The Somme Battlefields in One Day from Paris

You can see the Somme battlefields in one day from Paris, as long as you accept that it is a long one. The shared minibuses leave at 6:30 or 7 am, the drive takes about two hours each way, and you are home in the evening. Here is how three real days run, stop by stop, so you know where the hours go before you make your Somme Battlefields reservation.

What time do you leave Paris?

Early. The small-group day meets outside Café Dada Ternes at 12 avenue des Ternes, in the 17th arrondissement, 15 minutes before its 7 am start. The driver-guide pulls up in a grey minibus. The Australian day meets at the Lido, 116 bis avenue des Champs-Élysées, at 6:30 am.

Private days come to you. The private day that adds Vimy collects you from your Paris hotel at 7:30 am. The private day that ends at the Historial also picks you up at your hotel or an address you choose.

Plan your breakfast the night before, because the first stop is two hours away.

How long is the drive to the Somme?

The operators allow about two hours each way. That makes four hours of a Paris day spent on the motorway, whichever tour you book.

So a Paris day is really a long drive with five hours in the middle. If that sounds like too much car, read the section on the train further down.

How many hours do you get at the sites?

Between three and six, depending on the day. The avenue des Ternes day gives about five hours at eight stops, plus an hour for lunch. The Australian day from the Lido gives about three hours at six stops, the Historial among them. The private day with Vimy gives about six and a quarter hours at ten stops.

Those hours are what you are paying for, so compare them, not the length of the day.

What does the small-group day look like, stop by stop?

The small-group day from avenue des Ternes is the most-reviewed way to see the Somme from Paris. It runs 11 hours with eight guests at most. Only the start and the return are clock times; the stops follow the listing's order and timings.

Thirty minutes each at the Thiepval Memorial, Lochnagar Crater and Beaumont-Hamel is enough to walk the ground and read the names, not to visit the museums beside them. The same operator's day also appears at $261 as a 12-hour listing with entrance fees in the fare.

How does the Australian day from the Champs-Élysées run?

The Australian day from the Lido spends its morning on the ground the AIF fought over in 1918, then its afternoon in the museum at Péronne. It runs 12 to 13 hours with seven guests at most.

Ten minutes each at Lochnagar and the Pozières windmill is a pause, not a visit. The payoff is the Historial, which is in the fare. It closes on Mondays from October to March, so on a winter Monday ask the operator how the day runs.

What does a private day from your hotel add?

The private day with Vimy is the longest of the three, and the only one that reaches the Canadian memorial. It takes two to book and runs for your party alone.

A private car lets the guide change the order on the day. If Vimy matters most to you, say so when you book. The Ulster Tower on this route closes on Mondays, all year.

Where do you eat lunch?

No day from Paris includes lunch. The avenue des Ternes day stops for an hour at Le Tommy in Pozières, a café whose bill you pay. The others stop at a restaurant on the way, also at your own cost.

Carry water and a snack for the morning, because the first meal comes after three or four stops.

When are you back in Paris?

The avenue des Ternes day runs 11 hours from a 7 am start, so you are back around 6 pm. The 12-hour listing of the same day brings you back around 7 pm. The Lido day runs 12 to 13 hours from 6:30 am, and the private day with Vimy returns you to your hotel at about 8 pm.

Book a late dinner, and leave the evening free.

What does not fit into one day from Paris?

Most of the quieter sites. Delville Wood, the Sunken Lane and Thiepval Wood are on the private days that start near the battlefield, not on the Paris days. So are the museums in any depth: thirty minutes at Thiepval leaves no time for the Thiepval Museum beside the memorial.

Vimy Ridge and the Australian memorials together are a stretch. The private day with Vimy does both, but gives each a short visit.

Shared or private from Paris?

A shared day costs $266 a person from avenue des Ternes. That is less than half the private Paris days, which start at $563 a person. Private buys you a hotel pickup, a route you can bend, and the chance to visit one grave.

For two people, the private day with Vimy costs $1,274. For a family of four on the shared day, the bill is $1,065. Every Paris day is set out on Somme battlefield tours from Paris.

Is the train and a local guide a better day?

Often, yes. Regional trains run to Amiens and to Albert, so you can travel up the evening before and meet a guide on the battlefield. Journey times vary by train, so check the TER Hauts-de-France timetable first.

From Albert, the private half day from the Musée Somme 1916 or the half day from Albert station gives you four hours on the ground. From Amiens, the private Australian day collects you at 9 am. Somme battlefield tours from Amiens covers every one of them.

How do you make the long day easier?

• Sleep early. A 6:30 am kerb on the Champs-Élysées means leaving your hotel around six.
• Wear shoes that grip. Trench paths and cemetery lawns turn muddy after rain. Météo-France records 8 to 12 rainy days a month at Amiens.
• Bring cash. Lunch, tips and the EUR 3 earphones at the Sir John Monash Centre are not in the fares.
• Know your names. Write down any relative's name, regiment and memorial before you go, so you can look for it at Thiepval.

Frequently asked questions

Where these facts come from

Every hour, fee and date here comes from the body that runs the site. Hours move with the season, so check yours before you travel.

• CWGC: Thiepval Memorial
• Sir John Monash Centre: plan your visit
• Historial de la Grande Guerre: opening times and prices
• Musée Somme 1916: opening times and rates
• Somme Association: the Ulster Memorial Tower
• Veterans Affairs Canada: visiting the Canadian memorials, FAQ
• Météo-France: Amiens-Glisy climate normals 1991-2020
• TER Hauts-de-France: regional train timetables

Days from Paris that fit this plan

Somme Battlefields from Paris with Australian memorial & Amiens Cathedral

A small-group day from Café Dada Ternes in Paris at 7 am: Thiepval, Lochnagar and Beaumont-Hamel, lunch at Le Tommy in Pozières at your own cost, then Villers-Bretonneux and Amiens Cathedral.

From $266 per person

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WW1 Australians in the Somme -Villers Bretonneux, Le Hamel - Day trip from Paris

A shared Australian day from the Lido on the Champs-Élysées at 6:30 am: Villers-Bretonneux, the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel, Pozières, and the Historial in Péronne with entry in the fare.

From $289 per person

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WW1 Somme Battlefield Places Full Day Trip from Paris

A private day from your Paris hotel at 7:30 am: Villers-Bretonneux, the Musée Somme 1916, Thiepval, the Ulster Tower and an hour at Beaumont-Hamel, then Vimy Ridge in the Pas-de-Calais.

From $637 per person

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