NewYork3 hist trip header est

Cultural & Enrichment Trips to New York

A cultural and enrichment trip prepares a student for the real world and is character building. There is no better way to also educate and inspire students than by taking them on a trip to visit 'The Big Apple' and create amazing lasting memories.

New York City has so many events, experiences and landmarks to offer, making it a popular destination. The City is as famous for its unique and identifiable skyline as it is for its infamous landmarks, with only Hong Kong having more completed skyscrapers than New York. Its five boroughs are home to some of the world’s most famous and recognisable attractions including Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Here are some of the benefits a cultural and enrichment trip can provide:

  • Develop a sense of responsibility.
  • Be character building, develop students’ self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-belief.
  • Help improve social/interpersonal skills - the ability to communicate or interact well with other people.
  • The opportunity to experience cultures, respect differences, and develop new friendships with their peers.
  • Broaden their horizons and knowledge.
  • Encourages problem solving and teamwork.
  • Provides fond memories and long-lasting positive benefits.

Trips can benefit the teacher as well as student! Teacher’s get to observe the student in a different environment and see how they view the world; it can also generate ideas for the teacher to bring back to the classroom.

Explore all of our options for Student Travel to New York

Prices start from£979pp

Popular Itinerary

This sample itinerary provides you with an idea of the visits you can cover during your trip. We can tailor-make an itinerary to support your specific requirements and learning outcomes.

Morning Afternoon Evening
Day 1 Travel to the city that never sleeps! Drop off your bags and head back up to the sky to take in the famous views from the top of the Empire State Building.
Day 2 Begin your day with a TV and Movie Sites tour to take a look at the venues made so familiar on the screen. Walk The High Line and enjoy some retail therapy on Fifth Avenue or take a behind the scenes tour of the famous Macy's department store.
Day 3 With 3 million artworks it is impossible to see them all, so view the collection highlights at The Met. Take stroll through the iconic Central Park. Head off to Broadway and see a show.
Day 4 Take a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty. Take some time to reflect at the 9/11 Memorial and visit the Financial District.
Day 5 Early morning arrival back in the UK, tired and inspired!
  • Day 1
  • Day 2
  • Day 3
  • Day 4
  • Day 5
Morning Travel to the city that never sleeps!
Afternoon Drop off your bags and head back up to the sky to take in the famous views from the top of the Empire State Building.
Evening
Morning Begin your day with a TV and Movie Sites tour to take a look at the venues made so familiar on the screen.
Afternoon Walk The High Line and enjoy some retail therapy on Fifth Avenue or take a behind the scenes tour of the famous Macy's department store.
Evening
Morning With 3 million artworks it is impossible to see them all, so view the collection highlights at The Met.
Afternoon Take stroll through the iconic Central Park.
Evening Head off to Broadway and see a show.
Morning Take a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty.
Afternoon Take some time to reflect at the 9/11 Memorial and visit the Financial District.
Evening
Morning Early morning arrival back in the UK, tired and inspired!
Afternoon
Evening

Price Shown includes

  • Return flights
  • 3 nights accommodation
  • Specialist group travel insurance
  • Bespoke itinerary planning service
  • Free place ratios
  • Locate My Trip - live trip tracking app 
  • Online trip organiser & travel app
  • 24/7 support whilst you are away


Places to Stay


Reasons to Visit

Empire State Building Observatory

New York’s famous Empire State building soars more than a quarter of a mile above the heart of Manhattan. Located on the 86th floor, the observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion.

Top of the Rock Observation Deck

The newly renovated Observation Deck on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in the heart of midtown Manhattan at Rockefeller Center. The view itself is unique and astonishing, unobstructed for 360 degrees and stretching for miles in every direction.

Circle Line Tour (Boat Cruise)

This cruise circumnavigates Manhattan Island allowing you to see all its highlights (dependant on length of cruise chosen) 3 rivers, 7 major bridges, 5 boroughs, over 25 world renowned landmarks and, of course, a magnificent close-up of the Statue of Liberty. Beverages, food and souvenirs are available on board.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

The Statue of Liberty is New York's most symbolic structure. The Auguste Bartholdi statue was given as a gift from the people of France and stands at 111 feet 6 inches from the toe to the crown. In the base of the statue there is an interesting museum devoted to the statue's history.

