In this article, we will explore ten of the best museums for school trips, highlighting what makes each one special and why your students will love visiting them.
Why should you take your students on school trips to museums?
Out-of-classroom learning is an enriching experience for students, and where better to take them than a museum full of history and excitement? Working together to navigate their journey through the museum is a great team-building activity. Your students will have the opportunity to socialise in a setting much different from the traditional school environment, which is beneficial to their development and confidence, not to mention the shared memories they will create together.
The educational benefits of museum school trips
In addition to growing their individual skills, the educational opportunities museum school trips present to students are countless. While often associated with history, museums across the world address many subject matters and provide a multitude of learning opportunities.
Museum school trips provide interactive and immersive learning environments where students can engage with tangible artefacts, historical exhibits, and scientific displays and experiments. They also stimulate curiosity and critical thinking, encouraging students to ask questions and explore new ideas. You can incorporate hands-on activities and guided tours into your museum visits, enhancing understanding and retention of information.
Exposure to diverse cultures, histories, and perspectives through museum exhibits also fosters a greater appreciation for the world and cultivates cultural awareness and empathy in students. Overall, museum school trips serve as a valuable alternative to traditional classroom learning.
1. DDR Museum, Germany
Great for German language students and history students alike, the DDR Museum in Berlin will teach your students about everyday life in Berlin in the Communist Era. Reading and listening skills are put to the test with interactive exhibits and exciting visuals, bringing to life the divisions in Berlin and Germany in the later 20th Century.
With tickets as little as €5 per person (in groups of 10 or more) and one free adult ticket per 10 paying children, the DDR Museum is affordable and accessible. There are downloadable resources and quiz sheets for your students to fill out on their way around the exhibits, and options for guided tours too.
2. Arromanches Invasion Museum, France
Located in Arromanches-les-Bains, a key site of the D-Day landings during World War II, the Arromanches Invasion Museum offers a moving insight into the bravery and sacrifices made during the Battle of Normandy. The events of D-Day are brought to life through interactive exhibits, displays, dioramas, and more, peaking curiosity through visual and immersive teaching.
The Arromanches Invasion Museum is an opportunity for French language students to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural impact of D-Day, and history students will gain valuable hands-on insights into the significance of this pivotal moment in history.
3. Marie Curie Museum, France
Free to explore, the Marie Curie Museum in Paris is located in the former laboratory of Marie Curie herself. Science students will be drawn to displays of incredibly important medical research apparatus dating back to pre-1940, used by the famous physicist and her family in discoveries that went on to win them a total of 5 Nobel Prizes.
While in Paris, you can also visit the Cité Des Sciences, the largest science museum in France. Students will have an opportunity to practise their language skills, as most of the interactive exhibitions are in French.
4. Sigmund Freud Museum & Tour, Vienna
For students interested in psychology and the human mind, the Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna is the perfect place. The building which was once Freud’s home is now a museum showcasing his original furniture, antiques, and first editions of his work. Gain insight into Freud’s mind and the emergence of psychoanalysis, with texts available in German, English, and more.
5. The Science and Natural History Museums, London
The Natural History Museum offers an enriching and captivating experience for school trips, immersing students in the wonders of the natural world. Featuring exhibits including dinosaur skeletons, fossils, gemstones, and more, students can explore and appreciate Earth’s geological and biological past in a tangible way.
At the Science Museum, students are given the opportunity to engage with the principles of science and technology through hands-on activities and exhibits. With over 15,000 objects on display, including a piece of the actual moon, there’s something to excite everyone.
Both the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are free to enter, but it is best to book your tickets in advance anyway to avoid long queues. Also, bear in mind that some limited exhibitions will not be included in this free entry, so if there’s something you’re particularly interested in visiting do check whether it is a paid exhibit.
6. 9/11 Memorial Museum, New York
The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 on the World Trade Center in New York were devastatingly catastrophic. The 9/11 Memorial Museum was set up as a tribute of remembrance and honour to those who lost their lives. The names of each of these people are inscribed into bronze panels which edge the pools that sit within the original towers’ footprints. The significance of this event in history can teach your students of resilience, with an exhibition on the events and aftermath of the attack.
While in New York, your students can immerse themselves in the rich history of immigration into America at the Ellis Island Museum, or witness the experiences of 19th and 20th-century immigrants with a re-enactment at the Tenement Museum.
7. Galicia Museum, Poland
In Kazimierz, Kraków’s historic Jewish district, you can find the Galicia Museum. This museum acts as a commemoration to victims of the Holocaust, and a celebration of Jewish culture, looking at the history of the Jewish experience in Poland and the impact of the Holocaust. Home to ‘Traces of Memory’, an internationally acclaimed photographic exhibition, your students will have an opportunity to really immerse themselves in and learn from the past.
Film enthusiasts might find themselves drawn to the Schindler Factory & Museum while in Kraków. This old enamelware factory was made famous by the Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List, and offers a valuable learning experience about Jewish people in Nazi-occupied Kraków.
8. International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Switzerland
Learn about the world’s largest humanitarian organisation at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva. The Red Cross has made and continues to make significant contributions to global humanitarian efforts. At the museum, your students are able to engage with exhibits that address these challenges and explore the Red Cross’s responses to them.
You can choose to have a guided tour with an expert, or a self-guided audio tour around the Red Cross Museum. Both options are available in both English and French, so your students can brush up on their French language skills while they learn.
9. German Museum of Technology
The German Museum of Technology showcases the evolution and impact of technology through its extensive exhibits. Students can explore diverse areas such as transportation, aviation, maritime history, and industrial technology, with many interactive displays and hands-on activities to enhance their understanding. The museum’s emphasis on historical context and technological innovation provides valuable insights into the development of modern technology.
Most exhibitions present both German and English versions of accompanying text, although some older exhibitions only display descriptions in German. This offers an opportunity for your students to put their German language skills to the test.
10. Imperial War Museum, London
Offering sessions for KS3, 4, and 5 students, the Imperial War Museum is a school trip not to be missed. With self-guided tours, discussion sessions, audio-guided tours and more, each and every student will come away from their experience with a deeper understanding of the significance of the Holocaust on European Jews, the persecution of the Nazis, and how historians and curators construct a narrative of the past.
Plan your museum school trip with NGT
The educational benefits of visiting a museum, as well as the experience it offers your students, are endless. Get in touch today for a quote on your next museum school trip, and we’ll help you throughout the planning process to ensure a smooth, educational, and exciting trip.
