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Leisure & Tourism Trips to London

As London is a main tourist destination this is a great tour for any student studying Leisure and Tourism. The London Eye, Buckingham Palace Tour, Tower of London, Madame Tussauds are just some of the places to visit. Then go to a West End show to finish your tour off!

Explore all of our high school trips to London 

Prices start from£169pp

Popular itinerary

Our 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 learning outcomes.

Morning Afternoon Evening
1 Group Rail travel to London, drop bags at your accommodation Visit the London Dungeons and Thames River Cruise Dinner and West End Show
2 Visit to Madame Tussauds Wimbledon Guided Tour or London Eye Return Group Rail Travel
  • 1
  • 2
Morning Group Rail travel to London, drop bags at your accommodation
Afternoon Visit the London Dungeons and Thames River Cruise
Evening Dinner and West End Show
Morning Visit to Madame Tussauds
Afternoon Wimbledon Guided Tour or London Eye
Evening Return Group Rail Travel

Price Shown includes

  • Return rail travel (based on the fare from Birmingham stations)
  • 1 night B&B 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

Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions with over 400 wax works of celebrities, politicians, pop stars and actors. Educational packs to support the Leisure and Tourism curriculum for Key Stage 4 and 5 are available to enhance your visit.

London Dungeons

Discover the all new, bigger and bolder London Dungeon now next to the EDF Energy London Eye. With a full cast of 20 brilliant actors in 18 new shows, rich sets, special effects and 2 new exciting rides, we’ll take you on a unique 90 minute thrill-filled journey through 1000 years of London’s murky past.

Thorpe Park Theme Park Workshops

Thorpe Park can offer schools a 45-minute talk. The talks focus on the development of the park into a leading enterprise in the leisure and tourism industry. Talks can be tailored to your needs and cover subjects such as Guest Care, Health and Safety, Marketing, Human Resources, Geography, Design and Technology and ICT. Talks are available during term time only, excluding weekends and bank holidays. Students can then go into the park for the remainder of the day.

Wembley Stadium Tour

The Wembley Stadium Tour creates a wealth of exciting and inspiring learning and discovery opportunities for students. Tours are both entertaining and educational, allowing students the opportunity to witness first hand where their heroes prepare while learning valuable insights into the operational workings of the most famous sport and music venue in the world.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum offers a glimpse of how the original medieval real tennis, has now become a multi-million dollar professional sport, played all over the world. Open all year round, the Museum includes memorabilia from many famous players and includes views of Centre Court and a state of the art Audio/Visual Theatre showing highlights of great players in action.

Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The tower has been a fortress, palace, prison and today houses the priceless crown jewels, Royal Armouries, Yeoman Waders and ravens. The tour for the general public takes the group through the tower to see the exhibitions and learn about the tower's history. Various educational programmes and workshops can be arranged.

Buckingham Palace Tour

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Her Majesty The Queen and serves as both home and office. During August and September when The Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace's nineteen state rooms are open to visitors. These are used extensively by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.

The lastminute.com London Eye

The famous London Eye is one of the world’s highest observation wheels, standing at 135 metres high. The wheel has thirty-two capsules, each of which holds 25 people and views possible as far away as twenty-five miles on a clear day.

The View from The Shard

The View from the Shard is situated on floors 68, 69 and 72, almost twice the height of any other viewing platform in London, where you can take in all of London at once with 360 degree views of up to 40 miles long.

Sightseeing Tours by bus

Hop-on hop-off bus tours are great for general sightseeing, giving access to all the major sites. Departing from Grosvenor Gardens it includes Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, London Eye and Piccadilly Circus.

Thames River Cruises

A great opportunity for you to discover the 'must-see' sights in London. Watch as the River Thames weaves its way through the heart of London and see the history of this city around every bend. Cruises depart frequently from Westminster Pier, Waterloo (London Eye) Pier, Tower Pier and Greenwich Pier.

IFS Cloud Cable Car

Rising to a height of 90 metres, the IFS Cloud Cable Car offers you an exciting 1.1km cable car journey across the Thames on the UK’s only urban cable car connecting the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Victoria Dock.

