Battlefields of WWI & WWII

Arrive in beautiful London, the capital of England and one of the most spectacular cities in the world. You’ll be greeted at the airport by your Tour Director and begin your exploration of London at the Imperial War Museum, which tells the story of those whose lives were shaped by war from World War I to today. Here you’ll see archives and recordings from the era and you won’t want to miss the Spitfire that saw action in the Battle of Britain. Next, enjoy a panoramic bus tour where you will see famous sites such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, and Trafalgar Square. After stopping for lunch at a local restaurant, continue to your hotel where you will check in and enjoy some leisure time before you meet your group for a welcome dinner and orientation at a nearby restaurant.

Hotel | Melia White House, Holiday Inn London – Kensington Forum, or similar
Included Meals | Lunch, Dinner

This morning, enjoy an English breakfast at the hotel and then depart for a tour of the city. You’ll begin the day with a guided tour of the Tower of London where you will hear tales of intrigue, imprisonment, execution, and torture. You’ll also visit the Royal Crown Jewels, the awe-inspiring symbols of the monarchy that are still in use today. After your visit, you will drive across the Tower Bridge to Borough Market, London’s most renowned food and drink market where you can enjoy some free time for lunch. Next we’ll visit the HMS Belfast with a visit to the Churchill War Rooms and see Churchill’s Bunker, the Churchill Museum, and the Cabinet War Rooms. You’ll experience the shelter from the Blitz, the secret history that lives underground, and the life and legacy of Winston Churchill.

Included Meals | Breakfast

Today you will spend a remarkable day experiencing and learning about one of the most famous days in history: D-Day. You’ll visit the Normandy Beaches, including Omaha Beach near the coastal village of Colleville-sur-Mer. Omaha was one of the principal beachheads where the U.S. Army stormed ashore on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. You’ll also explore Pointe du Hoc, located between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, where a group of American Army Rangers defied all odds by scaling a massive cliff at a critical moment during the invasion. Next, continue to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, a spectacular and emotional setting located on a bluff overlooking both Omaha Beach and the English Channel. You’ll also visit Sainte-Mère-Église, where the US 101st Airborne division landed the night before D-Day.

Included Meals | Breakfast

After breakfast, enjoy the journey to Paris and relax in a comfortable air-conditioned bus. En route, we’ll visit the German Gun Batter at Lounges Sur Mere, see the Mulberry Harbors in Arromanches, and visit Pegasus Bridge. Next, you will travel to Chateau de la Roche Guyon, a frightful castle dominating the bank of the River Seine controlling the route to Normandy. During WWII the castle was German Field Marshall Rommel’s headquarters. After visiting the castle, you’ll arrive at your hotel in Paris to enjoy free time and dinner at your leisure.

Hotel | Novotel Tour Eiffel or similar
Included Meals | Breakfast

Today you’ll meet with a local guide for a sightseeing tour of the city focusing on World War II and the liberation of Paris. For more than four years, most of France—including Paris—existed under the horrifying and unrelenting rule of Nazi Germany. This tour explores life in the occupied French capital along the city’s Left and Right banks and you’ll learn about various individuals key to the Occupation and the complex narrative of the German and French Gestapo. You’ll hear the harrowing accounts of various inhabitants of the city—from Jewish families to members of the WWII Résistance and you’ll examine the intense lead up to the eventual liberation by the Allies on August 25th, 1944. The tour will end at your hotel where you will enjoy free time and dinner at your leisure.

Included Meals | Breakfast

Today you’ll enjoy a free day exploring the city on your own. You might choose to visit the Louvre Museum, explore the Latin Quarter, or climb the famed Eiffel Tower. Or, perhaps you want to stroll down the Champs Elysee or visit the Arc de Triomphe. Your options are limitless with history and culture around every corner. In the evening, you’ll reconnect with the group and venture to Montmartre, a famous section of the Right Bank (“Rive Droite”) in Paris, for a walking tour followed by dinner at an authentic Parisian restaurant. After dinner, you’ll return to your hotel.

Included Meals | Breakfast, Dinner

Today you will travel from Paris into the heart of the Somme Region to the village of La Boisselle. Here you will visit the Lochnager Crater, tunnels and trenches that are remnants of the strategic planning of the French and British military to halt the German advances in World War I. A local guide will help recreate the battles as you learn the history of this important part of the war. Next, you’ll visit the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, a preserved battlefield park, which marks a tragic part of WWI, where many armies fought and died from 1914 to 1918. The Caribou Memorial, the emblem of the Newfoundland Regiment, is located on the high ground on the western side of the park. Here you will see the Danger Tree, the only original tree to survive the 1914-1918 battles. We’ll also stop at the Thiepval Memorial. Then you will have free time to roam the park and enjoy lunch. Next, you will 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 it, came to symbolize Canada’s coming of age as a nation. After this visit, you’ll journey to your hotel in Ypres. You’ll enjoy free time in the evening to relax and enjoy dinner at your leisure.

Hotel | Novotel Ieper Centrum, or similar
Included Meals | Breakfast

You’ll explore some of the biggest battles of World War I & II today. At your first stop, you’ll see a replica trench from World War I at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. Then you’ll visit Essex Farm Cemetery where over 1,200 brave servicemen from World World I are buried and where Lt. Col. John McCrea wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’. In the afternoon, you’ll travel to nearby Dunkirk for a walking tour along the shores where Operation Dynamo miraculously saw over 330,000 Allied troops evacuated to Britain during World World II. Next, you’ll return to Ypres for some leisure time. At 7:00PM, you will attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial. This ceremony is held every day and is a tribute to the fallen Belgian soldiers who fought in for Belgium’s freedom.

Included Meals | Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, you’ll journey to Bastogne where the Americans rallied and stopped the German attack in World World II. Here you will view the route of the initial American retreat and the place where the 101st Airborne, and elements of the 10th Armored Division, held off fifteen German divisions for six days. You will visit key sites in and around this historic crossroads town. After this visit, you’ll continue to nearby Luxembourg with free time in the evening to explore this charming old-world city.

Hotel | Alvisse Parc Hotel, or similar
Included Meals | Breakfast

After breakfast, you’ll drive to nearby Hamm for a brief visit to the American Cemetery and the site of World War II General George S. Patton’s grave. Afterwards, explore sites along the Maginot Line — a system of defensive fortifications built by France in the 1930s that stretched for nearly 200 miles to protect its eastern border. Your first stop will be Ouvrage Hackenberg. Set on high ground, this is the largest fortification on the whole Maginot Line and was one part of the line held by British troops in 1939-40. You’ll explore the underground and see the remarkably preserved historical site. Then, you’ll continue on the final leg of your journey to your hotel in Frankfurt. That evening, you’ll gather with your group, and new friends, for a farewell dinner.

Hotel | Mercure Hotel & Residenz Frankfurt Messe, Mercure Hotel Wiesbaden City, or similar
Included Meals | Breakfast, Dinner