French Holiday Ideas | French battlefields trips in Northen France:

Northern France bears the scars of the two world wars, in terms of lives lost and the destruction of architecture and livelihoods, more any other region. Indeed the Somme is, for many, better known as a battle than a region.

Of course, whenever you visit the regions of Picardy or Nord-Pas de Calais there are plenty of more upbeat activities to engage in. Yet when you are there it seems appropriate to take a sombre tour of either a battlefield or cemetery, particularly as the November remembrance period approaches.

Here is our quick round up of some of the most essential sites. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of the key places but rather food for thought next time you are in Northern France.



Picardy

It is estimated that in the Somme department almost one third of all houses were brought to ruin in the Great War.

There was massive loss of British life, as well as the fallen from other Commonwealth countries and France. The sheer volume of soldiers killed is reflected in the density of the war cemeteries in the region.

British cemeteries lie on or near the N29, while there is a huge Commonwealth one near Villers-Bretonneux. This also includes a memorial to the 1,200 who died here in 1918 and the almost 11,000 who perished on the Western Front.

In Peronne you can visit the superb museum Historial of the Great War. In addition to the permanent and temporary exhibitions that depict life in the trenches, there are uniforms and countless other objects to view – all of which give an excellent historical context to the destruction that the region witnessed. The museum can also provide you with details on how to tour of the battlefields.

For more, visit www.en.historial.org

At Thiepval, 20 kms northeast of Amiens, you will see the Sir Edward Luytens-designed, triple-tiered British war memorial, while the American dead are remembered at Bellicourt.

For details of all cemeteries, please go to the Somme Battlefields section at www.visit-somme.com

Nord-Pas de Calais

Remembrance is a big feature of France’s northernmost region, with the Chemins de Mémoire representing a well-chosen itinerary, which you can choose to explore all or part of.

The 650 or so military cemeteries dotting the region bear silent witness to the tragic events of both world wars and they are separated into various themes for the purposes of organising your visit:

The Front: from Nieuport to Ypres and down towards Picardy is the WWI Front.

Occupation: Lille, Lens, Liévin, Valenciennes, Douai, Cambrai.

The Rear Base by the coast at Montreuil-sur-Mer was where the Allies had their HQ

The Red Zone, which reflects the reconstruction period after the war in places such as Béthune and Arras.

From Lille’s Tourist Office you can take poignant and informative mini-bus trips out to various locations, including a Flanders battlefield tour (Ypres was the scene of some of the Great War’s most important battles) and the lovely new Australian cemetery at Fromelles.

For more information, please go here



Normandy

The scene of such bravery and horror during and after the D-Day landings of World War II, the Normandy coastline remembers the fallen with respectful elegance.

As well as great museums such as Caen’s superb Mémorial, which provides an introduction to the war and a great educational approach for young visitors, and the Musée du Debarquement in Arromanches, you can also visit the huge American cemetery situated near Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-Mer and beautifully maintained British and Commonwealth cemeteries.

For details of this and many other cemeteries in the Calvados region, see the tourist board website

For more information on places to visit in Normandy and Calvados consult our Regional Guides

Organised battlefield tours

There are several well-established battlefield tour companies that arrange visits – both self-drive and accompanied – from the UK:

Battlefield Tours (www.battlefield-tours.com)
Leger Holidays (www.visitbattlefield.co.uk)
Guided Battlefield Tours (www.guidedbattlefieldtours.co.uk)

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