Fully escorted small group tour
2024 – From $350 per person
Operates Monday and Thursday, other days upon request, subject to availability

2025 – $385 per person
Operates Tuesday, other days upon request, subject to availability
* minimum numbers may apply

See the beauty of the Somme! This Day Tour takes you south-west from Arras down through the scenic and rolling hills in that area of the Somme. The Battle of The Somme belongs to the “brutal learning period of 1916″ where much had to be learned about modern warfare, to the sites of heavy fighting in 1918 where the AIF confirmed its outstanding reputation as fighting troops.

Travel to Pozieres to visit the Windmill Memorial, Australian 1st Division Memorial and the Great British Memorial at Thiepval, then onto the village of Villers Bretonneux to wander the Australian National Memorial and cemetery and visit the newly opened Sir John Monash Centre. We conclude the day, at the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel and the Richthofen (‘The Red Baron’) crash site.

This day trip is operated by our local battlefield experts who have an excellent knowledge of all battles and sites on the Western Front. The significance of each battlefield location is fully revealed and brought back to life for you, through the eyes of a soldier. You’ll also learn key insights into French culture and experience the very welcoming nature of the locals, especially to Australian visitors.

The Villers-Bretonneux & the Somme Day Tour commences from a respectable 9am in the beautiful city of Arras, which is a comfortable 50 minute journey from the Paris Nord railway station via the TGV (fast train) network. The day trip will return in the late afternoon to give you time to rest before going out to explore the many chic restaurants and cafes available.

• Visit to the Lochanagar Crater located just outside Albert.
• View and consider the Killing Fields of Mouquet (Moo Cow) Farm.
• Visit to the Australian 1st Division, Windmill & Tank Corps Memorials in Pozieres.
• Visit Casualty Corner were all soldiers wounded on Pozieres Ridge passed through.
• Visit to the Thiepval Somme Visitor Centre
• Visit the Sir John Monash Centre
• Visit to the Franco-Australian Museum at the school in Villers-Bretonneux .
• Visit to the Australian National Memorial and Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.
• Visit to the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel
• See the Red Baron Crash site.

The above itinerary may vary based on special request visits to cemeteries, memorials and sites of Tour Guests travelling on any particular day and at the discretion of the tour operator. This tour operates on Monday and Thursday.

Customised Tours are available for this area and are available on request.

Rest assured, your booking is guaranteed once you receive confirmation via email. As we are based in Australia please allow up to 72 hours to respond to your booking request. However, we will endeavour to get back to you well within this time period to ensure your preferred date of departure.

“We had a wonderful few days & everything more than met our expectations. The accommodation in Amiens & Ypres was very good, especially Ypres as it was on the main square & only a short walk to the Mennin Gate. The tour itself was very informative & we had more than enough time to spend at the memorials etc. We were able to find my Great Uncle’s headstone at Tyne Cot cemetery which was quite an emotional moment for me. A really good, but very sobering day. Such loss of so many young lives. We have told many people of our experiences & have no hesitation in recommending your company to any one who might be considering visiting that area of France & Belgium.”
Denise Eastley

“Our 1 day private Western Front Tour with Rod Bedford from The Battlefields Experience was just fantastic. I’m so glad I went for that option and I would highly recommend it for anyone in a similar situation i.e. wanting to ‘follow in the footsteps’ of a grandfather and more. Rod was just great. I had a bundle of my grandfather’s details from the Australian War Memorial & National Archives and a book on the 14th battalion. Rod had  huge amounts of general, specific and local knowledge.

He managed to pass on big picture info and explain all sorts of where/what/why stuff about particular battles and how events moved and changed and right down to all sorts of interesting and funny tidbits. And he seemed genuinely interested in granddad’s stuff and trying to piece together all sorts of stuff and to give me specific insights and suggestions on how to research some things further. And he was just such good company, chatting about all sorts of random stuff with both me and my 13 yo daughter.

So it really was a memorable experience for us both. I just wish it had been longer and I would love to go back some time and spend another day or two with Rod as my guide.
Diana Kervin

Our customers depend on us to provide a once in a lifetime battlefield experience combined with exceptional customer service. Visit our page full of client testimonials.

Spend more time on holiday by choosing from one of our extensive add-on accommodation packages or ask about our great airfares which can be combined with one of our battlefield tours.

For more information about our Western Front Day Tours and the experience of a lifetime, please contact us today or call 1800 035 350.