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Battlefield Tours

Folks seeking to discover the experiences of a loved one may find our small, intimate journeys the way to go. Our guides are retired military and/or historians with a personal interest in the tours that they lead. Most are members of the Guild of Battlefield Guides. If you have a personal interest following the path of a fallen loved one, have a student group, are a history buff or even if you are just curious about learning about these events that changed our history, please come and join us on what is sure to be a poignant, informative and enjoyable journey of discovery.

Scheduled Battlefield Itineraries in Belgium, France and Holland:

*American Forces to End WWII, 1944-45: Normandy Beaches, Battle of the Bulge and Operation Market Garden: 11 days, beginning in Paris, ending in Amsterdam; multiple departure dates; Travel the path of the brave men who helped change the course of modern history. Visit areas where the US Forces fought and where many died on the D-Day Landing Beaches, in the Ardennes Forest and along the German border in Northern Belgium and Holland. This journey of discovery also includes Americans in WWI, Doughboys and Sgt York, in the Chateux-Theirry and Meuise-Argonne regions of France.

*Forging of a Nation, Canadian Battlefields in Normandy and the Western Front: 7 days from Lille; multiple departure dates; This tour visits some of the most memorable and important sites where young Canadians fought and died for their new county's honour. Vimy Ridge, Beumont Hamel, Juno Beach are but a few sites...

*Operation Market Garden, Belgian and Dutch Battlefields of WWII: 4 days from Lille; multiple departure dates; British, American and Canadian paratroopers fought for the liberation of the Low Countries, put an end to the Winter of Hunger but the bridge of Arnhem proved to be a “Bridge Too Far.”

*Normandy Beaches, from Defeat to Triumph in WWII: 4 days from Lille; multiple departure dates; Sites of an American, Canadian and Commonwealth interest including the D-Day Beaches, Dunkirk, Dieppe and the Atlantic Wall.

*Americans in the Great War: Sgt York and the Doughboys: 4 days from Paris; multiple departure dates; Have you ever wondered where the American 'Doughboys' went, ‘over there’? Discover the sites of US contributions in the First World War in places such as Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry, Vaux, Saint-Milhiel and the region of Meuse-Argonne. See the Sgt York Memorial. This tour also includes Verdun.

Day and Weekend Battlefield Tours in Belgium & Northern France:

*Weekends on the Western Front: weekly departures; Choose a 2 or 3-day weekend. Combine the Ypres, Somme and Triumph & Disaster: Fromelles and Vimy tours.

*The Somme Day Tour: weekly, Saturdays; Exploration of events from July 1st to Nov 1916 encompassing the French battlefields

*Ypres Salient Day Tour: weekly, Sundays; trenches, battlefields and memorials

*TRIUMPH AND DISASTER Day Tour: weekly, Mondays; Fromelles and Vimy Ridge

Scheduled WWII Battlefield Itineraries in Central & Eastern Europe:

*Ruins of the Third Reich Tour: 9 days beginning in Frankfurt, ending in Berlin; May 8 - 17, 2010; Wewelsburg, Nordhausen, Munster, Hamburg, Kiel, Peenemünde & Berlin, Germany

*Wolf's Lair Tour: 13 days from Berlin; May 18 – 31, 2010; Berlin, the Wolf's Lair (Rastenburg), Warsaw, Krakow & Auschwitz, Poland

*Secrets of the Third Reich Tour: 9 days beginning in Frankfurt, ending in Munich; June 12 – 21, 2010; Nürnberg, Dachau, Munich, Berchtesgaden, Obersalzberg & Eagle's Nest, Germany

*Operation Barbarossa Tour: 13 days from St Petersburg, ending in Moscow; August 6 – 18, 2010; Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Moscow & Stalingrad (Volgograd), Russia

*Battleground Italy Tour: 11 days from Rome; September 2 – 13, 2010; Palermo, Gela, Sicily, Salerno, Cassino, Gran Sasso, Anzio & Rome, Italy

“Name the Date”      Set Itineraries, whenever you want them:

*London in Wartime Day Tour: Date of your choice! What was it like for those on the Home Front in the Capitol? Learn where the soliders spent their leave and London during the Blitz. Visit the Imperial War Museum and Cabinet War Rooms.

