Small-group WWI Somme Battlefields Day Trip from Paris

Paris, France

On this small group tour of the Somme battlefields, you will discover a part of France that suffered severely in the violent and bloody battles of the Great War. A dramatic period of history took place here, and you will see the major sites including memorials, cemeteries and traces of battles. Numbers are limited to a maximum of 19 people, ensuring you'll receive personalized attention from your knowledgeable guide.

Visit the cemetery of Delville Wood at Longueval, situated on the edge of the Somme. See the Lochnagar Crater "Located at La Boisselle" - an impressive mine hole 100 meters across and 30 meters deep.

See the Australian flag flying over Poziere in recognition of the sacrifices made by the ANZAC's in the battle that took place here during the battle of the Somme. This battle was followed by the battle of Mouquet Farm which you will also visit today.

Continuing to Thiepval, you will see the largest memorial dedicated to missing British Soldiers. You will also visit The Ulster Tower, a memorial to the men of the 36th Ulster division, the  Beaumont-Hamel and "The Newfoundland Memorial which offers a realistic and moving view of these battles in its remarkably well-preserved trenches system."

You will also visit The Historial Peronne, an international and cultural museum of the first world war (1914-1918) which explains the conflict, its origins and its consequences.The museum boasts a unique collection of over 50,000 original objects and documents of everyday life during the war. Return to your Paris hotel.

USD $220.89

Traveler Reviews

Review by: PETER C	April 2012
Our viator tour to the Somme was brilliant, hotel pick-up, great driver with paris-trip Rupert and Bartron who was orientating to the Somme. Both knowledgeable of the history of the sights and WW 1. Early in season so we were the only customers, a great and moving day for 2 Australian travellers. Thank you.

Review by: CHABRI	November 2011
The tour on the day got off to a bad start when the mini bus had a flat tyre on the freeway. There was no spare so we had to wait 1 1/2 hours for a tow to come and change the tyre. This tour sells itself and has good content which is good because our guide Rupert was not very good at comunicating things. Also we seemed to arrive back at the hotel before the sceduled time which begs the question if we lost 1 1/2 hours with the tyre change, what part of the somme tour did we miss out on?

Review by: Shaz	October 2011
This was definitely a moving trip. Our driver was extremely knowledgable. It gives you a bit of an insight on what the locals and our diggers and other soldiers went through during this dark period in history. Being in a small group of 7 made it more personable and intimate and would definitely recommend this trip.

Review by: Frank L	October 2011
This was for my wife and I a very moving experience.As a baby boomer couple we could not help but reflect on the huge loss of young lives,cut down with out an opportunity to live their life in Australia.An unforgettable day.

Review by: Jane B	October 2011
A 6.15AM start but the coverage of the Somme battles and the various Commonwealh WW1 Cemeteries was so interesting and moving. We would recommend this tour to any Aussies. Our guide, Sebastian was very knowledgeable in the whole of the WW1 History, and also a nice guy.

Review by: Suzanne G	September 2011
Overall excellent - the guide was very informative and added to the experience. A very moving day.

Review by: Leslie S	September 2011
We found the tour very informative the tour guide was particularly helpful and the mini bus was just right for the tour . Most enjoyable tour. Thank you

Review by: Jim	August 2011
This is a must for all Australians. The visit to Villers Bretonneux brought tears for all of our young men who rest there. Driving around the small lanes there are so many small Australian flags on the fences. They remember our boys. Tears again

Review by: Diane C	August 2011
The day was not quite the success that we had hoped for. The tour guide did not speak good english so we could not understand him and very unwilling tobe flexible!!!!! THE VERY GRAVES WE WENT TO SEE POIZIERS the Aust sight he pulled in for a photo shoot and then moved on to the British site. Would have been fine except we were all Aust and NZers. Suggest for the money paid you put a little more effort into getting it right.

Review by: Robyn B	August 2011
Our guide was excellent, visited many very emotive memorials and sites. Well worth doing if you have an interest in WW1 history or a family connection as we did.

