2day Australian WW1 battlefield tour in Flanders the Somme from Lille and Arras
Description
The first day you will stand in Fromelles, visit the museum and the Pheasant Wood cemetery, go to VC Corner Cemetery and the Australian Memorial Park. You will see one of the mine craters of Messines, Hill 60, Polygoon Wood and Tyne Cot Cy. in Passendale. That night you will attend the Last Post at the Menin Gate in Ypres. The second day will put the focus on the Somme, Villers Bretonneux, the Memorial, Le Hamel where General Monash will use new tactics and Pozières and its Windmill and Moo Cow Farm.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will stand near the Pheasant Wood see where the 250 soldiers were buried, stand in the newly built cemetery and visit the museum.
You will see the German and Australian lines, no man's land and the statue called "the Cobbers"
You will stand in this exclusive Australian cemetery in France.
You will see Messines captures by Australian, New Zealand, British and Irish troops in June 1917.
You will walk on the hill, see the Caterpillar Crater and the meomorial dedicated to the 1st Australian Tunneling Cy.
You will see the memorial to the 5th Australian Division, the New Zealand Memorial and the cemetery. This is also the place wher the Dawn Service is held on ANZAC Day
You will spend an hour in the very best WW1 museum.
This is the CWGC's largets cemetery.
You will see the main square, the cloth hall and some of the nice buildings in Ypres
You will stand under the gate to participate at the Last Post before heading back to your hotel.
You will stand near the school rebuilt with the help of Australian school childeren.
You will stand at the Memorial and go up in the tour to have a stunning view on the surrounding battlefields.
You will stand on the German lines and will see from where Sir John Monash launched his troops on 4 July 1918.
You will see the crater, it is the result of an underground explosion triggered on 1 July 1916.
You will see the meorial to the 1st Australian Division, the Moo Cow Farm Memorial and the Windmill before heading back to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
I will pick you up at hotels or train stations in Lille or Arras.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Reviews(6)
Fully recommended. Claude showed an understanding of the need to tailor his tours to the national interests of his guests. We appreciated his focus on the Australian battles and achievements but he also showed great sympathy for all who fell in this terrible war. The suffering of those who lost loved ones, no matter their nationality were mourned. Claude's extensive knowledge of the battlefields was the highlight and his stories of strategies (successful & otherwise) brought a better understanding to the landscapes and monuments we visited. It was a fascinating 2 days however the ultimate loss and inhumanity of it all was our lasting impression- an insight Claude assisted us in remembering.
Hi Richard, thank you for this comment. I am glad you and Catherine enjoyed the tour. Claude Verhaeghe
Make sure that they bring a rain jacket for the unexpected I’ve read a quite a few books on ww1about the western front the Somme Flanders and the book Monash if we had more generals like Monash who was ahead of the times then maybe the war may have finished earlier with less life’s lost
Thank you Brian for the nice comment. Claude Verhaeghe
Claude is the perfect host. The most knowledable guide we have ever had. Answered every question and did extra research for me to identify a grave site. Showed us sites of interest we spoke about and explained the war history with expert knowledge. A wonderful person and an excellent 2 days. Highly recommend.
Thank you very much for the nice comment. I am glad you enjoyed the tour. Claude
Kim took us around the northern areas around Ypres and Messines one day and Claude to the south around Villers Bretonneux the next. Both had excellent knowledge of the history of the battles fought. I located the name of a great uncle of mine on the wall at the Australian Memorial. He was killed in action and body never recovered. Two days was an ideal length of time for such a visit.
Thank you very much for the nice comment. Claude Verhaeghe
This tour was nothing short of excellent! Claude was an outstanding guide, very professional and highly organised, but also personable and approachable. The 2-day tour had the perfect blend of travelling in the comfort of a spacious van, wandering through cemeteries and memorials, and visiting relevant, interesting and interactive museums. All of these activities were supported by Claude’s commentary about what was happening at that time and in that place. His knowledge of WW1 is incredible, and he is patient and generous when answering any additional questions we had. But perhaps what we appreciated the most was that we never felt rushed; once he had finished his explanation at each site, Claude gave us as much time as we wanted to read another plaque or headstone, or to take a few more pictures, or to simply take a moment to think of the fallen - and for that we were most grateful. Thank you, Claude, for the many memories that we will never forget!! Jodi & Pete
Hi Jodi and Peter, thank you very much for the nice review, I am glad you both enjoyed the tour. Claude
My husband and I had two big days with Claude and what an experience which was nothing short of amazing. We are so glad to have chosen this experience and are so lucky to have had Claude as our host. Claude's knowledge is incredible. With both our grandfathers part of this war we were thrilled to see the places and experience the stories. Thank you so much.
Hi Lynda, thank you for the nice review. I am happy you both enjoyed the tour. Claude
