ANZAC Day on the Somme 2012
Number of days: 5 Days
Departs from: Paris
Avg distance travelled / day: 131 kms
Adelaide Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you accommodate requests for visits to cemeteries NOT included on the itinerary where passengers have relatives buried?
Where possible within the confines of the itinerary, we do our very best to accommodate personal requests for visits to ‘other’ cemeteries or memorials to allow our passengers to visit the graves of their lost ones and pay their respects.
Are hotels first class?
On these tours we use superior three star hotels as they are the best hotels available in the delightful, old city centres. All bedrooms in all hotels have private facilities.
Do you have tours to the Western Front area outside ANZAC Day?
Yes, you can enjoy a Western Front tour later in the year between the months of April and September. We offer a series of similar 8 day tours called All Quiet on the Western Front. Staying three nights in Ypres (Flanders) and three nights in Amiens (the Somme) this tour has been specially designed to be enjoyed as either a fascinating “stand alone” tour or “bolted on” before or after other Albatross Tours touring itineraries or your individual travel plans.
Together with our specialist Battlefield tour manager you will retrace the steps of the ‘Diggers’ throughout the Allied battles of the Western Front, from the staggering devastation of the trench warfare of the Somme battlefields, to the moving ‘Last Post’ under the Menin Gate in Ypres.
In addition you will enjoy the grand sights of France and Belgium including the boulevards of Paris, and the cobbled stone streets of picture perfect Bruges. Specially designed by an expert Australian War Historian, this tour offers you a unique and personal experience.
(Please note that our War Historian is present on only the April 27 departure of All Quiet on the Western Front, with the other departures guided by our specialist Battlefield Tour Manager).
What is the benefit of the Australian War Historians on your tours?
Albatross Tours has included the services of our highly experienced War Historian on selected ANZAC tours. Dr Richard Reid has handled numerous Albatross ANZAC groups before and will be with you throughout the time you will spend on Western Front. He will be on hand to bring to life those tragic campaigns of long ago. His intimate background knowledge helps separate fact from fable and provides numerous fascinating insights into the lifestyle and living conditions of the infamous ‘Diggers’.
Whether it be in larger group talks or smaller, more personal discussions your Historians’ experience will immediately be obvious. Whether you are at the Menin Gate or Villers-Bretonneux, our historian will be there with you helping you understand and appreciate what really happened. We believe his contribution is absolutely essential to give you a complete and fulfilling experience.
What is unique about Albatross Travel’s Western Front tours?
Whilst Gallipoli remains an abiding national symbol of Australian and New Zealand courage and sacrifice, more and more people are discovering that amongst the muddy battlefields of the Somme and Flanders there is another huge, and possibly greater, story to be told. A story of incredible valour and fortitude, amidst the carnage of human destruction, that had never been seen before.
Join us, Albatross Tours, as we bring together years of experience and the expertise of a team of specially trained Battlefield Tour Managers and our expert War Historian, to create an unforgettable Western Front experience. Together we will retrace the steps of the ‘Diggers’ throughout the Allied battles of the Western Front, from the staggering devastation of the trench warfare of the Flanders battlefields to the moving ‘Last Post’ under the Menin Gate in Ypres. When you stand in the morning mist on the damp, flat, clay earth of the Somme you will feel you can almost still hear the sergeants pushing their young sappers "dig mates, dig, go deep with your trenches".
You will stand in awe at the monstrous lines of neat white grave-stones where literally millions of loved ones lived and died under incessant aerial bombardment and pitiless, fruitless waves of ground assault. You will be there, where it happened, as your War Historian separates fact from fiction and bring to life the whole tragic Western Front campaign. He will share his intimate knowledge of our brave lads who long ago charged towards enemy lines whilst being raked with withering machine gun fire.
Our tours are not just ‘battlefields, sadness and sorrow’. We carefully include so many sights and highlights of France and Belgium, to create a captivating tour. Relax as we show you the grand boulevards of Paris, the monumental cathedral of Amiens, the Cloth Hall and Menin Gate of gothic Ypres and the cobble stone streets of picture perfect Bruges.