Broadway Theatre & Dinner Packages

Make the most of your stay by rounding off the day with a Broadway show. The best value tickets are available for mid-week performances and can be combined with dinner in a nearby restaurant before the performance.

Basketball and Ice Hockey Matches

Tickets to the New York Knicks Basketball and New York Rangers Ice Hockey Games range from $25 and upwards depending upon availability.

Ice Skating at Wollman Rink

Wollman Rink provides 26,600 square feet of ice for skaters in the winter. Wollman Rink, located near the Parkside Avenue/Ocean Avenue entrance to Central Park, is open for ice skating from late November through March. The Rink features a snack bar, skate shop, skate rental and free lockers.

New York Yankees Stadium Tour

The tour includes the New York Yankees Museum, Monument Park and the dugout. Guests will pass through the batting cages and Yankees clubhouse area before ending the tour in the Great Hall near the team store.

Ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty

The Circle Line to Staten Island offers impressive panoramas of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The ferry departs from Battery Park every thirty minutes.

Madame Tussauds

This attraction holds models of a whole host of celebrities including Brad Pitt, Woody Allen, Whoopi Goldberg and Madonna. Madame Tussauds NY provides visitors with an entertaining educational opportunity to experience the world’s most fascinating celebrities, influential world leaders, historical figures and sports icons.

Ripleys’ Believe It or Not!

Located in the heart of Times Square, the collection of more than 500 astonishing artifacts, displayed in more than 20 distinct, interactive galleries includes the bizarre, incredible, mysterious and fascinating. Including a baseball uniform worn by Babe Ruth to the world’s largest collection of shrunken heads!

Central Park

One of the great pleasures New Yorkers and tourists enjoy is getting away from it all in Central Park. Stretching 51 blocks between 59th and 110th streets, this 843-acre area, green rectangle has served its city well since 1859. From famous statues to castles, there is so much to see within this pastoral landmark.

Radio City Music Hall Tour

A tour round the building will explain the history of the building and show the beautiful art deco interiors. You will learn the secrets of the Great Stage, one of the largest indoor performance stages in the world; the stage’s hydraulic system, and their impressive new technological features. For those thinking of a career in theatre they can give an insight into the behind-the-scenes aspects of what it takes to run Radio City Music Hall.

Day Trip to Washington

The seat of power of arguably the most powerful country in the world cannot fail to inspire students of history and politics. Washington’s grand buildings, parks and monuments present a calm and ordered façade, the antithesis of the political debates and scandals which take place within. A coach tour is available to this great city.

Day Trip to Boston

Boston's nickname, the "Cradle of Liberty" is evidence of the city's historical role in the American Revolution. It is also a city of architectural treasures with many fine examples of Federalist, Georgian, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Victorian designs. A coach tour is available to this great city.

One World Trade Centre Observation Deck

The Freedom Tower is a 104 storey building that stands on the World Trade Center site in Manhattan - giving amazing views of the city.  Interactive exhibitions reveals the transformation of New York City from unsettled lands to today’s remarkable forest of skyscrapers.   Ascend the 102 floors to the observation deck in under 60 seconds in one of five sky pod elevators!

Guggenheim Museum

The museum contains Solomon R. Guggenheim’s excellent collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. It features works from artists of the 19th and 20th century including: Brancusi, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Robert Delaunay, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Klee, Leger, Miro, Picasso and Van Gogh. The building itself is also worth seeing as its spiral form is truly unique and is the only building in New York designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Museum of Modern Art

MoMA is closed for expansion from June to October 2019

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) contains the finest and most comprehensive collection of 20th Century Art in the world. The contemporary design is a masterpiece of glass spaces and high ceilings creating the perfect setting for its collections of modern art. The MoMA also has revolving series of retrospectives of past masters and shows from leading artists today.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses more than three million works of art from all over the world across history. It is almost impossible to see everything in one day: the two million square feet too much for even the most organised visitor. Instead of wandering through all the galleries, visiting one of the themed exhibitions is a good plan.

There is also a roof top garden overlooking Central Park, which is open in the summer.

Watch a Broadway Show

Examples of current shows on offer are: Aladdin, Wicked, Chicago, Mean Girls, The Phantom of the Opera and Beetlejuice. 

There are other shows/plays on offer not featured. All are subject to availability - so book early for your favourite show!

