2023 Anzac Day tour to the WW1 Front in a small group

Reference: 23BRT

OVERVIEW

During our 2023 Anzac Day tour to the WW1 Front you will attend a poignant ANZAC Day Service in Villers-Bretonneux, and delve into the Australian story on the Western Front at the Franco-Australian Museum.

This fascinating and moving 2023 Anzac Day tour to the WW1 Front focuses on the major areas of British and Commonwealth involvement across the Western Front – from The Somme to Flanders. Providing guests with a level of flexibility to visit memorials to his (or her) country’s fallen, and the expert knowledge of our Tour Leaders – this tour promises to be as unforgettable as it is enlightening.

FRANCE AND BELGIUM

Small-Group of maximum 18

Departing Dates: 21 April 2023.

Duration: 7 Day 6 nights

Inclusions of this 2023 Anzac Day tour to the WW1 Front:

★ All excursions and sightseeing as per itinerary
★ ANZAC DAY Dawn service at the Villers Bretonneux Australian National Memorial
★ Visits to your particular place of remembrances - (on request and subject to approval)
★ Fully escorted tour by a professional registered guide
★ 6 nights’ 3-star minimum accommodation
★ Travel by comfortable coach
★ Breakfast daily, 2 dinners
★ All entrance fees as per the itinerary

From $2,850 per person Twin-share

Single supplement $740.00

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FROM PARIS TO PARIS

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DAY TO DAY ITINERARY
- Day 1 - Lille (France)
  After meeting the group in Lille, we’ll kick off our remarkable journey with a delicious welcome dinner. Accommodation: Hôtel Couvent des Minimes (or similar)
  - Meals - Dinner
- Day 2 - Lille – Ypres (Belgium)
  Today’s itinerary will take us from Lille to Ypres via the historic Messines Ridge. Our first stop will be the Passchendaele battlefields – where we’ll walk in the footsteps of WWI allied soldiers who fought to break the German line in 1917. Next, we’ll pay our respects at Polygon Wood and Tyne Cot Military Cemetery before visiting the shell-scarred Hill 60. This afternoon, there’s an opportunity to explore the fascinating Hooge Crater Museum – home to a unique collection of WWI artefacts and reconstructed trenches. We’ll enjoy some free time this evening in Ypres – our home for the next two nights. Accommodation: Hotel Recour (or similar)
  - Meals - Breakfast
- Day 3 - Ypres
  After breakfast, we’ll continue to delve into the moving stories of the West Flanders Front beginning with a visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum – a unique institution that commemorates the four-year trench war and conveys a contemporary message of peace. This afternoon, you’ll be free to explore Ypres at your leisure. A medieval town that was completely destroyed during WWI and rebuilt anew, there is plenty of history to uncover here. This evening we’ll reconvene to attend the playing of the Last Post under the iconic Menin Gate. Accommodation: Hotel Recour (or similar)
  - Meals - Breakfast
- Day 4 - Ypres – Fromelles (France) and Arras – Amiens
  Today it’s out of Belgium and across the border. Our destination? Fromelles, the site of the disastrous attack of 19 July 1916 – where we’ll pay an emotional visit to Pheasant Wood Cemetery and the fascinating exhibition nearby. After, we’ll move on to the Wellington Quarries: a network of tunnels built by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company as part of the preparations for the Battle of Arras. We’ll remember Australia’s role in this battle at Bullecourt with a stop at the Digger Memorial later this afternoon. Concluding the day in lovely Amiens, we’ll have the evening to spend as we wish. Accommodation: Hôtel Le Prieuré (or similar)
  - Meals - Breakfast
- Day 5 - Amiens – ANZAC Ceremony – Amiens
  The Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux commemorates the battle of 24-25 April 1918 – during which Australian and Commonwealth Soldiers liberated the town. Buried here are more than 2,100 servicemen of the First World War – including over 770 Australians. Since 2008, the memorial has been the site of a special ANZAC Day service. Today, stand with fellow visitors from Australia and New Zealand alongside local townspeople in remembering those who lost their lives in the Great War. Accommodation: Hôtel Le Prieuré (or similar)
  - Meals - Breakfast
- Day 6 - Amiens – Somme – Amiens
  The Somme still captivates the soul and it’s here that the ANZACs first saw major action in 1916. This morning, we’ll visit Pozières and Mouquet Farm – significant sites for the Australian soldiers, as well as Longueval and Flers which were similarly monumental to the Kiwis. Before returning to Amiens, we’ll also take some time to remember the colossal loss experienced by Great Britain with a visit to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. This evening, we’ll regroup for one final dinner together and reminisce on our unforgettable journey. Accommodation: Hôtel Le Prieuré (or similar)
  - Meals - Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 7 - Amiens – Villers Bretonneux – Lille
  As the home of the National War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is central to Australian WWI commemoration and memory. Before we say our goodbyes today, we’ll visit the Franco-Australian Museum – a site paying tribute to the brave Australian soldiers who helped to save the town and a monument to international solidarity. We’ll make a brief stop at the Sir John Monash Centre before shifting our focus to the last year of the war – with a visit to Le Hamel. Our tour will conclude upon our return to Lille.
  - Meals - Breakfast