WWI AND WWII BATTLEFIELDS

• From tragic battles to tales of triumph, this special-interest exploration of two World Wars kicks off in the vibrant British capital of London.
• Meet your Travel Director and fellow companions this evening for a traditional English pub Welcome Dinner.

• Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey feature on this half-day introductory sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist, which includes views of Buckingham Palace.
• This afternoon, we visit the Imperial War Museum, which tells the story of those whose lives were shaped by war from World War I to today.
• See extensive archives and recordings, as well as a Spitfire that saw action in the Battle of Britain.
• Maybe enjoy London after dark, spending your evening at leisure meandering along the Thames, riding the London Eye or discover Covent Garden.

Included Experience: London City Tour with a Local Specialist

• We journey by Eurostar to Brussels today. Your Travel Director will show you the city’s highlights.
• See the Atomium, designed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, Mannekin Pis and the exquisite Grand Place with its opulent and ornate guildhalls.

Optional Experience: Waterloo Explored / Brussels by Night & Dinner

• Today we journey to Dunkirk, where Operation Dynamo miraculously saw over 330,000 Allied troops evacuated to Britain.
• We stop in Fromelles, where there was a combined operation between British troops and the Australian Imperial Force, described as the “worst 24 hours in Australia’s military history”.
• After we visit the memorial at Vimy Ridge dedicated to the Canadian soldiers, who fought a battle here in 1917.
• This horrific battle, and the bravery of the men who fought in it, came to symbolise Canada’s coming of age as a nation.

Included Experience: Vimy Ridge Memorial Visit, Dunkirk Visit and Fromelles Visit

• Some of the biggest battles of World War I are explored at Ypres Salient in Belgium, where we will see such sites as Tyne Cot, Langemark and Vancouver Corner.
• Stop in Zonnebeke for an included visit to the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, where you can see a replica trench.
• See Essex Farm Cemetery where over 1,200 brave servicemen are buried and where Lt. Col. John McCrae wrote his immortal poem, ‘In Flanders Fields’.
• Spend the rest of the afternoon on your own and later sample one of the excellent local beers.
• After, make your way to the Menin Gate and witness the moving Last Post Ceremony to pay tribute to over 100,000 soldiers who laid down their lives more than a century ago.

• The bloody battlefields of the Somme take centre stage today.
• Stop at the Villers-Bretonneux memorial to the Australian soldiers who lost their lives in WWI.
• Carry on to Thiepval to see the poignant memorial which honours the 72,337 missing British and South African men who died with no known graves.
• We journey to Amiens for an evening at leisure.

Included Experience: Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Visit and Thiepval Memorial Visit

• Travel south through Normandy today.
• Taste the delights of the region during your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where sweet treats await you.
• Stop in the City of Rouen for an orientation tour of this city which was captured by the French in 1204 from English possession.
• Next stop is Caen where you will visit the Memorial de Caen to learn about the significance of Normandy and the day that changed World War II.

Included Experience: Visit a Confectionary factory – Les Confiseurs and Memorial de Caen Visit

Optional Experience: A taste of Normandy

• Take yourself back to June 6, 1944. Imagine the terror and bravery of thousands of soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy to free Europe from the Nazis.
• This morning, journey to the historic D-Day Normandy Landing Beaches, including Juno Beach, Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach.
• Visit the American Cemetery and Memorial to learn about the Canadian, American, and Commonwealth involvement in this unbelievable battle for supremacy.
• This evening Connect With Locals on a Be My Guest Experience with the Ferrut family.

Included Experience: Visit the Normandy D-Day Beaches and Meet the Ferrut Family at their Equestrian Centre

• Journey inland through Normandy today, bound for the grand boulevards of Paris.
• Perhaps join us for an optional visit to the glittering Palace of Versailles before arriving in the French capital.

Optional Experience: Versailles Palace and Gardens / Seine Cruise and Paris Illuminations / La Nouvelle Eve Cabaret and Dinner

• Join your Local Specialist to view the remarkable church of Saint-Sulpice, then delve into the lives of Parisians, wandering through the enchanting hidden squares of one of Paris’s oldest neighbourhoods.
• Our walking tour concludes in one of the city’s loveliest squares which is a real favourite among the locals.
• Spend the rest of the day on your own to see the sights.
• On our last evening together in Paris, we join our travel companions and Travel Director for a Farewell Dinner in the city.

Included Experience: Paris City Tour

Optional Experience: Montparnasse and Napoleon’s Tomb

• After breakfast, we bid our newfound friends a fond farewell as our memorable holiday comes to a close.

Departure Transfer: Arrive at Charles de Gaulle airport at 08:00, 11:30