★★★★★
Private Australian day from Amiens
We stood at a great-uncle's grave and near the field where he died, and the German cemetery made us think about the other side for the first time.
Noela S. · August 2024
Private Australian Day on the Somme Battlefields from Amiens
Amiens hotel pickup, 9 amThe Australian storyMusée Somme 1916 entry includedYour group only
The day to book if the Australian story brought you to the Somme and you are staying in Amiens. Your guide collects you from your hotel at 9 am and drives your party through 1916 and 1918: Pozières, Thiepval, Beaumont-Hamel, Le Hamel and Villers-Bretonneux. The museum ticket is in the fare, and the day runs about nine hours.
From Pozières in 1916 to Villers-Bretonneux in 1918
Pickup at your hotel
Your guide collects you anywhere in Amiens at 9 am and brings you back.
Your party only
A private day for up to seven, priced per person, with two to book.
An hour at Pozières
The Gibraltar bunker, the Windmill and Mouquet Farm.
The museum in the fare
The Musée Somme 1916 in Albert is paid, and so is every other entry.
Le Hamel and Villers-Bretonneux
The 1918 battles, and an hour and a half at the Monash Centre.
5.0 from 14 reviews
Every one of them five stars.
Pickup in Amiens at 9
This day starts at your door, not at a kerb. Your guide collects you from your hotel or address in Amiens at 9 am, and the car is yours for the day. That saves you the early start and the long drive of a Paris day, so about six of the nine hours are spent at the sites.
The route is built round the Australians. It follows them from their first great battle on the Somme in 1916 to the fighting that turned the German advance in 1918. Comparing it with another Somme Battlefields tour first? The fares sit side by side, from Amiens and from Paris.
Pozières: the Gibraltar bunker, the Windmill, Mouquet Farm
After a first stop at Lochnagar Crater, you spend an hour at Pozières. The Australian divisions fought here from 23 July 1916. In almost six weeks they suffered nearly 23,000 casualties, 6,900 of them killed. The war correspondent Charles Bean wrote that the ridge was "more deeply sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth".
Your guide walks you from the Gibraltar bunker to the Windmill site and out towards Mouquet Farm, across the ground the Australians fought over.
Thiepval, Beaumont-Hamel and lunch in Albert
Next come the two great memorials of 1 July 1916. You get half an hour at the Thiepval Memorial, where more than 72,000 men with no known grave are named, and half an hour in the Newfoundland trenches at Beaumont-Hamel.
In Albert you visit the Musée Somme 1916, a tunnel museum ten metres under the town, with the ticket in the fare. You stop for lunch in the town too, which you pay for yourself.
Le Hamel and Villers-Bretonneux: 1918
The afternoon moves to 1918. At Le Hamel you spend 45 minutes on the ground of the first battle Monash fought as commander of the Australian Corps. He planned it at his headquarters in the château at Bertangles, near Amiens.
The day ends with an hour and a half at Villers-Bretonneux. The Germans took the town on 24 April 1918, and the 13th and 15th Australian Brigades took it back the next day. You see the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre, whose video testimonies and interactive displays tell the soldiers' own stories. Then your guide drives you back to Amiens.
How the nine hours run
- 9 am, your Amiens hotel. Your guide collects you from your door.
- Lochnagar Crater, 30 minutes. The mine crater of 1 July 1916.
- Pozières, 1 hour. The Gibraltar bunker, the Windmill and Mouquet Farm.
- Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel, 1 hour. The memorial to the missing and the Newfoundland trenches.
- Albert, 1 hour. The Musée Somme 1916, in the fare, and lunch at your own cost.
- Le Hamel, 45 minutes. Monash's first battle as corps commander.
- Villers-Bretonneux, 1 hour 30. The memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre, then back to Amiens.
Who this suits: Australians, and anyone tracing one
Book this if
You are staying in Amiens, the Australian story is why you came, and you want a private guide for the whole day. It suits families tracing a soldier, couples, and small groups up to seven. Strollers are fine, and youths travel at a lower fare.
Book something else if
You are based in Paris: the Australian shared day from the Lido includes the Historial in Péronne, and the shared day from Paris adds the Newfoundland trenches. You want half a day: the private half day from Albert runs four hours. You are staying in Arras: the private day from Arras is run by the same guides. You are Canadian: the Canadian day from Ypres spends three hours at Vimy. Every Amiens start sits on Somme battlefield tours from Amiens.
What the fare covers and what it doesn't
In the fare
- Private transportation
- English-speaking guide, a WW1 expert
- Admission to all the sites and museums
Not in the fare
- Lunch
- Snacks
Pickup at your Amiens hotel at 9 am
Your guide collects you from your hotel or chosen address in Amiens at 9 am. Give the address when you book, and check the pickup time on your confirmation the day before.
The day ends back at the same address in Amiens. There is no meeting point to find, so this is the easy start for anyone arriving in Amiens the night before.
Know before you go
- Lunch is on you. Lunch and snacks are not in the fare; you eat in Albert.
- Weather can move it. If the operator cancels for bad weather, you get another date or a full refund.
- Not for wheelchairs. The day is not wheelchair accessible, though strollers are fine.
- Two to book. The fare is per person, and at least two people must book.
- Send names ahead. Give the guide a relative's name and unit, and the day can include their grave.
- Dress for the fields. Much of the day is outdoors; bring a coat and shoes for wet grass.
What travellers say about the Australian day from Amiens
★★★★★
Private Australian day from Amiens
One of the best tours of our time in France. Recommended to anyone who cares about Australia's part in the First World War.
Lyn G. · April 2024
★★★★★
Private Australian day from Amiens
A guide steeped in the Australian story on the Somme, over a full nine hours.
Ronald L. · June 2025
Frequently asked questions
Is lunch included?
No. You stop for lunch in Albert and pay for your own meal. Snacks are not in the fare either.
Are museum tickets included?
Yes. The fare covers the Musée Somme 1916 in Albert and any other entry on the route. The memorials themselves are free.
Can we find a relative's grave?
Yes: send the soldier's name and unit when you book. Travellers have stood at a great-uncle's grave and near the field where he died.
Is there a shorter version?
This day runs nine hours. For four hours, the private half day from Albert covers Lochnagar, Pozières, Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel.
How many people can come?
Up to seven, and at least two must book. The fare is per person, with a lower rate for youths.
What if the weather is bad?
The day depends on the weather. If the operator cancels for it, you are offered another date or a full refund.
Other ways onto the Somme battlefields
Ready for the Australian Somme?
Check dates for a 9 am pickup in Amiens, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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