World Wars
Relive some of the episodes of these two wars that marked the 20th century.
Detailed program
Day 1: Arrival in Paris
You arrive at Charles-de-Gaulle airport. After customs formalities and baggage claim, you are transferred by bus to your accommodation to drop off your belongings. You’re off to discover the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde, a place steeped in history where the guillotine operated during the French Revolution. You’ll then visit the Arc de Triomphe, before walking down the Champs-Élysées to the Jardins des Tuileries.
Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 2: Paris – Normandy
Take the metro (at your own expense) to the Île de la Cité. Explore this historic district on foot, including a visit to the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral. Meet your driver and take the bus to the Normandy region.
Dinner and overnight in the Caen or Bayeux area.
Day 3: Normandy
Discover the D-Day landing beaches with an English-speaking guide. You start at Sainte-Mère-Église and its Airborne Museum, dedicated to the American paratroopers of 1944. You’ll then visit Pointe du Hoc, a German strategic site, and the Omaha Beach Memorial in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. You finish with a visit to the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, a moving site that honors the soldiers who fell during the D-Day landings.
Dinner and overnight in the Caen or Bayeux area.
Day 4: Normandy
You continue your tour of the beaches with your guide. You’ll discover the Longues-sur-Mer battery, then stop off at Arromanches to see the remains of the Mulberry artificial harbor. Watch an exceptional film at the circular Arromanches 360° cinema. Visit the Caen Memorial, a comprehensive museum on the Second World War and its aftermath. At the end of the day, you return to Dieppe.
Dinner and overnight stay in the Dieppe area.
Day 5: Normandy – Ypres
You are free to visit Dieppe, a town marked by the Canadian raid of 1942, including the Square du Canada. On to the Somme, one of the main battlefields of the First World War. You’ll discover the Lochnagar crater at Ovillers-la-Boisselle, the Thiepval memorial, then the Newfoundland Park at Beaumont-Hamel with its reconstructed trenches. Finally, you visit the Somme Museum in Albert. You finish the day in Ypres, Belgium, where you attend the Last Post ceremony in tribute to the fallen.
Overnight in Ypres.
Day 6: Belgium
Visit the “In Flanders Fields” Museum, which recounts the history of the First World War and life at the front. Take a bus tour around Ypres, with stops at the British cemeteries of Passchendaele and Tyne Cot, the largest British military cemetery in the world. You finish the day in Brussels with free time to discover the Grand-Place and the Manneken Pis statue.
Dinner and overnight in Brussels.
Day 7: Paris
Relive the Battle of the Bulge at the Malmedy Memorial, where 150 American soldiers were massacred. You arrive in Bastogne to visit the Bastogne Historical Center, which offers a realistic reconstruction of the lives of American and German soldiers during the battle. You’ll also discover the end of the “Route de la Liberté” linking Sainte-Mère-Église to Bastogne. In the afternoon, you return to Paris for the evening.
Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 8: Departure
Transfer to Paris airport by coach and departure.
Services included
- Transportation by coach or minivan according to the number of participants
- 7 nights in hotel, youth hostel or accommodation center
- Half-board from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 8
- Visits and excursions as described in the program
- Travel file for tour leader
- VOYEL assistance 24 hours a day
Good to know
Program duration and activities can be modified
Optional / supplement
- Services of a VOYEL guide
- Lunches