Low Countries and the Western Front
Holiday Highlights
- Sightseeing in Den Haag, Amsterdam and Brussels
- 1 night at the 5* Metropole hotel
- Petit Train de la Haute Somme
- Somme Memorials
- Museum of Chocolate
- 10 days from £1,990
Series 1, Episode 5 Great Continental Railway Journeys. A Great Continental Railway Journey that pays homage to the First World War by visiting some of the key locations and the railways that played an important role during WW1. There is time to explore Amsterdam, Den Haag, Brussels, Mons, Albert and Amiens and get a feel for the legacy left by events on the Western Front.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Depart mid-morning by Eurostar to Brussels. Transfer to InterCity service to Amsterdam. Stay 2 nights in Amsterdam.
Day 2
Day trip by train to Den Haag, home of the Dutch Royal Family and the Dutch parliament. The city is also known for the Peace Palace and being the location of the International Court of Justice.
Day 3
Free morning to explore Amsterdam which is famous for its canals and diamond trade. Afternoon express train from Amsterdam to Brussels. Stay 1 night at the 5* Metropole hotel.
Day 4
Free time to explore Brussels. As well as being home of European politics the city also houses the Museum of Chocolate in the Grand Place. Chocolate is one of Belgium's claims to fame as it is in Brussels that the first ever box of chocolates was produced. Late afternoon leave the city for the short train journey to Mons. Stay 1 night in Mons.
Day 5
Free morning in Mons. Prior to 1914 Mons was the centre of the Belgian coalfields but WW1 was to change its legacy to the site of the first British casualties of the conflict. Later in the day take a train via Lille to Albert which was situated on the Western Front during WWI. Stay 3 nights in Albert.
Day 6
Albert is an ideal base to visit the various Somme Memorials, the largest of which is the Thiepval. It represents more than 72,000 British soldiers who lost their lives and whose remains were never found.
Day 7
Today it may be possible to visit the Petit Train de la Haute Somme (subject to timetable). This tourist steam train is built on the last remaining section of narrow gauge line that was part of a huge network laid during the WW1 to transport troops and artillery.
Day 8
Morning train from Albert to Amiens. Stay 2 nights here. The town is the former capital of Picardy and is famous for its 13th Century Gothic cathedral.
Day 9
Travel by train to Compiegne where you can visit the forest and a replica of the carriage in which the WWI Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918. The original carriage was taken to Berlin in 1940 and subsequently destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943. Return to Amiens.
Day 10
Depart Amiens after breakfast on the train to Paris, where you connect with the Eurostar service back to St Pancras, arriving mid-afternoon.
Price Includes
- Standard class travel as shown
- A total of 9 hotel nights B&B in en suite rooms
Price per person
From £1,990 per person sharing
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