Aladdin

In the middle-eastern town of Agrabah, Princess Jasmine is feeling hemmed in by her father’s desire to find her a royal groom. Meanwhile, the Sultan’s right-hand man, Jafar, is plotting to take over the throne. When Jasmine sneaks out of the palace incognito, she forms an instant connection with Aladdin, a charming street urchin and reformed thief. (Source: www.broadway.com)

NOTE: There are other shows/plays on offer not featured. All are subject to availability.

Wicked

Wicked, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. (Source: www.broadway.com)

NOTE: There are other shows/plays on offer not featured. All are subject to availability.​

Chicago

Set in the legendary city during the roaring “jazz hot” 20s, Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail. (Source: www.broadway.com)

NOTE: There are other shows/plays on offer not featured. All are subject to availability.​

Phantom of the Opera

Based on the 1910 horror novel by Gaston Leroux, which has been adapted into countless films, The Phantom of the Opera follows a deformed composer who haunts the grand Paris Opera House. (Source: www.broadway.com)

NOTE: There are other shows/plays on offer not featured. All are subject to availability.​

Yankee Stadium Tours

This classic tour of Yankee Stadium allows you to absorb the history of one of the most iconic of American sports teams.    The Yankees are 27-time World Series Champions, the tour will take you to famous locations such as Monument Park, get you up close to historic baseball memorabilia as well teach you more about how the stadium is used and the events hosted here which go beyond baseball.   Each tour is led by an expert guide and culminates in the chance to purchase some of its famous merchandise.

RiseNY

RiseNY pairs museum-style galleries with an amusement park-quality ride.

Begin your adventure with an immersive film by an award-winning documentarian that transitions to an interactive self-guided walkthrough tracing tipping points in history that helped shape Music, Fashion, TV, Theater and more in each dedicated gallery:

  • Discover the rise of Wall Street and The New York Stock Exchange in the Finance Gallery.
  • Learn the history of mass media with Telsa’s Coil in the TV/Radio Gallery.
  • Understand the law of physics through the Otis elevator brake in the Skyline Gallery.
  • Visual, language and performing arts come to life in the Fashion, Music, Broadway and Film Galleries.


Then, board an extraordinary elevator experience that transports you to a spectacular virtual soaring ride! Feel the rush of wind in your hair as you “fly” over the world’s most stunning skyline.

Summit OV

Explore three levels of mind-bending multi-sensory immersive experiences. With magnificent views over the Manhattan skyline, Summit takes the concept of an “observation deck” to entirely new heights.

Edge

Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, a marvel of architecture, engineering, and technology with panoramic views of New York City. Edge combines the pulse-quickening excitement of leaning out over a 100-story outdoor balcony with the warm welcome of elevated food & beverage service in a unique social space.

There are free downloadable STEM resources to take students on a virtual adventure into NYC’s newest and most forward-thinking neighbourhood. Get students thinking like community builders and changemakers by harnessing the Design Engineering Process, a simple tool you can use to elevate Reach for the Sky resources and ground student explorations in project-based learning.

Jazz Legends House Tour

Embark on a journey through the history of jazz music on this exclusive and exciting tour. Travel to Queens and explore the legendary Addisleigh Park neighbourhood, home to many notable African Americans and jazz greats throughout history.

View the homes of iconic figures such as Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Count Basie, and James Brown. Learn about the cultural legacy of jazz music in New York by viewing the St. Albans Congregational Church and the Addisleigh Park jazz mural.


Evening activites

  • Empire State Building
  • Top of the Rock
  • Broadway Show
  • Sports Fixture Tickets - choose from basketball, hockey or baseball

We Make Trip Planning Easy

  • Day to day support and advice from our team of travel experts
  • Easy-to-view online tour quotation
  • Market-leading trip organiser portal, My Tour Manager
  • Free resources and templates to help launch your trip
  • Email reminders to keep you on track
  • Free and completely personalised EST travel app to access your information on the go
  • Locate My Trip app designed to provide reassurance to parents and teachers
  • Risk Assessment advice so you can make an informed decision on every tour component
  • Teacher inspection visits

What You Say

Accommodation was the best I have experienced on a school trip - Superb! Restaurants were excellent and well organised so that there were close to our attractions in the evening - well done! 

Kings College, Murcia, Spain