ArcelorMittal Orbit

The ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Queen Elizabeth Park, Stratford which is the iconic structure of the London 2012 Games and has the longest and tallest tunnel slide in the world. 

Take the lift up to the viewing platform, 80 meters high, and after marvelling at the view take the slide down which lasts a thrilling 40 seconds! Go back to the top and take some time learning about the city on the interactive touchscreens or making use of the free Key Stage 1-4 resources before walking back down the winding staircase with its 455 steps.

You can book with or without the slide and you can choose to stay the whole day in the park by taking a behind the scenes tour at the iconic London Stadium, swimming at the London Aquatics Centre or visiting the Lee Valley Velopark; alternatively, explore the parklands and waterways with a local Blue Badge guide.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge, which crosses the River Thames, was built between 1886 and 1894 and is an iconic symbol of London with its two towers and bridge deck which opens to allow tall ships through. You can walk across the lower bridge deck but the twin towers and high-level glass walkways and Victorian engine rooms are part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

West End Theatre Tickets

The majority of student groups who visit London like to round off their trip by seeing a show. We can also book pre-theatre meals at nearby restaurants for you. Save up to 50% on the normal ticket price by attending a midweek (Mon-Thurs) evening or matinee performance. The majority of top West End shows offer these affordable discounted tickets to student groups year round (excluding school holiday dates).

Wicked

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE WITCHES OF OZ...

WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two young women who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

WICKED is suitable for a general audience. As a guide to parents and guardians, it is recommended for ages 7+

(Source: https://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/london/about/synopsis)

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

Matilda the Musical

Matilda The Musical is the multi-award winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the beloved book by the incomparable Roald Dahl. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Recommended for ages 6 and above.

(Source: https://uk.matildathemusical.com/about/the-story/)

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

Mary Poppins

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s multi award-winning musical Mary Poppins returns to the Prince Edward Theatre, it's original West End home, this October.

The magical story of the world’s favourite Nanny is triumphantly and spectacularly brought to the stage with dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs. 

On show at: Prince Edward Theatre 

Times: Wednesday 7.00pm.  Thursday-Monday 7.30pm.  Thursday, Saturday & Sunday matinees 2.30pm.

The Lion King

Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains and to the evocative rhythms of Africa, Disney's multi award-winning musical uses breath-taking masks and puppetry to create pure theatrical magic. At its heart is the powerful and moving story of Simba - the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.

(Source: https://disney.co.uk/shows/the-lion-king-musical-tickets)

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

HadesTown

HADESTOWN takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone.


Show at  Lyric Theatre 
Times  Tuesday – Saturday 7.30pm Sunday 3pm Matinee Thursday & Saturday 2.30pm
Running time  2hrs 25 mins
School prices available  Tuesday – Thursday evenings and matinee Thursday and Saturday

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Jamie New is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in.
Jamie is terrified about the future. He is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight.

Recommended for ages 14 and above

(source: https://www.everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co.uk/)

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

Mamma Mia!

Set on a Greek Island Paradise, the story of a daughter on the eve of her wedding and her quest to discover the identify of her father, all set to the music of ABBA.

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

Insider London - Travel Recruitment Workshop

Operating across the luxury travel sector, Lightning Travel Recruitment specialises in finding companies and brands their next superstar through exclusive, targeted headhunting. Their founder will discuss the recruitment process, the essential skills required in the sector, future career path and industry trends.

Horizon 22

Horizon 22 is London's highest free viewing platform. Located on Level 58, the viewing platform offers 300-degree views of London, showcasing its most iconic landmarks.


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What you say

Once again delighted with the service we have received from beginning to end with EST. 

Queen Elizabeths Grammar School

I will continue to use EST as each year our annual London trip gets better and better. 

Kings Leadership Academy

An excellent trip which was thoroughly enjoyed by staff and students. I received great support throughout. 

Sir John Deanes College

This was my second journey via European Study tours and I would highly recommend the company to anyone bringing groups to London. 

Pianca School