Review by: Christopher G	August 2011
Great tour

Review by: hylandretreat	August 2011
There were 4 of us from Australia. My partner and I in the beginning agreed to go with our friends who wanted to go. We didn't realise what an amazing day we would have. Our guide was Sebastian who was very friendly and very clear with all the History of that time. This Tour is a must do Tour and we will certainly recommend it to our friends. Absolutely Fabulous Viator

Review by: Paul M	August 2011
We had a thoroughly enjoyable day, our guide had excellent knowledge of the history and the relevance to Australia

Review by: Christen C	August 2011
Met me every expectation. Wonderfully knowledgeable tour guide. Good pace of the day. And would highly recommend to those interested in WWI history.

Review by: Lesley R	July 2011
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and wish there were more battlefield trips available (i.e. Vimy). With the tour, we were able to obtain pertinent information and our guide was excellent. The bus did make a stop if people wanted to grab a light breakfast/lunch but we had packed a lunch as we were told there was no food at The Somme. It was an enlightening and breath-taking tour and was well worth the money.

Review by: Allan D C	July 2011
A great tour. Excellent guide. Met our expectations. A wonderful way to see the Somme in comfort. A very moving experience.

Review by: Susan M	June 2011
Very much a highlight of my trip to Paris, the pick up/drop off aspect was fantastic and the small group nature of the tour very appealing. It gave me a tast of what and where things happened and left me wanting to return and do a more thorough tour in the future, however for the time strapped tourist this is a must!!

Review by: Leanne	June 2011
Fascinating day and we learned a lot. Pick up was on time and we were late back into Pais due to Friday peak traffic. It was amazing to see where the WW1 battles took place and see the very moving memorials and 100's of graves at the various cemetery. A worthwhile day even though it was long. Recommended if you are at all interested in Aust History and seeing where it all happened. It must have been devastating for the French people to have their beautiful villages decimated by the battles. I am proud to be an Aussie and thank the soldiers who fought for us all those years ago. Thanks to our tour guide who spoke very good English and had lots of info to share. L and D

Review by: martin L	May 2011
Would have liked a little more time in the town of Villers-Bretoneaux as we are Aust from melb. Missed the walsh memorial but otherwise the guide was very good and we were picked up and dropped off right on time. We understand its a day trip and to fit everything in is impossible. Very enjoyable.

Review by: Cary F	May 2011
Moving and informative. As a real history buff I enjoyed it immensely. The good thing was, my wife did too.

Review by: Tank	April 2011
Good for a snap shot of the area, but of little value for the WW1 enthusiast .

Review by: Jackie M	October 2010
Our guide was so articulate and very knowlegeable. He made it a terrific day and well worth the cost

Review by: Elizabeth H	September 2010
This was a great trip, our tour guide was well versed in the history of the Somme and was one of the best guides that we experienced during our Paris trip. Our bus broke down 81klms out or Paris on the way back, this just added to the fun of the whole trip, nothing was a problem.

Review by: John C	September 2010
I really enjoyed the trip and I found it very worthwhile to actually visit the place where the history that we are all aware of actually took place. The guide was knowledgeable and the trip well planned.

Review by: John M	August 2010
A worthwhile 'taster' to see if you want to do a more detailedlonger trip at a later date. In such a short time hard for anyone to get across to a day visitor the scale and horror of the Somme, especially as almost all trace of the battles are gone. A lot of unavoidable travel from Paris.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
Well organised. Quite informative. Would have been good if guide had done a short introget-to-know you with the other people on the the tour, as there were only 8 of us. e.g. first name and where from.

Review by: Danna M, Australia	June 2010
Is very important to Australians as we should be aware of the heroic sacrificases and how the School at Villers Brettoneux flys the Australian flag and has a sign in the playgrouns"NEVER FORGET AUSTRALIA"

Review by: Joan T, Australia	April 2010
This tour is highly reccomended. We were picked up from our hotel on time, after confirming details with the given Paris phone number the day before. All tourists on our trip were Australian and we were shown the releveant australian memorials and sites. Information given was interesting and our guide was able to answer all our questions. He was attentive and knew the area well.

