WWI Private Tour: The Somme

Highlights

3 days with your own private Battlefields Guide

Visits to the Underground City of Naours and the Vignacourt 14-18 Interpretation Centre

Carefully selected memorials, cemeteries and museums in remembrance of the Somme battles.

3 days

From

AUD 2,168

per person, twin share

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Overview

Honour the memory of all WWI soldiers on this 3 day tour. Visit places with names ingrained into Australian memory, such as Pozières and Villers-Bretonneux as well as sites of remembrance for other countries involved in the Somme battles.

Learn about the invaluable work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who today care for our war graves and memorials at 23,000 locations. Get a glimpse of what life was like for the soliders behind the front lines with visits to Vignacourt, followed by one of the fascinating places to visit on the Western Front, the Underground City of Naours, where many WWI soldiers have left their mark on the caves walls.

ENTIRE Cooling-Off Period
ENTIRE AUD Prices
ENTIRE Change of Mind
ENTIRE Industry Accredited
ENTIRE On Ground Support
ENTIRE Australian Owned

Inclusions

2 nights in Arras at Mercure Arras Centre Gare - 4*

Transport in private vehicle

Daily breakfasts

Daily lunch

Experienced Battlefield Guides

Visits to Vimy Ridge, Wellington Quarries, Bullecourt, Peronne, Albert, Pozières, Beaumont-Hamel, Villers-Bretonneux, Vignacourt and Naours

Entrance Fees as per itinerary

Itinerary

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Day 1 Arras Vimy Ridge Bullecourt Arras

Leaving Arras at 9.00am, visit Vimy Ridge, the Memorial, one of the 14 tunnels, the Allied and German trenches. See the largest French WW1 cemetery, Notre Dame de Lorette and the Ring of Remembrance and visit the French museum Lens 14-18. On the way back towards Arras stop at the German Cemetery Maison Blanche.

After lunch, visit the Wellington Quarries, where New Zealand and British troops stood hours before their surprise attack in Arras in April 1917.

Visit the battlefield around Bullecourt where Australian and British troops launched the assault on
the Hindenburg Line in the spring of 1917. See the Slouch Hat Memorial at Bullecourt and the Australian Memorial Park at Bullecourt*, on the German front line, and stand near the "Standing Digger" statue.

Overnight stay in Arras at the Mercure Arras Centre Gare in a standard room.

* This tour does not visit the Letaille Museum.

Lunch

The Slouch Hat

Day 2 Arras Péronne Albert Pozières Beaumont-Hamel Arras

Departing Arras at 9.00am, our first stop is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's (CWGC) Experience in Beaurains. The CWGC Experience highlights the extremely important work of this amazing organisation, who today care for our war graves and memorials at 23,000 locations, in more than 150 countries and territories.

Drive to Péronne, where you'll have lunch and an opportunity to visit the Museum of the Great War in the old citadelle. Then on to Albert to see the Basilica of Our Lady of Brebieres and the Golden Madonna.
Stand at the Lochnagar Crater, before going to Pozières see the Windmill Memorial, the Tank Memorial and "Moo Cow" Farm Memorial.

A quick stop to see the Thiepval Memorial before visiting the New Foundland Memorial at Beaumont-
Hamel.

Overnight stay in Arras at the Mercure Arras Centre Gare in a standard room.

Breakfast, Lunch

Arras → Péronne → Albert → Pozières → Beaumont-Hamel → Arras

Museum of the Great War, Peronne | Credit: Frances Cusack

Day 3 Arras Villers Bretonneux Vignacourt Naours Arras

Leaving Arras at 09.00am, you will travel towards Villers-Bretonneux, which was a key village on the Western Front. See the Victoria School, visit the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre. Stand at the Australian Memorial bearing the names of 11,000 Australian soldiers who died in France and have no known grave.

To round off your Battlefields experience of the Somme, you'll have a glimpse of what life was like behind the front lines. First, visit the Vignacourt 14-18 Interpretation Centre. Vignacourt was an important military base located behind Allied Lines during the First World War. During the war, local farmers, Louis and Antoinette Thullier, turned their farmhouse into a photo studio. Civillians and soldiers alike would come to have their photo taken. At the end of the war, some 4000 photo plates were stored in trunks in an attic and forgotten.... until 2011. Now, the Vignacourt Interpretive Centre welcomes you to share the amazing story of this photo collection.

Vignaourt is followed by a truly unforgettable visit to one of the most fascinating places on the Western Front, the Underground City of Naours. Many Alllied Soldiers visited the Underground City as tourists, a means of distraction while on leave or while they were recovering from injury. Many of them left their mark with graffiti on the walls. The graffiti was rediscovered in 2014. Visit the Underground City* and the new Graffiti Museum.

At the end of the tour, we'll return to Arras, where you may choose to extend your stay (additional cost apply).

*Note: Temperature in the underground city is approx. 9 degrees celcius. There are a large number of steps and this visit is not suitable for wheelchair users.

Note: The Sir John Monash Centre will be closed on 01 May 2024.

Breakfast, Lunch

Arras → Villers Bretonneux → Vignacourt→ Naours→ Arras

The underground City of Naours

Accommodation

Mercure Arras Centre Gare Hotel

Arras
Ideally situated in the city centre, opposite the TGV station and in walking distance to the main squares. Enjoy the comfortable rooms and spacious living area at the Mercure Arras! Completely renovated, the hotel has a fun and chic setting. Different room types are available, whether you are traveling solo or with family. Have an enjoyable time at the bar and restaurant. Sporty guests can work at the fitness centre.

Additional information

On request, this package can also be based in Amiens, instead of Arras. Additional costs may apply.

If you would like to incorporate a visit to a relative's grave, where it falls within the itinerary area, please advise details as early as possible and no later than 35 days prior to the package departure. If extra time is needed at a relative's grave, then the rest of the day's itinerary may need to be slightly altered.

For pre/post accommodation, please contact our Sales Team.
The order of visits in this package can be modified depending on availability.

Excluded

International airfares and taxes
Domestic airfares and taxes, unless otherwise specified in our holiday package
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Meals other than as specified in our holiday package
Travel Insurance or expenses of a personal nature (mini-bar, phone call, laundry, etc.),
Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, porters, hotel, restaurant or boat staff, etc.
Or any other travel expense that has not been included in our holiday package

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WWI Private Tour: The Somme

France

From AUD 2,168

Make an enquiry