Reims & Verdun
5 days from £699pp
About the tour: Reims & Verdun
Tour Introduction
On this fascinating new battlefield tour we look at the ground fought over by the British, French and German Armies in Reims, combining with a visit to Verdun – an iconic WW1 site. Highlights of the tour include the ‘Caverne du Dragon’, an underground quarry where the French and Germans fought, the remarkable private collection of memorabilia at the Romagne War Museum, and the trenches at Main de Massiges.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Convenient local joining points
(Deposits from £150pp)
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your battlefield tour either online, or by telephone (), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can -
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Tour Itinerary
For customers living outside of the UK, if you want to make a booking you will need to provide a UK postcode on our online booking system. If you are not able to provide a relevant UK postcode then you can enter the postcode for London Victoria Coach Station – SW1W 9TP. You should then be able to proceed to complete your booking.
If you do encounter a problem then you can speak to one of our friendly advisors who will be happy to help.
Please Note : After completing your booking, a member of our Customer Service team will be in touch to make sure everything is okay.
Either e-mail our Reservations Department or call on 01709 830 333 and they will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.
Day 1
Local departure by coach, then to our hotel in Reims for a four-night stay.
Day 2 - Aisne 1914 – Chemin Des Dames
We start this morning just outside Reims, on the spot where the French Army used tanks for the first time in April 1917 as part of the attack on the Chemin des Dames. We’ll see the memorial and life-sized models of French tanks, before looking at the ‘Old Contemptibles’ in the fighting here in 1914 – the men of the British Army. We see the church and British graves at Soupir and Vendresse, and the memorial at Cerny. Here, we come onto the Chemin des Dames, the high ground above Reims, and visit the French cemetery and memorial chapel. After lunch in Soissons, where you can visit the Soissons Memorial to the Missing which commemorates British soldiers who fell in 1918, we discover the memorials and bunkers of the Moulin de Laffaux, a major French battle site throughout the war. We then go beneath the battlefield into the ‘Caverne du Dragon’ – the Dragon’s Cave. This is where the French and Germans fought each other in a quarry deep underground. We continue across the Chemin des Dames back to Reims.
Included meals: Breakfast
French Tank Memorial, Chemin des Dames (8)
Key Visits
- Caverne du Dragon
- Soissons Memorial
- Soupir Church
- Vendresse Cemetery
- Laffaux Memorials
- Cerny Memorial and Cemetery
- French Tank Memorial, Chemin des Dames
Day 3 - Verdun – The Mincing Machine
Today we head for Verdun; a battle of 300 days, it was the longest of the war and called the ‘Mincing Machine’ by the soldiers due to the way it drew in and destroyed so many French regiments. We start at the impressive Memorial Museum at Fleury, with its many displays, artefacts and the ‘lost village’ of Fleury close by. We then visit the Ossuary and French Cemetery at Douaumont, before taking lunch in Verdun. In the afternoon we explore two of the iconic forts, which featured so heavily in the battle – Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. Inside you can walk the corridors, admire the gun turrets and museums, and see the massive shell craters on the roof caused by heavy guns from both sides.
Included meals: Breakfast
Douaumont Cemetery (6)
Key Visits
- Fort Douaumont
- Memorial Museum, Fleury
- Douaumont Cemetery
- Douaumont Ossuary
- Fort Vaux
Day 4 - Champagne – Argonne
Today we’ll explore the battlefields east of Reims, starting in the Argonne sector with a visit to the American Memorial at Montfaucon, before paying our respects at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery – the largest US War Cemetery in Europe with more than 14,000 graves. Time for lunch at the Romagne War Museum, viewing the incredible private collection of militaria. In the afternoon, we explore the Champagne battlefields with a visit to the trenches at Main de Massiges: here a whole trench system has been reconstructed on a hillside alongside original mine craters with sandbags, duckboards and firing positions. You can walk the trenches, go in the dugouts and see the dressing station. Our day ends at the Navarin Farm Memorial to the American and French soldiers of the Champagne; we’ll learn of the story of a former British Colonel, who having been court martialled served as a Stretcher Bearer here in the French Foreign legion.
Included meals: Breakfast
Massiges (6)
Key Visits
- Romagne War Museum
- Navarin Farm Memorial
- Massiges
- Montfaucon American Memorial
- Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
Day 5
Return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Specialist Battlefield Guides
All of Leger’s battlefield tours are accompanied by specialist guides. Their individual in-depth knowledge of warfare will be informative, as well as enhance your overall experience, as they recreate a fascinating perception of the history and factual events of each battle. Discover the actual catalysts for war, the strategies employed and the final, inevitable outcomes, as well as experiencing the emotional human side of the front line.
Please note: On certain tours, you may get tour guides other that the ones listed below.
Hotel
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333
Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Your hotels will supply towels in your room.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
Novotel Reims Tinqueux
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About the hotel
The 4-star Novotel Reims Tinqueux is located in the Champagne region of France and situated close to popular attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Saint Remi Basilica and the famous wine cellars.
Hotel Features
- Bar
- English Speaking Staff
- Restaurant
- WiFi Available
Room Features
- Bath and/or Shower
- Hairdryer
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Telephone
- TV
Travel Options
Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.
Front row seats can be reserved for £14pp (up to 6 days duration), £22pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £25pp (9 days duration and over) on all European tours. In addition to this seats on the second row can be reserved for £7pp (up to 6 days duration), £14pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £15pp (9 days duration and over). This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on feeder journeys to/from the U.K. port. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.
Please note: On some coaches the legroom on front seats may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled for any reason and front/second row seats are not available on your new tour you will be refunded the supplement. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach. Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the U.K. port are not allocated.
Hot and cold drinks are served on the main tour coaches. Prices are approximately £1 or 1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by the driver. Drinks may also be served on the transfer coaches but this is not guaranteed.
Transfer vehicles are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure and will depend on where passengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the U.K. port may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours, compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Stop 24 Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
One medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases. Hand luggage can be stored in the overhead racks aboard the coach.
It could be either - This will be confirmed in your travel documents.
When it comes to getting to the Battlefields, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you choose from.
Silver Service Coach
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Silver Service Features
- Sit back and relax in specially-designed, deluxe reclining seats, with leather headrests, footrests and more legroom than standard coaches.
- Enjoy the perfect temperature onboard with climate control.
- Relax and have a chat in the spacious rear lounge.
- Servery on board offering a range of refreshments.
- Porterage* at most hotels, so you really don’t have to lift a finger.
- Time flies with our onboard entertainment system.
- With free personal headphones you can tune into the music channel, listen to the radio or watch DVDs.
- Onboard toilet
Silver Service Seating Plan
Silver Service Virtual Tour
Travel Extras
With an overnight stay or the option to meet us at the interchange, our travel extras allow you to create a travel experience to suit your needs...
Join coach at Interchange
+ Find out moreJoin your tour coach at the interchange.
On most tours if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines.
Excludes tours to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