Review by: Lynette Z, Australia	April 2010
Did this tour with my 12 year old and husband in April, and it was a very moving experience because of the sites you see. It is a long day tour. Our pick-up was at 6.35am from the apartment we were renting in Paris which was very convenient. The driver was friendly, spoke good English and was flexible the day we took the tour all eight people in the minivan were from Australia so the driver adapted our itinerary to take in sites where Australians had been involved in fighting, Australian memorials, etc. The tour involved being taken to various sites and museums, and being pretty much left to our own devices for a set period of time at each place. The driver only gave us very basic information about the war and the significance of the sites so you will get the most out of this tour if you have done some reading beforehand. This was not a problem for us as I'm a historian but more information might have been appreciated by others in the group. For lunch we stopped at an English tearoom which at first seemed a bit incongruous but it turned out to be a very interesting cafe with lots of World War I artefacts inside, and good food at reasonable prices. I'd definitely recommend the tour especially if you only have a limited time in France as we did. If going in autumn definitely bring a heavy coatjacket and gloves because the wind was bitterly cold out on those fields. It made us think even more of what those young men must have endured during the war.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	December 2009
The guide arrived on time and was friendly, polite and spoke very good English, as well the group was small which made for a relaxing day. The trip to and from Paris was quite enjoyable, getting to travel through the suburbs of Paris and then the French countryside. While the tour itself packed a lot into one day and is well worthwhile if your time is short and only have time to see the highlights.

Review by: Gary P, New Zealand	November 2009
A very friendly driver guide who was knowledgeable and adapted the trip to ensure that the different nationalities on board felt special. She was genuinely concerned for our welfare. An amazing experience. The "drive" around Arc de Triomphe at rush hour was also an amazing experience.

Review by: David L, Australia	November 2009
Being Australian this meant a lot to me as I had two great uncles who fought in WW1 on the Somme and both thankfully survived, this was another glorious autumn day in the beautiful French countryside and standing in the cemeteries amongst the crosses gave time for reflection on the events here back in 1916. The only downside I found was that our driver was just that and no more, he had no historical input whatsoever and would just take us to a location and leave us to our own devices. If we had someone with the knowledge of the Normandy guide I would have given this tour a better rating.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	October 2009
Great day. Many more stops than I thought we would have. Good informative driver, on time and professional.

Review by: Denise F, Australia	September 2009
As an Australian, this was a very emotional experience. The guide was informative, helpful and open to suggestion. The guide would take group take to a particular site if requested. Be prepared to be upset and get a little teary especially if a mother and you have sons of similar ages that died during the battles. Glad I did the trip.

Review by: Simon C	September 2009
As an Australian, this was a very emotional experience. The guide was informative, helpful and open to suggestion. The guide would take group take to a particular site if requested. Be prepared to be upset and get a little teary especially if a mother and you have sons of similar ages that died during the battles. Glad I did the trip.

Review by: Glenn D, Japan	August 2009
An excellent tour, the guide went out of his way to include a memorial I wanted to see, and really made sure we had the time we wanted in each place.

Review by: Olivia S, United Arab Emirates	August 2009
It was difficult to find the tour I wanted on line. Viator offered me what I wanted and delivered it. The tour guide was friendly, knowledgable and catered for the group's needs. The group was small always a bonus. We were taken to parts of the Somme that were not on the itinerary, ie the Australian memorial, which made the whole day.

Review by: Walt H, Australia	August 2009
It was really good value. Theguide was excellent. Overall, I could recommend this tour to anyone but because of the connection my Australian friends it is a moving experience.

Review by: Debra S, Australia	August 2009
I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in WW1 history. Tip - when you confirm booking, advise what particular country you are interested in to ensure your visit relates to your interests. 5 out of 6 of us were Australians so the tour director ensured she visited all the places we'd be most interested in. Fabulous!!

Review by: DebS	August 2009
I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in WW1 history. Tip - when you confirm booking, advise what particular country you are interested in to ensure your visit relates to your interests. 5 out of 6 of us were Australians so the tour director ensured she visited all the places we'd be most interested in. Fabulous!!

Review by: Melinda R, Australia	January 2009
The tour was fantastic. The tour went ahead even though it was just my husband and I booked in. They cater for where people come from. i.e. we were taken to important places for Australians. Overall we had a memorable day.