Canadian Battlefields Tour from Arras: Vimy Ridge & Somme

Walk the trenches where Canadians won Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917.

An eight-hour private tour from Arras visiting four Canadian battlefields and memorials from the First World War, led by an English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned vehicle for up to three travelers. The tour includes Vimy Ridge with its trenches and tunnels, Notre Dame de Lorette (the largest French military cemetery with over 40,000 burials), Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, and the Newfoundland Memorial Park at the Somme, where Canadians suffered 24,000 casualties in 1916. Lunch is taken at L'Estaminet de Lorette near the cemetery. The guide can adjust the itinerary if you need time at a relative's grave or specific site.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery20m
2. Notre Dame de Lorette1h
3. Vimy2h · entry included

Visit WW1 Canadian Battlefields and Memorials

• Walk Arras Flemish Baroque squares
• Visit Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery
• Explore Notre Dame de Lorette cemetery and basilica
• Lunch at L'Estaminet de Lorette
• Tour Canadian National Vimy Memorial and battlefield
• See Canadian Battle of the Somme memorial
• Visit Newfoundland Memorial Park battlefield site

The experience

The tour opens in Arras itself, where the guide walks you through the two Flemish Baroque squares (La Place des Héros and La Grand Place), and traces the city's history from Roman times forward. From there, the route moves to four sites that shaped Canadian identity in the First World War. Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery holds 7,655 Commonwealth burials from both wars, and it was here in 2000 that the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier were exhumed and returned to Ottawa for burial at the National War Memorial.

Notre Dame de Lorette sits 165 meters high overlooking the Douai plain and contains over 40,000 French soldiers from the 1914–1915 battles of Artois. The site includes the Neo-Byzantine Basilica, a lantern tower, and seven ossuaries. The guide explains the strategic importance of the ridge: legend holds that whoever controls the hills controls the war. Then comes Vimy Ridge itself, where Canadian troops arrived in France in December 1914 and went on to capture the ridge between April 9 and 12, 1917. You walk in the actual trenches, move through one of the tunnels dug before the assault, and stand at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on the battlefield where the victory became the marker of Canadian nationhood.

After lunch at L'Estaminet de Lorette, the tour reaches the Somme, where the Canadian Memorial commemorates soldiers who fought in 1916. Here, during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, Canadians suffered 24,000 casualties, and tanks appeared on a battlefield for the first time. The final stop is Newfoundland Memorial Park, the largest battlefield site on the Somme, purchased in 1921 by Newfoundland's women and government. The guide walks you through the ground where the regiment took staggering losses on July 1, 1916, and explains what happened on that day.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle for the full eight hours.
• English-speaking guide throughout.
• entry to Vimy Ridge, Notre Dame de Lorette, Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, and Newfoundland Memorial Park.
• access to the trenches and tunnels at Vimy.
• lunch at L'Estaminet de Lorette.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to1d before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

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

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by WW1 Battlefields guided tours: Brigitte De Cuyper from Get a Guide

Is this one for you?The tour runs eight hours with walking at each of the four sites and terrain that includes cemetery grounds and open battlefield. If you want to move at your own pace or need frequent stops, a self-guided visit to individual sites might suit you better. This tour is built around a guide's narrative and a fixed route through all four locations in one day.

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Top questions

What can I see inside the Vimy Ridge trenches and tunnels?

The trenches are the actual lines where Canadian soldiers fought during the April 1917 assault. You walk through them and can enter one of the tunnels that was dug before the battle, seeing firsthand the ground where the victory took place.

How many soldiers are buried at Notre Dame de Lorette?

Notre Dame de Lorette is the largest French military cemetery in the world, holding over 40,000 soldiers who died in the 1914–1915 battles of Artois. The site includes a Neo-Byzantine Basilica, a lantern tower, and seven ossuaries.

What happened to the unidentified Canadian soldier at Cabaret-Rouge?

On May 25, 2000, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission exhumed the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier from Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery. His ashes were returned to Canada and laid to rest at the foot of the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Can the guide adjust the tour if I want to visit a relative's grave?

Yes. Because the group stays at three people or fewer, the guide can modify the itinerary if you need to pay respects at a specific grave or visit a particular site. Let the operator know before the tour starts.

Where do we eat lunch, and how long is the break?

Lunch is at L'Estaminet de Lorette, a local restaurant near Notre Dame de Lorette cemetery. You have an hour for the meal.

What was the significance of the Newfoundland Memorial at the Somme?

Newfoundland Memorial Park marks the largest battlefield site on the Somme and honors all Newfoundlanders who served in the First World War. The regiment suffered staggering losses on July 1, 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, and the ground purchased in 1921 became a symbol of sacrifice and identity for the island.