Overview
Finish:Amsterdam, Netherlands
Travel Period
Trace Europe’s story from Paris to Amsterdam on this moving and immersive journey. Begin with two nights in Paris before travelling to Bayeux and Normandy, where you’ll visit the D-Day landing beaches and memorials. Continue through northern France to Amiens, then explore the Somme battlefields and Villers-Bretonneux. Journey on to Fromelles and Ypres, where the legacy of the world wars is revealed. Continue to the Netherlands to board your river ship and cruise the waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium to Arnhem, Nijmegen, Maastricht and Antwerp. Discover the windmills of Kinderdijk and the remarkable Delta Works. Guided tours, canal cruises and poignant Insider Experiences bring history vividly to life before your journey concludes in Amsterdam.
Be accompanied by historian and author Hugh Dolan, who shares expert insights throughout the journey. Through engaging talks and commentary, gain a deeper understanding of the Western Front and the experiences of the soldiers who served there.
On the Somme battlefields, visit Villers-Bretonneux and the Franco-Australian Museum, exploring the enduring ties between France and Australia forged during WWI. Continue to the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre, where immersive exhibits bring the experiences of Australian soldiers on the Western Front to life.
Visit the Fromelles battlefield, one of Australia’s most significant WWI sites. Stop at Bullecourt and Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, see the moving ‘Cobbers’ sculpture and pay respects at V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial, honouring soldiers who lost their lives at Fromelles.
Visit the Delta Works, one of the world’s most impressive modern engineering achievements. Learn about this vast network of dams, storm surge barriers and sluices, built over more than 30 years to protect the Netherlands from flooding after the devastating North Sea Flood of 1953. It remains one of the largest flood-protection systems ever constructed and is recognised as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Experience the iconic windmills of Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most picturesque landscapes in the Netherlands. Wander among the 18th-century mills and canals that once drained the surrounding polders, and learn how this ingenious system helped the Dutch live safely below sea level.
In Ypres, attend the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, where buglers pay tribute each evening to the thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient and have no known grave.
Dates & Pricing
Select your preferred date or enquire