*Battle of the Bulge: 4 days from Brussels; COMING SOON! Contact us for further details: specialgrouptours@yahoo.com

*Normandy Landing Beaches: 3 days from Paris; COMING SOON! Contact us for further details:specialgrouptours@yahoo.com

*Commonwealth Battlefields, Both Sides of the Channel: 12 days from London; Portsmouth, Kent & the Battle of Britain, Normandy D-Day Beaches, the Atlantic Wall and the Western Front.

*Churchill and the Home Front: 3 days from London; Explore the legend and the man himself who lead Britain through the tumultuous events of the 20th Century - Leader, warrior, politician, Nobel Prize winner for literature and an inspiration for generations.

*The Home Front, North Country 1939 - 1945: 4 days, from/to Manchester; You think of war, you think of battlefields...but what about the British ‘Home Front’? What kind of life did people live during those dark days between 1939 and 1945 when the World was engulfed with war...

*Bond...James Bond: 4 days from London; This is a fun romp through film sites, Ian Fleming’s life, and the world of espionage from its modern day inception through to the cold war era. Visit London, Dover, Bletchley Park, the war and air museums of Cosford together with the quiant and peaceful scenery of Kent and Buckinghamshire as a backdrop.

DESIGN YOUR CUSTOM TOUR WITH US! Guests with a personal interest in a particular regiment, battle or seeking information about a fallen loved one may find a personal and private journey more appropriate. We can create an itinerary from scratch for you or modify any scheduled departure to suit. All of our itineraries are available for private groups.

The below itineraries are suggestions, available at the date of your choice, no matter how many guests in your party and can be modified to suit you specifically. Click the links for further details:

*Britain at War, WWII: 9 days from London; Life in 1940s England. Air raid shelters, POW camps, air fields and naval stations, espionage and more.

*Battle of Britain: 5 days from London; Visiting museums, airfields and miscellaneous relevant sites of Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

Interested in general sightseeing tours in France and Belgium? We have several tours in our Art and Wine Lovers series and Belgium and Holland Tours including:

*Medieval Belgium, Land of Flanders: 4 days; The best of Belgium, art galleries, cobbled streets, awe-inspiring cathedrals and an amazing selection of world class chocolates and beers! Visit Bruges, Antwerp, Gent, Louven, the mediaeval towns of the ancient land of Flanders.

Here are just a selection of recent feedback from the Battlefield tours...

"I am writing to thank you very much for organizing such a memorable trip for us. Geoff and Nora, our guides, took us on a journey of the battlefields which was very informative, sad and moving and re-evoked the history of the First World War very vividly. Both Geoff and Nora looked after us very well , and their knowledge of the historical details was quite amazing, -they are a real credit to your company!Please pass on our grateful thanks to them both. We are busy recommending the trip to our friends and hope to join you again in the New year." Zarina and Shaed

"Just a brief note to thank you and your wonderful team of Jeff and Nora for the great day we had in Flanders... it was everything we had hoped for. Having visited the area in which my Dad was wounded and heard the stories of the fighting in that area, and , I suppose, having visited the War Cemetries (which I found to be a quite emotional experience) I somehow or other feel that I know my dad better than at anytime in my life. As I may have already told you, he never talked of his experiences during the Great War, so there was always a part of his background missing. And, in addition, I now have an even greater understanding of the sheer futility of war - so many young lives lost for what? Maybe we should demand that if there is to be a war, the politicians who want to wage the war should be the first ones into the front lines. Anyway, thanks for a very memorable day and please convey our thanks to Jeff and Nora as well." Terry Cole

