Full Day Private Canadian Battlefields Tour from Arras

5.0 (12 reviews) 8 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

12 reviews

5.0

Full Day Private Canadian Battlefields Tour from Arras — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Cabaret Rouge CWGC — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

The Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge has been known for being the marker of Canadian nationhood and identity; but what events led to this battle and what makes it such a special battle? Who were those soldiers and what was their daily lives like? In this 8 hours tour, we will talk about many aspects of WW1 and, in particular the CEF. This is a personalized tour where we accept only three people at a time. This allows for flexibility, should you need to pay your respect on your relative's grave or visit a particular place. Just let us know and we will do our best to assist you!

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At a glance

Duration: 8 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: English
Operated by: WW1 Battlefields guided tours: Brigitte De Cuyper from Get a Guide

What is included

Included

Included: In-vehicle air conditioning: Air-conditioned vehicle

Not included

Not included: Lunch

Itinerary

Arras

45 min

Arras is blessed with a very rich architectural heritage as its two Flemish Baroque style squares : « La Place des Heroes » and « La Grand Place » will confirm. It is also a place full of history going from Roman times and across the centuries. During the hour long visit the guide will tell you some of its story walking along its paved street
Cimetiere du Cabaret Rouge

20 min

Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery was established near the site of a small café called Cabaret Rouge used by soldiers in the early days of the First World war. It contains 7,655 Commonwealth burials from WWI from 100 other cemeteries and WWII. On the 25th of May 2000, the CWGC exhumed the remains of an unidentified Canadian Soldier. His ashes were returned to Canada and laid to rest at the foot of the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Necropole Nationale Francaise de Notre-Dame de Lorette

one hour

There is a legend that says that in any war whoever wins will be the army that captures the range of the hills where Notre Dame de Lorette stands.

At 165 meters high and overlooking the whole of the Douai plain, Notre Dame de Lorette is the largest French military cemetery in the world and is the resting place of over 40,000 soldiers who died in action in 1914 and 1915 in the battles of Artois.

This site also includes the beautiful Neo-Byzantine Basilica Notre Dame de Lorette, the lantern tower, and seven ossuaries.
Canadian National Vimy Memorial

2 hours Admission included

The first Canadian troops arrived in France in December 1914 in the largest convoy ever to cross the Atlantic. Respected and feared by the ennemy their courage led to Victory in the Battle of Vimy Ridge which later became the marker of Canadian nationhood and identity.

In this tour we will visit the «Canadian National Vimy Memorial» and the battlefield on which it stands. Walk in the trenches, use one of the tunnels dug before the battle and see what happened here between the 9th and 12th of April 1917.
Ablain-Saint-Nazaire

one hour

L'Estaminet de Lorette

We will have an hour for lunch in this very quirky place by Notre Dame de Lorette
Courcelette Canadian Memorial

25 min

This memorial commemorates the Canadian soldiers who fought during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It is on this ground that the Canadians suffered their worst casualties in France, with a staggering 24,000 casualties during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. This is also when we saw tanks on a battlefield for the first time. During our time here, your guide will give you the details of this battle and put it into the context of the Battle of the Somme.
Stop 7

40 min

The Newfoundland Memorial Park is the largest battlefield site in the Somme and a memorial dedicated to all Newfoundlanders who served during the First World War.

The Battle of the Somme was the first major engagement of the regiment where they suffered staggering losses on the 1st of July 1916. Your guide will describe their action on that fateful day

The ground, purchased in 1921 by the women of Newfoundland and their government, has become the symbol of sacrifice and a source of identity for the island.