This is the perfect introduction to the First World War battlefields looking at the key battlefield sites of the Great War on the Western Front in Belgium and France. We take trips to the battlefield areas of Ypres and the Somme, and to Arras and Vimy Ridge on the 5-Day tour. We see the trenches in Sanctuary Wood, see the long lists of names on the Menin Gate and Thiepval Memorial, and discover what the fighting in WW1 was all about. A memorable trip to understand the First World War and a perfect way to begin your battlefield journey.
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We don’t just take you away, we take the hassle away too.
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Enjoy pure relaxation as you sink into your cosy seat.
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Please choose your preferred 4 or 5 day itinerary
Local departure by coach, then to our hotel in Belgium or northern France for a three-night stay.
The tour starts in Flanders around the Belgian city of Ypres. Here, one in three of Britain’s Western Front dead fell by 1918 and it has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. We begin by looking at the commemoration of Britain’s dead at Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery in the world, taking time to also see the visitors’ centre. At Vancouver Corner we examine the use of gas in the trenches and see the moving ‘Brooding Soldier’ Memorial to the Canadians who defended Ypres in 1915 and at Langemarck German Cemetery we see how Germany commemorated her dead and look at the story of ‘Fritz’ on the other side of No Man’s Land. After lunch at Hooge, we visit the preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum, some of the last original WW1 trenches still surviving in Flanders together with an amazing collection of artefacts and stereoscopic photos. We then travel down the Messines Ridge to Ploegsteert to see the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing. Our day ends in Ypres where we attend the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial, held at 8pm each evening.
The Battle of the Somme began on a summer’s day in July 1916 and ended in a snowstorm four and a half months later. It was a battle of contrasts from the blackest day when 57,000 became casualties to the first use of tanks and the change in approach to fighting on the Western Front. We look at all these stories and start our tour at Peronne where we visit the excellent Historial de la Grande Guerre museum which helps to put into context not just our Somme day, but the whole tour. We then see the Lochnagar Mine Crater at La Boisselle, the largest British mine crater surviving on the battlefields. After lunch we see the trenches in the Newfoundland Park and then take time to visit the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and see the new Somme Museum here.
Return home.
Our team (based right here in the UK) will be more than happy to talk you through things - just give us a buzz!
You will stay for three or four nights at a minimum 3-star hotel.
Travel by
comfy coach
Step on board and
get snug in your seat...
Reclining
seats
Onboard
toilet
Arms and
footrests
Tinted window
with curtains
Air
conditioning
Overhead
reading light
You’ll take the road less hassled with our fully escorted coach holidays – no route planning, no maps, no sat navs. Look forward to comfort from the moment you hop on board to returning home with endless stories to tell!
Our coaches are designed for comfort – think reclining seats, arm and footrests, reading lights and panoramic views. You’ll find refreshments on board (hot drinks too, on selected tours!), plus a friendly crew to guide you every step of the way!
