Berlin Science School Trips

Berlin covers physics and the life sciences. DESY at Zeuthen is a working research centre for astroparticle physics, particle physics, accelerators and quantum computing, and runs guided tours for school groups. The German Museum of Technology covers engineering, transport and aviation, and the adjoining Spectrum Science Centre has more than 150 hands-on experiments across mechanics, optics, electricity and sound. The Life Science Learning Lab on Campus Berlin-Buch runs practical courses in molecular biology, neurobiology, cell biology, ecology, radioactivity and chemistry. You can weight the trip towards physics or the life sciences depending on your specification.

Berlin is not an obvious science destination, which is part of the appeal. It gives a group access to a working particle physics research centre and a genuine research campus, rather than only museum exhibits. At the Life Science Learning Lab students work in small groups doing the experiments themselves, which is difficult to arrange anywhere else on a school trip. The city is straightforward for groups, well served by public transport, and generally more affordable than the better known science destinations.

Every trip is built around your group rather than sold as a fixed package. A typical Berlin trip covers return flights, accommodation, public transport passes for the length of your stay, coach transfers to and from the airport, entrance to the visits you choose, and any workshop fees. Trips are half board, with breakfast at your accommodation and evening meals at your accommodation or a pre-booked restaurant. The itinerary shown on this page is a suggestion, so you can add visits, drop them or extend the trip. Travel insurance is available as an optional supplement rather than being built into the price.

The DESY tour is pitched at older secondary students and suits GCSE and A level physics groups, as the content assumes some grounding in particle physics. The Life Science Learning Lab courses are designed for secondary students and can be matched to the topic your group is studying. The German Museum of Technology and Spectrum work across a wider age range, including younger secondary groups. Tell us the year group and what they are studying when you enquire and we will build the itinerary to suit.

The autumn and spring terms usually work best. DESY and the Life Science Learning Lab both run limited school sessions and book up well ahead, so groups travelling between September and March generally have more choice of date. Berlin is also quieter and more affordable outside the summer, and museum visits are considerably more comfortable for a group without peak season crowds. The main constraint tends to be the research visit slots rather than the season, so it is worth enquiring early.

Senior leadership will usually want the curriculum rationale, the safety arrangements and the financial protection. Every supplier is audited through TourTrust, our own safety management system, and you receive a risk assessment handbook and supplier safety information in one pack, so most of what gets asked is already documented. Adaptable Travel is an ABTA member, membership number Y1241, flight-inclusive trips are ATOL protected, and we have been arranging educational trips since 1994. There is also a 24 hour support line while your group is away. If your school needs something specific, ask and we will provide it.

We provide 24-hour BVG small group tickets for the number of days you are travelling. This is the most cost-efficient ticket for a school group. Each ticket is valid for up to 5 people for 24 hours from time of validation and for any number of shared rides in tariff zone A, B and C. Berlin C zone. Zone A is the most central and Zone C is the greater Berlin area, including the city of Potsdam, Sachsenhausen Memorial and the airport. Tickets can be validated on the platform before your first ride.

The BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) network includes S-Bahn (urban rail), U-Bahn (underground), buses, trams and even BVG ferry services across the Spree. BVG tickets are valid on these modes of public transport, as well as other regional transport options, although not on long-distance intercity trains (IC, EC or ICE).

Yes, school trips are exempt from city tax in Berlin, provided the group leader completes the city tax exemption form before arrival. Our operations team will email this form in advance of the trip and can forward the completed version to the accommodation ahead of arrival.

As standard, we include coach transfers from the airport to the accommodation on arrival and departure. The public transport network is considered extensive and reliable and so you should then be fine to use the many rail, bus and tram options for the remainder of the trip. However, you may wish to add further coaching at a supplement, depending on your itinerary or personal preference. Some groups like to a add a day of coach hire to visit excursions which are located further out of the centre such as the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Wannsee and Potsdam. These visits are all accessible by public transport, but it can be time consuming to travel to the end of the S/U Bahn line. We can provide the supplementary coach price if required.

Our minium group size for all educational tours is a least 20 paying passengers.