Historic Battlefields
Moderate pace with leisurely intermittent walks up to 2 hours on a variety of terrain, including cobblestones and moderate hills. Must be able to climb at least two flights of stairs, negotiate steps without railings and tolerate periods of standing during guided tours. Some days may include 3–5 km of walking over the course of the day.
We fly to Paris.
Upon arrival we depart to Giverny and visit Claude Monet’s country home and marvelous Garden. The artist’s diversified planting is a masterpiece of forms and colours —such a wonderful way to spend this first day in Normandy. We continue to Rouen and check-in at our hotel with time to relax before our Welcome Dinner.
Begin your day with a walking tour in the old town of Rouen which takes you through centuries of history, from the stunning Notre Dame Cathedral to the iconic Gros Horloge and hidden gems like the picturesque half-timbered houses and also the site where Joan of d’Arc was burned at the stake. Each step reveals a new story in this beautifully preserved city. Afterwards we depart to lower Normandy and visit Pegasus Bridge and the first house liberated in Europe.
We begin at the Canadian Memorial Garden in the Abbaye d’Ardenne, and visit Verrières Ridge, where Canadian troop suffered many casualties. Then we visit the Juno Beach Centre, which details Canada’s full involvement in World War II, and stop at the famous Queen’s Own Rifles House on the beach of Bernières-sur-Mer and the moving Canadian Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer.
Today we’ll see the cratered landscape in Pointe du Hoc, visit Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, see the German battery at Longues-sur-Mer, and visit the Disembarkation Museum and Mulberry Harbour in Arromanches.
We travel to Dieppe to see it’s landing beached and the clifftop gun emplacements responsible for the many Canadian casualties. We then visit the Dieppe Memorial Museum, the Canadian Cemetery, and head to Arras.
Our focus switches to WWI as we explore the Somme, starting in Albert and the Musée des Abris. We visit the Somme Battlefields, the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval, and the memorial park at Beaumont Hamel, dedicated to the Royal Newfoundland and Labrador Regiment that lost so many in the battle.
In Vimy Ridge, Canadian troops stormed the ridge after other allied forces failed. We will tour its tunnels, trenches and the memorial, and explore the Wellington Tunnels, used by the Allies to support the Western Front close to town.
We travel to Lens and the Hill 70 Memorial, which commemorates a major Canadian victory, then proceed to Ypres to visit the In Flanders Fields Museum.
This morning we visit Essex Farm, where John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields, then stop at Langemark cemetery, the burial site of 44,000 German soldiers, and Vancouver’s corner, site of the memorial of the Brooding Soldier. Later you can take an optional tour to Dunkirk, and in the evening, witness the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
We visit the Canadian Memorial at Crest Farm, see the largest Commonwealth cemetery at Tyne Cot, and explore the Passchendaele Museum, which has an actual battlefield with trenches and German defenses. We continue to Hill 62 to view a well-preserved part of the original Canadian Front Line, and finish with some free time in Ypres.
Today we drive to Paris, with free time to explore before checking into our centrally-located hotel. Dinner is at a charming local restaurant, followed by an illuminated cruise along the Seine.
This morning, we will see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Les Champs Elysées and more. The afternoon is free for strolling and photographing, with our Farewell Dinner in the evening.
A warm “au revoir” to France as we fly home.
You may cancel your tour up to 60 days prior to departure (90 days prior for tours requiring a visa, cruises or rail journeys) for any reason, and receive a full refund of your deposit / payment (less the $75 administration fee).
Cancellation & trip interruption insurance included!
Included in the cost of your tour is our Cancellation Insurance Policy, which provides coverage in case of emergency injury or illness (including Covid), right up to your date of departure (terms and conditions apply).
Our Manulife Out-of-Country Health Insurance Plan covers expenses related to Trip Interruption in case of emergency injury or illness. For tours within Canada, Senior Discovery Tours will cover such expenses (terms and conditions apply to all policies).
