1 day Canadian WW1 private tour including Vimy Ridge
Description
On this tour, your group will be the sole and exclusive participant. You will receive your guide's undivided attention. This is a strictly private tour: I never combine bookings. You will only travel with the people you choose. Following the footsteps of the Canadians at Vimy Ridge and the Somme from Arras with a local experienced guide. I am conducting battlefield tours of the Western Front since over 16 years to provide you a unique experience. To ensure a truly personalized experience, please let me know in advance if you have any special interests or specific sites you wish to visit, including any locations connected to family members who served during the war. I'm happy to tailor the tour to your preferences.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Battle of Arras, April 1917 We start visiting the Vimy Ridge visitor Centre. Depending the attendance, the Grange tunnel visit will be added to explore and discover an hidden side of the trench warfare. Crossing the Canadian line through no man's land, we will walk in the German trench system facing the Canadian positions. And then, we will drive to the Canadian Memorial designed by Walter Seymour Allward and fully refurbished in 2007. Before heading to the Somme sector, we will stop at the Givenchy Road Canadian cemetery.
This cemetery contains the graves of 108 Canadians who fell on the 9th of April and on the following days of the battle
We'll have a lunch break in a local café/restaurant in La Boisselle or Pozières
Following the lunch, we will visit the Newfoundland Park of Beaumont-Hamel where the Regiment of Newfoundland suffered the second worst casualty level of a regiment on the first day of the battle of the Somme. Its very well preserved trench system is a must to help us to understand the trench warfare. The Caribou Memorial and the Danger Tree are standing proudly facing the German army line.
The Battle of the Somme, 1916 After visiting Vimy Ridge, we drive now to the sector of the battle of the Somme of 1916. The first stop is at the Canadian Memorial of Courcelette. This village has been captured by the Canadians in mid-September 1916 on the same day that the tanks will be used for the first time in history.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will contact you after your booking to arrange your preferred pick-up location (e.g., train station, hotel, B&B). Pick-up is flexible within the Amiens, Arras, and Saint-Quentin areas. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your preferences. As a local Picard guide eager to share my regional expertise, please note that due to travel distance and time constraints, tours cannot originate from Paris.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(31)
I cannot say enough good things about our day with Olivier. Olivier took my husband, toddler and I on an unforgettable and honestly, life-changing experience and tour of Canadian sites in and around Vimy Ridge. I am so impressed with Olivier's knowledge, and even more so his ability to explain so much history and information in a way that was engaging and interesting (I knew very little about the first world war beforehand). He was beyond accommodating and even went and purchased a new car seat for our three-year-old and mailed to us a watch I had left in the car. We couldn't have asked for anything more of this tour and I would not hesitate to recommend Chemin D'histoire. Thank-you Olivier.
Amazing day with Olivier touring from Arras to see WW1 battlefields of relevance to the Canadian forces. Oliver brings an incredible wealth of knowledge and intense passion for the history of the Great War and is ready to share it with you as soon as you shut the door to the car. He is equipped with multiple digital battlefield maps to truly immerse yourself in the experience. It was an amazing jam packed day. Would highly recommend if you are interested in history and want to spend a day with seeing the places of the famous battles of WW1 on the French western front. The absolute highlight of the day was seeing Vimy Ridge, both the monument and the visitors center. Stunning. All Canadians should see this and be reminded of the sacrifices made.
Olivier our guide was Great! Olivier helped us with directions to get to Arras on train from Paris. The tour was absolutely amazing!! Olivier is a wealth of knowledge and was always telling us about every area we drove through. Vimy Memorial is a must see.
A completely immersive experience that brings you along the front lines of the Canadian military presence in WWI. Absolutely amazing guide in Olivier, thorough, organized and incredible relevant details, worth the time and costs. A marvelous day together, highly suggest this tour.
First of all, I want to acknowledge that Olivier is such a wonderful person. Leading up to the trip, he was in contact to ensure we knew where to meet and what to expect from the day. Being from Newfoundland, we wanted to prioritize time visiting Beaumont Hamel. Olivier was able to make adjustments with ease, ensuring we seen the best of both the Canadian and Newfoundland history of WWI. Notably, Olivier had amazing battle line/trench maps on his iPad that updated in real time throughout the drive. It gave context that would have otherwise been lost to us. Olivier, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and something we will never forget.
Olivier informed about Vimy Ridge, Beaumont-Hamel, battlefield maps Right balance of informing/free time Awesome!
Get ready to be busy with Olivier, a well informed and detail oriented guide who runs this tour company. As a Canadian, Veteran and somewhat of an history buff, I have been planning to get to the north of France for the Great War and WW2 experience. I found Chemins d’Histoire Battlefield Tours. What a great day! I am picky and, due to my interest in details, wish that the guide basically does not stop educating, detailing, presenting, explaining during the whole drive. I was more than satisfied!! It was perfect. We didn’t have many questions to ask as all the information was provided in detail including an iPad showing where we were in real time among the trenches and frontlines of the Battle of the Somme, Arras and the taking of Vimy Ridge by the 4 Canadian Divisions. When we did ask or discuss clarifications, it was filled with facts. The perfect type of tour if you are a Canadian and especially if you are related to a valiant member of our Forces who was part of the Great War at Vimy or the Somme. Olivier will work with you and guide you along the movement of your relative throughout the mission. Fantastic day. Merci Olivier
Our tour guide Olivier was amazing, a wealth of information, showing diagrams and maps of the war strategies. The only slight criticism I might have was that he had a very thick accent and talked very fast, so we may not have been able to take in all of the information. Otherwise it was a fantastic tour
Our guide, Olivier, shared his very extensive knowledge of the significance of the sites we visited, not only for the Canadian units and the (Royal) Newfoundland Regiment, but in the context of the Allied strategy and tactics. He also described the German strategy throughout the war. His use of battlefield maps on which his GPS plotted our tour was illuminating and helped us to understand the changing front lines of the course of the war. Visiting these sites was a wonderful experience made more memorable by Olivier’s presentation.
Olivier was an excellent tour guide who personalised the tour to suit our needs. We appreciated the ability to ask lots of questions and for Olivier to know all the answers. Merci!
