1 day

Private

Full Day

About this activity

Relax on a scenic drive through northern France to Belgium, where you’ll visit the famous battlefield of the Ypres Salient, an area that saw many of the biggest battles during World War 1.

Thousands of soldiers from the Commonwealth countries, as well as Germany, France and Belgium, defended the land around the Ypres Salient from the German Army. This battlefield saw numerous deaths during the war, and is now the site of several cemeteries and memorials honoring those who lost their lives there. With your guide, discover these sites including St Julien Memorial, a Canadian memorial sometimes referred to as the 'Brooding Soldier,' and Polygon Wood, the 5th Australian Division Memorial.

Next, discover the Essex Farm Cemetery and bunkers, an area used as a dressing station during WWI and often associated with John McCrae, a Canadian soldier who was stationed here. Learn how he wrote ‘In Flanders Fields,’ the famous poem that resulted in poppies becoming one of the world's most recognized memorial symbols for fallen soldiers.

With your guide, walk up to Hill 60, a famous battlefield on raised land that saw heavy fighting during the war. Unlike other battlefields in the Belgium Flanders region, Hill 60 saw a lot of fighting underground in tunnels created by mines.

Visit the Tyne Cot Cemetery, where many soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient are buried. See the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, the stone wall that surrounds the cemetery containing the names of missing soldiers from the UK and New Zealand.

On your tour, you’ll also have free time to explore the town of Ypres at your leisure and have lunch (own expense). See the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, which has the names of thousands of missing Commonwealth soldiers inscribed on it, before enjoying a comfortable ride back to Paris.

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Included

Private tour
Transport by air-conditioned minivan

Not included

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability

Features

Tourism

95%

Cultural

70%

Reviews

4.7

19

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Lyndall F

5 | 2016-08-08

A very good tour Highly recommend for all war buffs from Australia and Canada. Had an excellent young guide who made it even more enjoyable.

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sport_gal_000

5 | 2016-07-31

This tour was phenomenal, our driver was friendly and knowledgeable and flexible. He asked us what our expectations were for the day, listened to us, and then made it a reality - excellent tourism service. The historic sites were in credibly powerful to see. The day was well laid out and each stop was budgeted well for time. Our guide really stood out, he catered to make this experience memorable for us. I can't thank you enough, simply fabulous.

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Sheila K

5 | 2016-06-06

Superb experience with knowledgeable guide, Sylvain. Personalized to our request - Canadian and Scots war sites and cemeteries. Incredibly skilled driver in Paris traffic. Clearly bilingual guide, helpful, friendly.

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Gary W

2 | 2015-09-02

Destinations were good. Driver guide was very informative. Very disappointed in mode of transport. 9 people, several of them ederly, in a vw van for a 3 hour drive each way to our destination was very uncomfortable. Limited vision and room. A larger van or bus would have made the trip much more enjoyable.

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Luigi L

4 | 2015-09-01

It was a good tour spoilt only by rain. Our guide Nicola was very knowledgeable and capable.

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sarahdoldford

5 | 2015-08-14

This was an amazing experience! I would recommend this company to everyone and anyone. Bertram spelling? was so knowledgable and fantastic he made this trip exactly what I wanted. When I booked this tour I expected other people but it ended up being just me. I found it especially great of this company to think of the client, me, and not cancel. I've since talked to other travellers who have booked with other companies to only have it cancelled due to low numbers. This made me extra greatful that the company I went with did my do this. They had my interest at heart and took me alone. Thank you for the great new knowledge and memories.

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Garry G

5 | 2014-10-01

Excellent value for money. Driver arrived on time and was a very knowledgeble guide. The tour was very interesting and took in all the sites of importance to Australians. I would recommend the tour to anyone

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