Reims and Verdun
Reims and Verdun
Reims and Verdun
5 Days Starting in reims and ending in 51100 Reims, France
Visiting: Reims, Chemin des Dames, Verdun, Montfaucon-d'Argonne, Champagne
Tour operator:
Tour code:
5fbrv
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Age range:
0-99
Special diets catered:
Vegetarians
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
On this fascinating new battlefield tour we look at the ground fought over by the British, French and German Armies in Reims, combining with a visit to Verdun – an iconic WW1 site. Highlights of the tour include the ‘Caverne du Dragon’, an underground quarry where the French and Germans fought, the remarkable private collection of militaria at the Romagne War Museum, and the trenches at Main de Massiges.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrive In Reims
Location: Reims
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Novotel Reims Tinqueux or Mercure Reims Parc des Exposition
Local departure by coach, then to our hotel in Reims for a four-night stay.
Day 2 : Aisne 1914 – Chemin Des Dames
Location: Chemin des Dames, Reims
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Novotel Reims Tinqueux or Mercure Reims Parc des Exposition
Meals Included: Breakfast
We start this morning just outside Reims, on the spot where the French Army used tanks for the first time in April 1917 as part of the attack on the Chemin des Dames. We’ll see the memorial and life-sized models of French tanks, before looking at the ‘Old Contemptibles’ in the fighting here in 1914 – the men of the British Army. We see the church and British graves at Soupir and Vendresse, and the memorial at Cerny. Here, we come onto the Chemin des Dames, the high ground above Reims, and visit the French cemetery and memorial chapel. After lunch in Soissons, where you can visit the Soissons Memorial to the Missing which commemorates British soldiers who fell in 1918, we discover the memorials and bunkers of the Moulin de Laffaux, a major French battle site throughout the war. We then go beneath the battlefield into the ‘Caverne du Dragon’ – the Dragon’s Cave. This is where the French and Germans fought each other in a quarry deep underground. We continue across the Chemin des Dames back to Reims.
Day 3 : Verdun – The Mincing Machine
Location: Verdun
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Novotel Reims Tinqueux or Mercure Reims Parc des Exposition
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today we head for Verdun; a battle of 300 days, it was the longest of the war and called the ‘Mincing Machine’ by the soldiers due to the way it drew in and destroyed so many French regiments. We start at the impressive Memorial Museum at Fleury, with its many displays, artefacts and the ‘lost village’ of Fleury close by. We then visit the Ossuary and French Cemetery at Douaumont, before taking lunch in Verdun. In the afternoon we explore two of the iconic forts, which featured so heavily in the battle – Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. Inside you can walk the corridors, admire the gun turrets and museums, and see the massive shell craters on the roof caused by heavy guns from both sides.
Day 4 : Champagne – Argonne
Location: Montfaucon-d'Argonne, Champagne
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Novotel Reims Tinqueux or Mercure Reims Parc des Exposition
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today we’ll explore the battlefields east of Reims, starting in the Argonne sector with a visit to the American Memorial at Montfaucon, before paying our respects at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery – the largest US War Cemetery in Europe with more than 14,000 graves. We take an included lunch at the Romagne War Museum, viewing the incredible private collection of militaria. In the afternoon, we explore the Champagne battlefields with a visit to the trenches at Main de Massiges: here a whole trench system has been reconstructed on a hillside alongside original mine craters with sandbags, duckboards and firing positions. You can walk the trenches, go in the dugouts and see the dressing station. Our day ends at the Navarin Farm Memorial to the American and French soldiers of the Champagne; we’ll learn of the story of a former British Colonel, who having been court martialled served as a Stretcher Bearer here in the French Foreign legion.
Day 5 : Return Home
Location: Reims
Meals Included: Breakfast
Return home.
What's Included
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Accommodation
As detailed in the itinerary
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Additional Services
Travel from a wide range of convenient joining points across the UK is included within your coach holiday price; some carry a supplement. Please contact us for our full list of joining points.
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Airport Transfers at Destination
This trip includes coach travel from/to a local UK joining point
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Fully Guided
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International Travel
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Meals
As detailed in the itinerary
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Transport
Comfortable, air-conditioned motorcoach
What's Not Included
Accommodation
You will stay for four-nights at the Novotel Reims Tinqueux or Mercure Reims Parc des Exposition.
Check out our Q&As
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Will I know the names and details of all the accommodation before I depart?
Yes
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What type of coach will be used?
You will travel on either our Luxuria Coach or our Silver Service Coach
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Is the tour coach air conditioned?
Yes
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Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?
No
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes
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What is the fitness level required to do this tour?
Low
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Is there a limit to luggage that can be brought on the tour?
On Leger Coach Holidays, your allowance is one medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full.
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Is there any free time to explore places during the tour?
As detailed in the itinerary
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Is there a supplement for solo travellers?
Some tours carry a supplement for solo travellers, please ask for details if the Single price is not shown
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Will there be an escort accompanying this tour?
Fully escorted by our experienced drivers/crews. And in most towns and cities we either include or offer optional sightseeing tours with expert local guides to help you get the most from your visits.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
40 years
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Sole use of your own room on all Single Traveller holidays: means you still get your privacy and time out from the group.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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Battlefield Tours - Will it be possible to visit a particular cemetery whilst on the tour?
Please contact us and we will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest Covid-19 policies
Reviews of this operator
Book with Confidence
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Low Deposit
Leger Holidays requires a minimum deposit of 20% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 75 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of leger holidays charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 42 days before tour starts: Forfeit 75% of booking price.
At 21 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.