GDR. 

TV Tower

Located at the very heart of the city on the Alexanderplatz, the Berlin TV tower is part of German history: in the sixties the East German government had the TV tower built to demonstrate the strength and efficiency of the socialist party system. Today the tower, Berlin’s highest structure, shapes the skyline of the German capital city and has fantastic views - and serves as a landmark of the reunited Germany. Your group can pinpoint the many landmarks and attend the free exhibition. Groups can also take part in an immersive 15 min VR experience and time travel through 9 centuries of Berlin's history.

Guided Walking Tour - Berlin Centre

This walking tour covers the key city centre sites in depth:

  • The Reichstag
  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Holocaust Memorial
  • Hitler’s Bunker
  • Potsdamer Platz
  • Reich Air Ministry buildings
  • Topography of Terror
  • Checkpoint Charlie Museum
  • Unter den Linden
  • Neue Wache
  • Bebelplatz (site of the book burning)

Throughout a full day or split across two half days, our guides can cover a number of key historical sites, providing your group with full commentary that will put them in the context of your curriculum. 

Olympic Stadium

Built for the 1936 Olympics, this is an excellent example of Nazi architecture. This is where the black American athlete, Jesse Owens, won four gold medals, supposedly infuriating Hitler because of his race.

Reich Air Ministry Buildings

Constructed between 1935 and 1936, the building in Wilhelmstraße was one of the Nazi regime’s prestige projects in Berlin. It served as the headquarters of the Reich Aviation Ministry until the end of the war, and was Herman Göring’s centre of power. Now the home of the Ministry of Finance, the 8-metre socialist realist mural on one corner of the building is a reminder of its time as The House of the Ministries, one of the most important government buildings in East Germany.

German Resistance Memorial Centre

Situated in the Bendlerblock, the former Wehrmacht building from which the July Bomb Plot was organised and where Stauffenberg and several of his co-conspirators were executed, the museum covers all aspects of opposition and resistance to National Socialism within Germany.

Topography of Terror

This fascinating exhibition is contained within the former cellars of Gestapo HQ, illustrating the terrors and crimes of the Nazi era. The new documentation centre and other exhibitions are presented in both English and German.

Visits Outside of Berlin - Leipzig

After Berlin, nowhere in Germany was more central to the events of 1989 than Leipzig, the GDR’s second city. The demonstration on 9th October 1989 and the regime's reaction to it was one of the major turning points of that momentous year. Visit the Nikolaikirche where the Monday evening meetings were held and from where the weekly protest marches set off. Visit the Runde Ecke, the former Stasi HQ and see the permanent exhibition ‘Power and Banality’. A full day coach excursion from Berlin.

Visits Outside of Berlin - Dresden

Famous for its porcelain and china works, Dresden was controversially bombed by the Allies in 1945 destroying around 80% of the city and killing thousands of its inhabitants. This beautiful city has since undergone extensive restoration including to its magnificent cathedral.

Berlin River Cruise

Take a cruise along the River Spree on this tour and see all the major attractions of the city while learning about the intriguing history of Berlin.

Tropical Islands Water Park

This indoor tropical beach, which lies outside of the city, is home to water slides, lagoons and miniature golf, as well as the world’s largest indoor rainforest. 

Stadtbad Schöneberg

This large, action-packed swimming complex has a pool with diving boards. It also has an outdoor pool, slide and whirlpools.

IMAX Cinema

Groups can visit the fabulous cinema at Potsdamer Platz. Bowling Am Schillerpark This bowling alley is the most popular of four available in Berlin.

Ice Skating

Groups can spend an evening at the ice-rink in Wilmersdorf.

Berlin Markets

The large indoor market in the centre of the city is an ideal place to put language skills to the test and pick up a bargain or two.

Potsdam

An excellent visit to the Cecilienhof Palace where the conference took place in the summer 1945. As well as a fascinating exhibition, students can actually visit the room where the negotiations between the immediate post-war leaders took place.

Spy Museum

Embark on a journey into the shadowy realm of espionage and intelligence from the Cold War to the present. Exhibits on display will include such curiosities as preserved smells, infrared briefcases and cameras hidden in coats.

Lindenstrasse Memorial Site

Located in Potsdam, the Memorial (a former prison complex) remembers the victims of political persecution and imprisonment in Germany from 1933 to 1989 (used by the Nazis, KGB and the Stasi), as well as how the Communist dictatorship was finally overcome in 1989-90.

