Educational Groups

Visiting Colchester as a Teacher

Colchester is a great destination for a School trip or educational visit. Many attractions offer fantastic school sessions that tie in with curriculum, or there are plenty of opportunities to structure your own day by drawing on Colchester's history, culture, and natural environment.

See history come to life in the city's museums, or book a guided tour of the city centre to discover the story of Colchester. Students can learn about local democracy on a tour of the Town Hall, get hands on with art at Firstsite or engage with the natural world at High Woods Country Park.

Great ideas for Educational Trips

Colchester Castle is the largest Norman Keep in Europe. Constructed on the foundations of the Temple of Claudius, built when Colchester was the first Roman capital of Britain, the Castle Museum today reveals many fascinating layers of history to visitors. Archaeological collections of international…

Hollytrees Museum is located in the beautiful grounds of Castle Park. This attractive Georgian town house, dating from 1718 houses the city's social history museum, showcasing three centuries of fascinating toys, costume, clocks and decorative arts. Discover what family life was like for the…

Firstsite is Colchester and the East of England's contemporary visual arts gallery. Housed in a spectacular golden building designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, Firstsite is both a gallery and community hub - showcasing a wide variety of impressive artworks from internationally recognised…

High Woods Country Park is one of Colchester's best-loved beauty spots, with plenty of opportunities to relax, play and explore the large grounds.  A walk or cycle in the park  is a great way to exercise, with waymarked paths leading you through bluebell woods whilst…

Layer Marney Tower near Colchester in Essex is the tallest Tudor Gatehouse in the UK, a magnificent building standing 80 feet tall within stunning grounds. The Tower stands on the shores of the river Blackwater, and construction was initiated by Lord Henry Marney in the 1520s, a close friend of…

Visitors can enjoy walks on Essex Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve; with stunning panoramic views across the reservoir and surrounding villages as well as superb views of the water’s edge from three bird hides. The nature reserve has a 900m accessible circular footpath and there are…

This 200 acre nature reserve is situated on the banks of the River Colne with magnificent views over the Colne Estuary and saltmarsh. There is a great range of habitats from heathland, woodland, scrub to ponds and lakes with 9 hides to relax and watch the wildlife from. A peaceful reserve offering…