A school trip to Bristol offers students the opportunity to explore one of the most creative cities in the UK!

Bristol is very popular as a destination for art students but it is suitable for a variety of subjects. Whatever your reason for choosing Bristol, we’ll work closely with you to design an itinerary that brings your curriculum to life and leaves your students feeling inspired!

Read more  about our school trips to Bristol

Why visit Bristol?

Incredible art

Bristol is famous for its exciting art scene, making it an excellent location for an art class to visit. With its rich artistic heritage, there’s plenty of art history to be discovered here. But Bristol’s also a great choice for art groups interested in contemporary art and digital culture.

Certainly, if you’re looking for a trip that’s going to leave your students feeling inspired, Bristol is incredibly hard to beat. After all, this is the city that gave us Banksy and Aardman Animations! And your students will love exploring the many galleries and exhibition spaces dotted around the city.

The Royal West of England Academy is the city’s oldest art gallery and has a fantastic collection of both historic and contemporary art. And nearby, the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has a wonderful collection including examples of the work of the Old Masters, the French School and the Bristol School.

For a completely different but no less inspiring experience, make sure you include the street art walking tour in your itinerary. Bristol is famous for its street art and your students will find out how this has developed over the past 30 years. And they will, of course, be able to see some works by Bristol’s own Banksy. You can even choose to upgrade the experience to give your students the opportunity to try their hand at creating their own street art!

Explore a historic port

Bristol is a vibrant harbour city that has a long and fascinating history and is one of the most important trading ports in the UK. In 1497, it was from Bristol that John Cabot set sail to become the first European to set foot on mainland America.

Bristol was also instrumental in transatlantic trade, including the slave trade. It’s estimated that around half a million African slaves were traded by Bristolian merchants. Many of these slaves were eventually transported to the Americas and the Caribbean.

This is the darker side to Bristol’s history that the city is starting to confront. As you walk around Bristol, you’ll notice that many of the street names and public buildings have names that are linked to the slave trade – many buildings, for example, are named after Edward Colston, the slave trader whose statue was famously thrown into Bristol Harbour by protestors.

However, several of these have already been renamed and more can be expected to follow. All this makes a school trip to Bristol a fantastic opportunity to discuss the slave trade and Britain’s role in it with your students.

Book with Halsbury

Take a look at our range of Bristol school trips below, and then get in touch with one of our tour advisers to discuss your requirements.

Prices from £95 pp

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Activities for Bristol

Bristol Street Art Tour

Bristol Street Art Tour

The Bristol Street Art Tour is a fascinating guided walk discovering international street art around the city. You'll hear the… Read More

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery houses some outstanding collections of art, archaeology, Egyptology and natural history in a magnificent building… Read More

Portishead Art Trail

Portishead Art Trail

Portishead is a coastal town just outside of Bristol. The town’s art trail is focused around the marina and extends… Read More

Royal West of England Academy

Royal West of England Academy

Founded by painter Ellen Sharples in the mid-19th century, the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is the oldest art… Read More

Why choose Halsbury?

Here are just a few reasons why teachers choose Halsbury for educational school trips that inspire.

School trips designed by teachers for teachers

Originally founded by teachers in 1986, we understand the pressures on you as Group Leader and are here to make the process of running your school trip as easy as possible.

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School trips tailored to your curriculum

We'll design your trip around your specific learning objectives and curriculum, to ensure your school trip is a truly educational experience.

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Health & safety prioritised

As a proud Assured Member of the School Travel Forum, the health and safety of your group is always our priority.

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Support every step of the way

We'll be with you every step of the way, from your very first enquiry until the moment you return home, including 24-hour support while you’re on your school trip.

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Financially secure school trips

We're ABTA bonded and all our air tours are ATOL protected, so you can be sure that your school trip is financially secure.

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Rewarding loyalty scheme

You'll earn loyalty points from your very first school trip with Halsbury. These can be used towards a discount on your school trip or a free gift for your school.

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The Halsbury Difference

School trips designed by teachers for teachers

Originally founded by teachers in 1986 and with several former teachers in our team, we understand the pressures on you as Group Leader and work hard to relieve them.

Trips tailored to your curriculum and learning objectives

We’ll design your trip around your specific learning objectives and curriculum, to ensure it meets your particular requirements.

Rewarding loyalty scheme

Work together with other teachers in your school to save thousands of pounds on future school trips with our multi-trip loyalty scheme!