WWI Battlefield Tours in Northern France: 11 to Choose Between

1.Somme Battlefields Small-Group Day Trip with John Monash Centre from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 270 reviews · from $294Our pick

Leave Paris early for an 11-hour, English-language minivan tour of the Somme. With guides such as Regis, Honoré, Heniere, or Julian, you’ll visit Australian and British memorials, wartime cemeteries, trenches, Lochnagar Crater, the Sir John Monash Centre, and the Historial in Péronne. Food is not included.

“Being Australian! There was so much interesting things to see and enjoy and so much that we need to be thankful for. Thank you for all who went to war”

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2.Somme Battlefields from Paris with Australian memorial & Amiens Cathedral

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 228 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $278Top rated

Spend about 11 hours tracing the Somme battlefields in a minivan limited to eight people. Visit Thiepval, Lochnagar Crater, Beaumont-Hamel, Pozieres, Villers-Bretonneux, and the Sir John Monash Centre, with lunch at Le Tommy and a final stop at Amiens Cathedral. Guides such as Aaron, Etienne, and Philip are praised for bringing the sites to life.

“Pierre is such a great guide. Very knowledgeable, kind, good humor when it's appropriate as well. I was a US American on a tour with quite a few Aussies and after checking with me he restructured the itinerary slightly for them and I thought that was so cool. The Aussies were instrumental in WW1 and their monument is almost a religious experience. The guide was great and the sites are tear jerking, worth every penny.”

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3.Private Round Trip Transfer to Vimy Ridge from Arras

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 164 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Michel Bernard of RMB Transports drives your private group of up to four from Arras to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and back. Expect a 20-minute ride, bottled water, hotel or station pickup, and time to explore the trenches, tunnel, cemeteries, interpretation centre, and monument on your own. Extra cemetery stops may be possible.

“Michel was an excellent driver. Good communication in advance and met us promptly at both meet up times. He also took the time to speak to my relatives in English while conversing with me in French (and being patient with my errors!) Also took the time on the way back to show us some of the nearby cemeteries and monuments and to share his knowledge of the local area and its history and his experiences with the Vimy site. Highly recommend!”

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4.WWI Somme Battlefields Day Trip from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 111 reviews · 11 hours · from $271

Leave Paris in an air-conditioned minibus for the Somme, with an English-speaking guide and a maximum of eight people. Visit Thiepval, Lochnagar Crater, Beaumont-Hamel, Villers-Bretonneux, the Sir John Monash Centre, Pozieres, and Amiens Cathedral. Guides such as Will, Aaron, Matthew, and Olivier are praised for personal stories and thoughtful pacing.

“Will was an amazing guide and very knowledgeable about locations and history of the sites and the conflicts that took place. It’s been my third time to the Somme and I learn something new every time. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the tour as well and gained a deeper understanding of this particular part of history.”

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5.Musee Somme 1916 Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 105 reviews · 1 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $9Best value

At the Musée Somme 1916 in Albert, you enter a 250-meter tunnel 10 meters underground, then follow fifteen trench-war scenes, 25 display cases, sound and light effects, and a Gallery of Heroes. Information is available in English, French, German, and Dutch, with a free app included.

“It’s a great experience, which is really well put together. Very atmospheric in the underground tunnels. Best in mind the venue is not in Amiens which I thought it was. It’s 20 miles past Amiens. Really well worth the trip.”

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6.Full day Australian Battlefields Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 92 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $253

Spend eight hours with local guide Brigitte De Cuyper tracing Australia’s First World War story around the Somme. From Amiens Cathedral and Villers-Bretonneux to Lochnagar Crater, Pozières, Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel, you’ll visit memorials, cemeteries and battle sites in a private vehicle, with time for lunch and the Sir John Monash Centre.

“This is a must do visit for any Australian interested in our history or had a relative that served during WW1. Brigitte collected us from the train station and took us for a visit to the magnificent Amiens Cathedral. During the day we visited Villers Bretonneux, The Sir John Monash Centre, Pozieres, Hamel and the Somme Valley. After a long day, our guide returned us to Amiens train station for our return to Paris. We could not recommend Brigitte more highly for her knowledge, friendliness and passion for the subject”

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7.Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo and Battlefield of Dunkirk Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 85 reviews · 2 hours

Spend two hours tracing Operation Dynamo with a private English or French-speaking guide. Visit the evacuation beaches, Dunkirk’s port and East Mole, the British Memorial and cemetery, with optional Christopher Nolan filming locations. Guides including Emmanuel, Fred, Freddie, Elise, and Onno bring strong research and clear storytelling to this moving tour.

“Fred was a great tour guide who was very knowledge and accommodating. Not only did Fred describe events of operation dynamo but he also informed us of other important monuments and history events relevant to the city of Dunkirk.”

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8.Australian private Somme tour including Sir John Monash Centre

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $372

Spend about seven hours with Olivier of Chemins d'Histoire Battlefield Tours, visiting Villers-Bretonneux, the Sir John Monash Centre, Lochnagar Crater, Pozières, and Beaumont-Hamel. Pickup is available from Amiens, Arras, or Saint-Quentin in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Lunch is at your own cost.

“Olivier was our guide and from the time he picked us up at our hotel, he detailed what we would be doing for the day along with other background information of the battles in the area. His knowledge of the battlegrounds and even personnel was extensive and was backed up with photos and maps of the region so we could visualize what the area looked like at that time. The Sir John Monash Centre is brilliant and most definitely worth including on the tour. Olivier made the tour so easy and we would highly recommend for anyone wanting a guided tour of the Somme, to book with Olivier and Viator.”

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9.Half a Day Private Battle of the Somme Tour from Albert

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Spend four hours with local guide Brigitte De Cuyper visiting the Somme 1916 Museum, Lochnagar Crater, Pozieres Cemetery, Thiepval Memorial, and Newfoundland Memorial Park. Private transport keeps the route easy, while Brigitte adapts explanations to your family interests, ancestry questions, walking pace, and train schedule.

“Absolute fantastic tour. The guide knew a lot and made the tour feel very personal. Very friendly. My grandad struggles with walking and she was understanding and did not rush us. Worth every penny. Thank you. Grandfather & Grandson from South Yorkshire 😁”

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10.1 day Canadian WW1 private tour including Vimy Ridge

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $372

Spend seven hours with Olivier Dirson tracing Canada’s First World War story from Vimy Ridge to the Somme. Walk through trench remains, visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Givenchy Road Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, and Courcelette, with a small private group of up to three and a local lunch stop.

“My wife and I booked the Tour through Viator and had the good fortune of having Olivier Dirson as our guide. He was very knowledgeable, and gave us a detailed overview of Canada's WW1 battlefield engagements at Vimy Ridge and other key areas of operation along the Western Front. There was no question he could not answer, and we really enjoyed our day with him.”

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11.Private Full Day Tour of the Somme Battlefields

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.)

Spend about 8.5 hours with Alison, Vic, or another ALW Battlefield Tours guide exploring the Somme. Visit Beaumont-Hamel, Thiepval, Lochnagar Crater, Fricourt, Delville Wood, and lesser-known sites, with time for personal family research and questions. Pickup is available from an agreed hotel or Arras or Albert station.

“Alison was so knowledgable she really made our day with her an experience to remember. Having booked the tour, Alison contacted us beforehand to arrange the pick up point and also asking us if we had any particular sites that we wished to see or soldier(s) that we wanted to find/know more about. She brought the first day of the Somme battle to life (pun not intended!). There is no way we would have learned as much if we had self conducted our tour - she basically joined up the dots for us. Thank you Alison - we hope we can have another day with you sometime.”

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