Dunkirk & Fortress Europe
4 - 5 days from £429pp
About the tour: Dunkirk & Fortress Europe
- Campaign: World War 2 (WW2)
- Campaign Dates Covered: May 1940 - Sep 1944 (What's this?)
This tour will cover the following key events
- Battle of France begins - 10 May 1940Taking only 6 weeks, the Battle of France saw the Germans successfully invade and conquer France, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium.
- Operation Dynamo: Dunkirk - 27 May 1940Ordered by Winston Churchill, Operation Dynamo saw the evacuation of troops from the harbour and beaches of Dunkirk who had been surrounded by the Germans after fighting during the Battle of France. The operation was a success and over 338,000 men were rescued.
- Armistice at Compiegne - 22 June 1940In June 1940, Hitler arranged for an Armistice to be signed between Nazi officials and the French Third Republic. Hitler chose Compiegne Forest to be the location that the Armistace was signed, due to its role in the 1918 Armitice signing at the end of WW1. The Armistice gave Germnay occupation of Nothern and Western France, including all ports on the English Channel & Atlantic ocean.
- Start of the Liberation of Flanders - 6 September 1944On the 6th of Septmeber 1944, Canadian troops entered Belgium and captured areas in Flanders including Passchendaele and Ypres.
Tour Introduction
More than 330,000 British and French troops were evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940, during Operation Dynamo. It followed the Battle of France and was one of the major turning points of World War 2. The occupation lasted for four years and saw the construction of the Atlantic Wall, which was built to prevent Allied return. This battlefield tour sees us visit the battle sites of these significant events, as well as Dunkirk beaches, its port and ship wrecks, and some of the many memorials in the area, such as Dunkirk Memorial and War Cemetery. We also visit some of the local war museums, take a look at sites where the V-weapons were launched from and explore the defences and bunkers.
Tour Includes
- 3 or 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 Belgium for a three-night stay.
Day 2 - Battle of France: Retreat To Dunkirk
We start the tour with a look at some of the fighting in the Battle of France in May 1940 following the story of the Durham Light Infantry and Royal Welch Fusiliers at St. Venant, seeing the memorial and nearby graves. At Cassel Hill we examine the last stand here by the Oxs & Bucks and Glosters. Following lunch we visit the site at Wormhout where a massacre of British troops took place by the SS and then go into Dunkirk to visit the excellent War Museum of Operation Dynamo, followed by a visit to the East Mole. We end the day in the dunes of Dunkirk to remember the sacrifice of French troops in May-June 1940.
Included meals: Breakfast
St. Venant: Memorial & Cemetery (7)
Key Visits
- St. Venant: Memorial & Cemetery
- Cassel Hill
- Wormhout Massacre site
- Dunkirk Mole
- Dunkirk War Museum
- Dunes of Dunkirk
Day 3 - Miracle of Dunkirk: The V-Weapons
We return to Dunkirk to see the Dunkirk War Cemetery and the Dunkirk Memorial to the Missing. At Bray Dunes we look at the story of the evacuation beaches and the ‘little ships’, forever connected to the Dunkirk story. At Eperlecques we see the massive Blockhaus, built as a launch site for V2 rockets. We then see a typical V1 Doodlebug ski-ramp site, hidden in the woods near Morbecque and constructed to fire more than 2000 V1s a day at London. In the evening join us on an optional trip to nearby Ypres for the moving Last Post Ceremony.
Included meals: Breakfast
Blockhaus Eperlecques (7)
Key Visits
- Blockhaus Eperlecques
- Menin Gate
- Last Post Ceremony
- Dunkirk War Cemetery & Memorial
- Bray Dunes
- V1 Site, Morbecque
Day 4
Return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Day 1
Local departure by coach, then to Belgium for a four-night stay.
Day 2 - Battle of France: Retreat To Dunkirk
We start the tour with a look at some of the fighting in the Battle of France in May 1940 following the story of the Durham Light Infantry and Royal Welch Fusiliers at St. Venant, seeing the memorial and nearby graves. At Cassel Hill we examine the last stand here by the Oxs & Bucks and Glosters. Following lunch we visit the site at Wormhout where a massacre of British troops took place by the SS and then go into Dunkirk to visit the excellent War Museum of Operation Dynamo, followed by a visit to the East Mole. We end the day in the dunes of Dunkirk to remember the sacrifice of French troops in May-June 1940.
Included meals: Breakfast
Dunes of Dunkirk (7)
Key Visits
- Dunkirk War Museum
- St. Venant: Memorial & Cemetery
- Cassel Hill
- Wormhout Massacre site
- Dunkirk Mole
- Dunes of Dunkirk
Day 3 - Miracle of Dunkirk: The V-Weapons
We return to Dunkirk to see the Dunkirk War Cemetery and the Dunkirk Memorial to the Missing. At Bray Dunes we look at the story of the evacuation beaches and the ‘little ships’, forever connected to the Dunkirk story. At Eperlecques we see the massive Blockhaus, built as a launch site for V2 rockets. We then see a typical V1 Doodlebug ski-ramp site, hidden in the woods near Morbecque and constructed to fire more than 2000 V1s a day at London. In the evening join us on an optional trip to nearby Ypres for the moving Last Post Ceremony.
Included meals: Breakfast
Dunkirk War Cemetery & Memorial (7)
Key Visits
- Blockhaus Eperlecques
- Menin Gate
- Last Post Ceremony
- Dunkirk War Cemetery & Memorial
- Bray Dunes
- V1 Site, Morbecque
Day 4 - Atlantic Wall: Liberation
On the Belgian coast at Raversijde we see how the WWI Aachen Battery was turned into a section of the Atlantic Wall by the Germans, seeing the bunker, trenches and many original features. We then travel back into France for lunch and in the afternoon visit Batterie Todt, a massive bunker that housed a huge artillery piece which bombarded Britain and could be used to fire on any invasion fleet. We see the museum here which includes a very rare German 280mm Railway Gun, then visit the V3 super-gun system at Mimoyecques. Here we go through tunnels built to house this incredible weapon which was never fired in anger due to Allied bombing. We end the day looking at the liberation of the coastal region in northern France in September 1944 with a visit to Calais Canadian Cemetery.
Included meals: Breakfast
Raversijde (5)
Key Visits
- Raversijde
- Batterie Todt
- V3 Site Mimoyecques
- Calais Canadian War Cemetery
Day 5
Return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Entrance to museums, places of interest and optional excursions are at extra cost.
Museum package available whilst on tour approx. cost €25 (4-Day tour), €50 (5-Day tour).
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.
Oude Abdij
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About the hotel
The 3-star Hotel Oude Abdij is located in unique 18th century Dovecots of the Augustine monks, which still remains. The former abbey and brewery have been transformed into this delightful hotel with 60 comfortable rooms. The grounds have beautiful views and include an orchard and fishing lake for you to enjoy.
Hotel Features
- Bar
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Lift
- Restaurant
- WiFi Available
Room Features
- Bath and/or Shower
- Hairdryer
- 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.
Executive Coach
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- Air conditioning
- Drinks machines
- Onboard toilet
- Reclining seats
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.