"We have recently returned from a tour of the battlefields. We were thirteen friends who met your Guide Mark, instantly we were fourteen friends. Mark was courteous, friendly and very knowledgable...if he did not know he made a point of finding out the answers to our questions. We felt that he 'honed the tour' to our requirements. Especially with one of our friends who had a specific request to visit a certain cemetary. This he did...even providing a cross! He was always punctual and was always very cheerful, even at 5.30am. He is a credit to your company. Your coach was very comfortable and very clean. Please pass on to Mark with all our best wishes… I wish I had the brain to soak up all that knowledge and facts.." Michael Forrest

"Just wanted to say what a great tour we had with Jeff on the Ypres and Somme tours in September. I came on the tour with my son, 16, and we both learned a lot and enjoyed it. Jeff was very knowledgeable and gave a great idea of what it was like to be there in battle and did not just bombard us with facts and figures. I am so glad we chose to do a tour as opposed to doing something self guided as we just covered so much in the two days that we would never have done on our own. Please, thank Jeff very much." Mairi and Alistair Simpson

"Seeing the white cliffs of Dover was an unexpected extra added bonus of the trip. I have been reading about and watching film of the Great War for fifty years but seeing the ground where the fighting occurred, the towns destroyed by it (and the amazing rebuilding of these towns, theYpres Cathedral, etc.) and the many cemeteries gave me a feeling for the Great War that you just cannot get from books, film and photographs. I very highly recommend this tour to people who are seriously interested in learining about the war. Your highly informed and experienced tour guides and small group format are the only way to see these sites. Those taking such tours in the big touring buses cannot get the high quality experience that Backroads tours delivers. And my own experience as a Yellowstone Park driver and tour guide, I know that there are many places those big buses cannot go." Jeff Ward

"Just thanking you for a fantastic Somme Tour. It was one of the highlights of our trip and we will never forget it. It was exactly what we wanted. We loved the hotel and the tour guide was so amazing. She had so much knowledge and stories to tell. We all learnt so much! She was amazing and we all enjoyed her company! All the best and hope to be back soon." Natasha and Trevor Carr

"Barb and I have been home a week now and have been reflecting on our recent trip. We both agree that the trip, as a whole, was probably the best time away that we have ever had. While the Vimy Tour could not be described as "fun" it was certainly an enjoyable learning experience. From the very first day in Amsterdam till the final day in London we thoroughly enjoyed our interaction with Barrie and the other members of our group. The fact that Barrie was open to finding sites of special interest to each individual member of the group ( and was actually able to find the location of some out of the way spots) was very special." Dr David and Barbara Keating

"The tour was everything I had hoped it would be. The remembrance celebration at Vimy Ridge was life changing. With the help of Back Roads' office in the UK, Barrie, our guide and driver located the cemetery where my uncle, a casualty of World War 1, was buried. The whole busload helped me commemorate his death. I was the first in our family to visit his grave. It was a memorable experience." Ken Reeves

"Just a short message to say how very much we enjoyed our tour on 3-5 June, and to say thanks very much to our very obliging and helpful guide Jeff." Mary, Sonia, Meghann Lilley and Pam Carleton

"What a great weekend! Exhausting but worth every moment despite the weather. Thank you so much for giving us an insight into the Western Front, or a bit of it. I will certainly try to remember what you told us and now try and add to my knowledge. Once again many thanks!" Ros Barron

"Just wanted to say how much my father and I enjoyed yesterday. David was an excellent guide and really helped bringing everything to life. Being able to lay our wreath on my grandfather's grave was very special to us. It has now wetted our appetite and we are thinking about doing a similar trip with you to the Somme before we go back home …" Ivor Otley

"My son, Malcolm and I recently travelled through the WW1 battlefields with your guide Bob. We would like you to know how very much we enjoyed the trip and how knowledgeable we found Bob to be. He went out of his way to make the days appropriate for us as Australians and in particular sought out places mentioned by my father in his diary written during the war. With thanks," Elizabeth Adams,

"I'd swear you know where every bit of barbed wire on the Western Front is! Great couple of days. Unbelieveable knowledge you have. I was impressed by the way you managed to ensure both the Canadians and the English on board exactly what they wanted to see." Peter James