VIP CANADIAN ITINERARY

Would you like to experience a special VIP treatment during the VIP WWI Battlefields tour?

VIP Tours will give you full satisfaction taking you on this unforgettable journey of 12 hours that will introduce you to the history of the Great War.

Your personal, licensed driver-guide who is a specialist of the history of the WWI will pick you up at your hotel in a luxurious Mercedes minivan or car and will tailor your tour to your specific wishes and needs.

The Great War took place in several parts of Europe and cost the lives of more than 22 millions people among civilians and soldiers. After the first year of war (1914), the opposing armies changed from a mobile war into static one, the infamous trenches war. The major effort of the B.E.F. (British Empire Forces) was in France and Belgium, also known as the Western Front. On the other hand the most memorable war event for the U.S. army was in the Marne Valley who fought the German around the town of Chateau-Thierry.

An important number of memorials, museums, cemeteries and historic sites can be found in these ancient battlefields and difficult task is trying to visit all of them, especially in one day. Keep in mind that, only for the department of Calais, there are 575 WWI cemeteries.

Everyone knows about the decisive intervention of the Allies forces during World War II. Very few though know their action during WWI. We offer you to discover this forgotten memorial tour.

Nonetheless, in a way, it is possible to focus on sites where Canadians, Australians, Americans, New Zealanders, South-Africans had fought. Certain battlefields are undoubtedly dearer to some nationalities than others so you can choose the sites where to go (Ypres, Verdun…).

CANADIAN ITINERARY

Your private guide will pick you up at 7.30 am to take you to the sites of Vimy where took place the Battle of Vimy Ridge from 9 to 12 April 1917. Four divisions of the Canadians Corps fought against three divisions of the German Army. The objective of the Canadian Corps was to take control of the German-held high ground along an escarpment at the northernmost end of the Arras Offensive. The Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day of the attack. The town of Thélus fell during the second day of the attack, as did the crest of the ridge once the Canadian Corps overcame a salient of considerable German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll located outside the town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadian Corps on 12 April. The battle was the first occasion when all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force participated in a battle together and thus became a Canadian nationalistic symbol of achievement and sacrifice.

You will visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for First World War Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known grave. The monument is the centerpiece of a 100-hectare (250-acre) preserved Battlefield Park that encompasses a portion of the ground over which the Canadian Corps made their assault during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

It is now time for lunch in a nice, typical, local restaurant (your private guide will recommend it to you, not included in the price).

After the lunch, your private guide will drive you to Beaumont Hamel. At the time of WWI, Newfoundland was a British Colony to raise volunteer army. At 7.30 am, on July 1st 1916, the men of the Royal Newfoundland regiment had scarcely left their trenches before they came under intense German machine-gun fire. 30 minutes later only 68 men remained unscathed.  In terms of casualties relative to the number of men engaged, this battle was among the most murderous of the entire Battle of the Somme.

Then, you will see the impressive Lochnagar crater (if time), the largest crater ever made by man in anger is now a unique memorial to all those who suffered in the Great War. It is dedicated to peace, fellowship and reconciliation between all nations who fought on the Western Front.

To end the tour, you will go to Peronne where you will enjoy the visit of the Historic Museum of the Great War, located in a very imposing fortification that, as the whole town, was badly damaged during WWI.

Then, your private guide will drive you back to your hotel in Paris.

This tour due to the VIP treatment that we provide will leave you without doubt outstanding memories.

(All entrance fees included)

*Additional: During the tour, it is possible to visit a very special place known as Creute de Froidmont where young American soldiers were stationed and left their print in the stone of that former stone quarry. This requires perfect physical conditions as the access to the cave is done by ladder. In case you would choose that option it would replace the Aisne et Oise Cemetery.