At The School Travel Company, we offer a range of travel itineraries in Switzerland, but we always recommend including the 3-hour guided tour of CERN to those visiting this diverse country. Whether you’re bringing along a group of scientists or non-scientists, an excursion to the incredible cutting-edge discoveries and works-in-progress at the research centre will inspire one and all.

There’s all sorts to see when your group are enjoying a visit to this exciting research centre. On arrival, the first thing you might spot is the Globe of Science and Innovation, a 27m-high dome that is one of the site’s most impressive landmarks. It is known as a symbol of both planet earth and sustainable development, and you’ll find that several of the site’s exhibitions take place here, including the popular ‘Universe of Particles’ exhibition which takes visitors back to where it all began with the Big Bang.

Other exhibitions available to groups include many involving giant machinery and demonstrations – something the youngsters are sure to love. Students can discover apparatus like the famous Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and learn why certain particles behave in the way that they do. It’s a learning experience they’ll never forget!

Of course, there’s no better way to see it all than by booking onto one of the famed CERN Tours. Pupils will discover not only the role of the research centre and its focus and objectives, but also the origins of the universe, the movement of particles and how modern technology is changing the face of physics.

Is nuclear research sounding exciting so far? It’s about to get better: during the three-hour tour your pupils will have the opportunity to see all kinds of exciting machines, learn how they work and ask as many questions as they can. Control rooms of experimental projects, thrilling exhibitions, plenty of history – it’s all on offer on a school trip to CERN.

Surprisingly, this place isn’t just for physicists. Engineering pupils will also find several points of interest here as they admire the enormous accelerators and other machines on display. There’s something for history lovers, too – around half of the museum is filled with objects and information about past experiments and achievements.

Tip for Teachers: It’s worth noting that tours of the research centre need to be booked well in advance. School and university groups of 12-48 people need to reserve places 9 months ahead of the tour date! 

Don’t worry – booking your experience with the help of our experts at the School Travel Company will make processes like this much easier. Get in touch today and start planning the ideal break for your class.

There’s all sorts to see and do when on a school trip to CERN, so we advise carefully planning out your visit – with our help of course! There are a total of 24 experiments located around the site, many of which involve impressive equipment and machines. Here are some of the best bits the youngsters definitely won’t want to miss:

• The most famous of the site’s accelerators and colliders is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – the largest and most powerful of its kind. It has a 27 km ring of superconducting magnets which can accelerate two beams of particles in opposite directions at almost the speed of light!
• On the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) storage ring, you’ll find the ALPHA experiment. Here, scientists successfully trapped atoms made up of antimatter for over 16 minutes, when previously it had only been done for less than a second.
• The two museums located on the CERN site are ideal for schools, offering an amazing insight into the history of the universe, the wonders of the internet and all manner of mind-boggling mysteries.