Vimy Ridge & Somme Battlefield Tour: Canadian WW1 Sites

Walk the preserved trenches and tunnels where Canadian soldiers stood before battle.

A full-day guided tour from Ypres to Vimy Ridge, the Somme battlefields and four Canadian memorials, with hotel pickup, a professional guide fluent in English, French or Dutch, and lunch included. The tour covers nine hours and visits the Grange Tunnel where troops waited before the Vimy assault, the Lochnagar Crater from a 1916 underground explosion, Thiepval Memorial bearing 72,000 names, and Beaumont-Hamel where you walk the preserved trenches and pass the Danger Tree.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Vimy3h
2. Lochnagar Crater30m
3. Thiepval Memorial1h · entry included
4. Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial1h 30m

Visit WW1 Battlefields and Memorials

• Leave hotel towards Vimy Ridge
• Stand in German and Canadian trenches
• Visit Grange Tunnel and visitor centre
• See Canadian soldiers memorial
• Stand at 1916 battle memorial
• See Lochnagar Crater explosion site
• Visit Thiepval Memorial and visitor centre
• Explore Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
• Walk Danger Tree and Y Ravine trenches
• Visit Newfoundland Visitor Centre

The experience

The tour leaves your hotel and heads to Vimy Ridge, where you stand in the German and Canadian trenches and enter the Grange Tunnel: the underground passage where Canadian troops gathered hours before the assault. The visitor centre at Vimy overlooks the Douai Plain and displays the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers commemorated at the memorial.

From there the route moves through the Somme landscape to the Lochnagar Crater, a massive hole left by an underground explosion detonated on the morning of July 1, 1916. You then reach Thiepval Memorial, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial in the world, carved with the names of 72,000 soldiers who have no known grave. The visitor centre provides context for what you see across the battlefield.

The final stop is Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, where you walk the preserved trenches and pass landmarks like the Danger Tree and Y Ravine. The ground where Newfoundland troops were slaughtered on July 1, 1916. The 51st Highland Division Memorial stands nearby. Time in the Newfoundland Visitor Centre lets you absorb the scale of what happened there. Hotel pickup and drop-off, a professional guide, bottled water and lunch are included throughout the nine hours.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• private air-conditioned transportation.
• a professional guide in English, French or Dutch.
• lunch.
• and bottled water.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except TuesdayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (6 to 95 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French and Dutch

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 4 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ploegsteert Sector Battlefield Experience

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're traveling as a couple or small family and want a guide to contextualize the sites rather than navigate them alone: the nine-hour route covers four memorials and two battlefield landscapes, and a guide who speaks your language makes the history legible across a full day.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and Dutch.

What exactly is the Grange Tunnel at Vimy Ridge?

The Grange Tunnel is the underground passage where Canadian troops waited in the hours before the assault on Vimy Ridge. You stand in it during the tour to see the space they occupied before going over the top.

How many names are carved into the Thiepval Memorial?

Thiepval Memorial bears the names of 72,000 soldiers who have no known grave. It is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial in the world.

What happened at the Lochnagar Crater on July 1, 1916?

The Lochnagar Crater is the result of an underground explosion triggered on the morning of July 1, 1916. It remains visible on the Somme landscape as a massive crater left by the blast.

Will I walk through actual trenches on this tour?

Yes. At Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial you walk the preserved trenches where Newfoundland troops fought. You also stand in the German and Canadian trenches at Vimy Ridge.

Does the tour include meals?

Lunch is included in the tour price. Bottled water is also provided throughout the day.