School Trips to York & the Yorkshire Coast
Few destinations bring the past to life quite like York.
Roman roots. Viking heritage. Medieval streets. Centuries of history are packed into one compact, walkable city. Add the Yorkshire Coast and you've got a destination that combines heritage, geography and immersive learning into one action-packed trip.
From exploring York Minster and the JORVIK Viking Centre to uncovering the secrets of the city's cobbled streets, students can experience topics they've studied in the classroom first-hand.
What to expect on a school trip to York
York turns history from something students read about into something they can experience.
This is a city shaped by nearly 2,000 years of history. Romans. Vikings. Medieval merchants. Their influence can still be seen across the city today. From the JORVIK Viking Centre to York Minster and the city's famous cobbled streets, students can connect classroom learning with the people, places and events that shaped Britain.
What are the highlights of a school trip to York?
York is packed with landmark attractions and immersive learning experiences.
Highlights include:
- Stepping back in time at the JORVIK Viking Centre.
- Exploring the magnificent York Minster.
- Becoming archaeologists for the day at DIG.
- Discovering 2,000 years of history at York Dungeon and York Castle Museum.
- Learning how chocolate shaped the city at York's Chocolate Story.
- Exploring the Yorkshire Coast, including Scarborough and Whitby.
Why book your York school trip with NST?
You've got enough on your plate. Planning the trip shouldn't feel like a second job.
That's why schools choose NST. We'll bring together the transport, accommodation, visits, and logistics into one well-planned itinerary, shaped around your learning objectives and budget.
One expert team. One seamless trip. One less thing on your to-do list.
Browse our most popular York & the Yorkshire Coast school trips
Why choose NST?
Here's why thousands of teachers choose NST each year...
- Unrivalled school trip knowledge
Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their trip planning knowledge and expertise to create a tailor-made, curriculum-linked itinerary to meet your group’s exact needs.
- Making it easier for you
Your own trip organiser, travel app, free classroom packs and trip promo resources.
- Free group leader inspection visits
Visit your chosen destination free of charge and plan with confidence.
- Value for money, always
We work hard to make every penny count.
- Over 55 years’ experience
With NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.
- Aligned to your learning outcomes
Every trip can be built around your specific goals — from the latest GCSE and A level curriculum requirements to particular themes, interests or visits you want to focus on.
- Risk assessment guidance
Clear, practical support to help you manage group safety including our free guide.
- Offsetting carbon emissions
Through our partnership with Carbon Footprint, we're committed to offset one tonne of CO2 emissions, and plant a tree on school grounds in the UK, for every trip booked.
York highlights - our groups love...
York Minster & Education Centre
This cathedral was built on what was the headquarters of a Roman fortress and is now seen as the jewel in the historical crown of York. With guided tours, educational workshops and trails around the cathedral, York Minster covers a range of KS2 subjects.
Revealing York Minster in the Undercroft - within the underground chambers of York Minster, is a new dynamic audio-visual and interactive experience where you can walk in the footsteps of Roman soldiers, discover dramatic events and more!
York’s Chocolate Story
Take your class on a fascinating, fully-guided tour and discover how chocolate made history in York. Explore the origins of cocoa, find out how to taste chocolate like an expert, have a go at our hands-on chocolate making station and enjoy live Chocolatier demonstrations. Pupils can also uncover a host of surprising secrets and fascinating facts behind York’s greatest chocolate products, from the Chocolate Orange to the world-famous KitKat.Curriculum linked workshops are also available.
York Ghost Walk
This York ghost walk will take your pupils on an exciting tour of all the famous and infamous haunted sites throughout the ancient City. Your specialist guide will help you discover the secrets of York’s dark cobbled streets.
York Dungeon
Explore 2000 years of York’s history, brought to life at York Dungeon. Your pupils will meet famous gruesome characters such as Dick Turpin, Guy Fawkes and Viking King, Eric Bloodaxe. You can also enjoy the York Dungeon City Tour and take your history lesson out onto the streets of York, led by a costumed guide.
Not recommended for children under 10 years of age.
DIG
The ultimate archaeological adventure! Learn how archaeologists use clues to piece together 2000 years of York’s past, unearth real artefacts and analyse your findings, using genuine archaeologist’s methods. DIG offers schools the chance to enrich their experience with a series of themed workshops, including ‘Secrets in the Soil’, ‘Burials & Beliefs’, ‘People, Place & the Past: Changing Urban Landscapes’ and ‘Improving Living Conditions’.
Jorvik Viking Centre
The Jorvik Viking Centre holds the preserved remains of houses, workshops and backyards of the Vikings from 1,000 years ago. Now reconstructed, this centre enables your pupils to experience life in Viking-Age York. Your pupils will encounter the old Norse speaking citizens, see inside their houses and back yards, experience a blast of smoke from blacksmith’s furnace and enjoy the smell of home-cooked stews.
York Castle Museum
Home to the world-famous recreated Victorian street, Kirkgate, and the York Castle Prison Experience, here your pupils will learn how people have lived over the past 300 years. The Education Department also offers a variety of workshops for KS2 / P4-7 including ‘The Victorian Classroom’, ‘York Prison’ and ‘Castle Life’.
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum in York is home to over 300 years of history and over a million wonderful objects. Your pupils can marvel at iconic locomotives, watch engineering work in progress in the Workshop, browse object-filled Warehouse, and let off steam in the outdoor play area.
Eureka!
Eureka! offers hundreds of interactive, hands-on exhibits designed to inspire pupils to learn about themselves and the world around them through play and discovery.
Flamingo Land Theme park & Zoo
The Flamingo Land theme park offers seven unique themed areas. Journey through The Lost Kingdom’s vast African plains, the clear blue skies of Swoosh! and the wet and wacky world of Splosh! and you’ll discover a theme park that has something for all ages to enjoy. Alternatively, you can add a whole new dimension to your viewing pleasure by joining Happy Feet’s Mumble and friends in Flamingo Land’s 4D Cinema.
Experts in creating the perfect school trip
Each year, hundreds of primary school groups visit York with our help. Members of our team regularly visit York to really get to know the ins-and-outs of the area, from logistics and attractions to our range of accommodation. Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their knowledge of York 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.
