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School trips to Cantabria

A small region in the north of Spain, Cantabria is a lesser-known gem where school groups can enjoy stunning mountainous scenery as a backdrop to numerous traditional Spanish towns.

There’s also the lively cosmopolitan city of Santander situated on the coast that boasts a spectacular bay, wonderful restaurants and terraces. The city is particularly known for delicious seafood tapas and Gothic architecture – not just the bank!

Take a look at some of our most popular school trips to Cantabria below, or get in touch with an NST expert today to talk through your planning options in more detail.

Browse our curriculum-linked school trips in Cantabria

Cultural trips

Cultural trips

A school trip to Cantabria is ideal for groups seeking to share a truly authentic Spanish experience together whilst enjoying a huge range of cultural and educational visits.

Learn more about our cultural & enrichment trips to Cantabria here.

Music tours

Music tours

This beautiful province, Cantabria, in the north of Spain is increasingly popular for NST music groups looking for a new destination on a limited budget.

Learn more about our music tours to Cantabria here.

Spanish Language

Spanish language

There’s no better way to introduce your classroom-based learning than by surrounding your pupils with native speakers on a Spanish language school trip.

Learn more about our Spanish language trips to Cantabria here.

Primary trips

Primary trips

This tiny province in the north of Spain provides some of the most spectacular scenery in the whole of the country and offers a range of great opportunities for primary school trips.

Learn more about our primary trips to Cantabria here.


Cantabria trip highlights - our groups love...

Flamenco Lessons

Flamenco Lessons

Students can try the heart-stopping and passionate art of Flamenco dancing, a true cultural experience from Spain’s musical heritage.

Spanish Language Enrichment Experience

Spanish Language Enrichment Experience

For groups looking to immerse themselves in Spanish language and culture, we can provide Spanish language enrichment tours in Cantabria. 

These tours offer fun learning experiences for groups through activity-based local visits and immersion in the native tongue. 

Our native Spanish Destination Representative, Pablo, will introduce your students to Spanish cultural activities - such as the tasty Churros Con Chocolate - and encourage the development of language skills whilst having plenty of fun. Pablo is a native speaker of Spanish language too, so your group will be able to practise their language skills with him during their stay. 

What’s more, Pablo can assist with arranging a local school visit so your students will be able to meet and converse with Spanish students, and help each other with language skills.

Tapas Tasting Experience

Tapas Tasting Experience

Enjoy true Spanish cuisine at an authentic local restaurant. 

Guggenheim Museum

Guggenheim Museum

One of the most famous museums in the world, housing modern and contemporary art. The museum’s collection focuses primarily on American and European art from the 20th century. This is an ideal en-route visit for groups flying into Bilbao.

Fuente Dé Cable Car

Fuente Dé Cable Car

Take an excursion into the mountains and a memorable cable-car ride to the 1850m high summit where students will be astounded by the stunning views and landscape.

 

Altamira Caves

Altamira Caves

A replica of the original caves, famous for their prehistoric animal paintings. Students will be impressed by how the cave artists used the natural contours in the rock to enhance the animal figures. Workshops are available.

Language Workshops

Language Workshops

In a relaxed environment, students will take part in speaking and listening sessions with native speakers, greatly enhancing their learning experience. 

Santander Town Trail

Santander Town Trail

Follow trail instructions and answer questions in Spanish. 

Cantabria school trip experts

Hundreds of groups travel with NST to Spain every year, and members of our team regularly visit Cantabria 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 Cantabria 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.

When you arrive in Spain one of our representatives will 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. 

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 your first school 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

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

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.

Brexit & your school trip

Brexit & your school trip

How will Brexit affect my school trip?

Following the end of the transition period there are several changes that will affect groups travelling with us to the EU.

For more information on these changes, visit our dedicated Brexit page here.

If you're travelling with NST and have any specific questions. please contact your Educational Travel Advisor.

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 of Cantabria 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 in-school promotion.

  • Risk assessment guidance

Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • More than 50 years’ experience

With over 50 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.

  • 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.