TimeRide

One City – Two Worlds
Berlin, 1985: A bus rolls up to Checkpoint Charlie. The guards are blocking its way. The passengers are travellers to a bygone era – guests of TimeRide Berlin. Modern VR technology makes it possible not only to take a look at history, but to experience it first-hand. During your one-hour stay, you will embark on a unique journey through time. Three exciting stations will take you to the divided Berlin!

 

Europa Experience Berlin

The Europa experience is a multi-media digital exhibition about the European Union and its member countries. Pupils can explore the area independently, using the many touchscreen tables available and watch a movie in the 360-degrees cinema. Pupils can also take part in a 90-minute interactive role play.

 


Evening activities

A key part of any successful student trip is the opportunity for students to relax, socialise, and have fun after a day of learning. Here are some of the popular options for your school history trips:

  • Ice skating: A fantastic and active way for students to unwind.
  • Bowling: A classic group activity that brings a friendly sense of competition for students.
  • IMAX cinema: Treat your students to a captivating cinematic experience. Berlin boasts several state-of-the-art IMAX theatres, offering an immersive way to see the latest blockbusters or even educational documentaries.
  • Swimming: Many of our partner hotels and youth hostels offer swimming pools. This is an excellent way for students to burn off some energy and relax under supervision.

These evening activities mean your Berlin history school trips will not only be educational but also well-rounded and enjoyable for every student.


Study themes

GCSE

 

Edexcel

"Superpowers and the Cold War, 1941-1991"

"Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939"

 

AQA

"Germany: 1890-1945"

"Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945-1972"

 

OCR History A

"Germany: 1925-1955"

 

OCR History B

"Living under Nazi Rule, 1933-1945"

 

EDUCAS (WJEC)

"Germany in Transition, 1919-1939"

"The Development of Germany, 1919-1991"

 

A Level

 

Edexcel

"2E.2 – The German Democratic Republic, 1949-1990"

"1G - Germany and West Germany, 1918-1989"

"37.2 - Germany, 1871-1990: united, divided and reunited"

 

AQA

"1L - The quest for political stability, 1871-1991"

"2O - Democracy and Nazism, 1918-1945"

"2R – The Cold War, c1945-1991"


Study levels

A-Level

AS Level

GCSE 

 


Expert's comment

"As the momentous events of 1989 and their consequences become more widely studied, NST’s Guided tours also cover the fall of Communism. Led by our team of History Educational guides, these tours cover the growth of political dissent, the effects of policy changes emanating from Moscow and the events of the autumn of 1989. Choose from a range of sites to cover aspects of German history from the Wileheline period, to the end of the Cold War."

"Before the Second World War, Berlin was home to one of the world’s largest Jewish populations. The story of Jewish Berlin from its origins in the 17th century to its near total destruction under the Nazis can be followed in a walking tour of the northern Mitte area. This was one of the principal Jewish areas of Berlin, and today pupils can visit the sites of synagogues, other community buildings, and a series of memorials to this vanished society. Other visits to historical sites such as Sachsenhausen, Ravensbrück and Wannsee chronicle the treatment and the near annihilation of Berlin’s Jewish population as well as other groups during the Third Reich."

Jeff, NST History Subject Expert

 


Transport

Available from any location in the UK, our executive coaches are fitted with seatbelts, toilet facilities, air conditioning, DVD and reclining seats.

Coach

We can arrange for your group to fly from a range of UK airports and we’ll work with you to plan your route at the best value possible.

Flight


Giving you full support throughout

Before your tour

  • Dedicated NST expert from day one
  • Responsive, flexible communication - Teams, phone, or email
  • Same-day quotes
  • Trips tailored to your budget, with transparent pricing
  • Straightforward planning - we handle the details
  • Step-by-step risk assessment guidance
  • Free accommodation for group leader preview visits
  • Curriculum-driven, enriching experiences across 100s of locations
  • Unrivalled local knowledge & expertise

Whilst you're away

  • Our travel app keeps all your info in one place
  • On-tour support from our reps on the ground
  • Support & assistance from our specialists
  • 24/7 helpline and support
  • Extensive group travel insurance
  • Group-friendly accommodation
  • Free educational resources

On your return

  • Priority rebooking services
  • Loyalty reward scheme for valued customers
  • You say, we act - we're committed to continuously improving our tours

“Our tour to Berlin was excellent. Our itinerary was well planned and very flexible. Our NST Subject Expert, Steve Rawcliffe, was fab! We were really pleased – it was an excellent trip and all was well planned.”

Ben Blackband, The Ashcombe School