★★★★★
Private half day from Albert's museum
Brigitte brought the Somme to life, mixing battlefield knowledge with memories of growing up in the area. Three curious Englishmen's questions were all answered.
Graham M. · April 2024
Private Half Day on the Somme Battlefields from Albert
Musée Somme 1916, AlbertThe 1916 frontMuseum ticket extraYour group only
The half day to book if you can get yourself to Albert and want a guide of your own for four hours. You meet at the reception of the Musée Somme 1916 and start underground, then drive the front: Lochnagar, Pozières, Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel. One fare covers your group of up to three.
Four hours, all of them on the battlefield
You start in the museum
An hour in the Musée Somme 1916, in a tunnel ten metres under Albert.
No long drive to the front
Beaumont-Hamel is 9 km from Albert, so almost every hour is spent at the sites.
One fare for up to three
The price covers your whole group of one, two or three people.
Morning or afternoon
Pick a morning or an afternoon start, Monday to Saturday.
A guide from these villages
Your guide grew up on the Somme and knows the ground first-hand.
4.9 from 48 reviews
With a Badge of Excellence.
Starting underground: the Musée Somme 1916
This half day begins where most full days only pass through. You meet at the reception of the Musée Somme 1916 on rue Anicet Godin in Albert. You go down 62 steps into an old air-raid-shelter tunnel ten metres under the town, where the museum sets out the soldier's life in the trenches.
You spend about an hour there with your guide. It gives you the picture of 1916 before you see the fields, so the stops that follow make sense at once. The museum ticket is not in the fare: you pay EUR 8 an adult at the desk, EUR 5 for ages 6 to 18, and under-6s go free. Weighing up a Somme Battlefields booking for a different day or group? Every fare sits side by side, private and shared.
Lochnagar, Pozières and the Thiepval Memorial
From Albert it is a short drive to Lochnagar Crater at La Boisselle. The mine was blown at 7:28 am on 1 July 1916, and the crater it left is 100.5 metres across and 21 metres deep. You get half an hour on the rim.
Pozières British Cemetery comes next, for about twenty minutes. Your guide explains how each country chose to bury and remember its dead. Then you spend a full hour at the Thiepval Memorial, Lutyens' arch over the names of more than 72,000 men of the United Kingdom and South African forces with no known grave.
Beaumont-Hamel's preserved trenches
The last stop is the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, where 30 hectares of the 1916 battlefield were kept as they were left. You walk the lines where the Newfoundland Regiment attacked on 1 July, with the bronze caribou above them. You get about 45 minutes before the drive back to Albert.
Per group, up to three
The fare of $301 is for your whole group of up to three, not for each person. For two travellers that is about $150 each, and for three about $100, before the museum tickets. Your guide is yours for the four hours, so the questions and the pace are yours too.
How the four hours run
- Your start time, the museum reception. A morning or an afternoon slot in Albert.
- Musée Somme 1916, about 1 hour. The tunnel museum under the town, ticket at the desk.
- Lochnagar Crater, 30 minutes. The mine crater of 1 July 1916.
- Pozières British Cemetery, 20 minutes. How each nation buried its dead.
- Thiepval Memorial, 1 hour. The memorial to the missing of the Somme.
- Beaumont-Hamel, 45 minutes. The Newfoundland trenches, then back to Albert.
Who this suits: a short private day on the ground
Book this if
You are staying in Albert or can reach it, you have half a day, and you want a guide of your own rather than a seat in a van. It suits couples, a parent with a teenager, and small groups of friends: the fare covers up to three. It also suits anyone who wants the museum and the battlefield in one outing.
Book something else if
You want a whole day: the private full day from Arras or Albert adds Delville Wood for $521 a group of up to three. There are four of you: the historian's day from Beaucourt takes up to four, in your own car. You would rather meet off the train: the half day that meets at the station costs $289 a group. You are coming from Paris without a car: the shared day from Paris meets at 7 am in the 17th. You are staying in Amiens: the private day from Amiens picks you up. Every day for your party alone sits on private Somme Battlefields tours.
What the fare covers and what it doesn't
In the fare
- Private transportation
Not in the fare
- Entrance to the Musée Somme 1916 in Albert
- Lunch: the half day ends before or after it
Meeting at the Musée Somme 1916 in Albert
Meet your guide at the reception of the Musée Somme 1916, rue Anicet Godin, 80300 Albert. The timetable offers a morning start from 9 am or an afternoon start from 2 pm (2:30 pm on Mondays), Monday to Saturday. Confirm your time with the guide before you travel.
The tour ends back at the museum. Albert station is in the same town, so you can arrive by train; the guide to getting to the Somme covers every starting town.
Know before you go
- Pay the museum at the desk. EUR 8 an adult, EUR 5 for ages 6 to 18, free under 6.
- Mind the 62 steps. The museum is underground and not wheelchair accessible, even though the car is.
- Moderate fitness needed. Not advised with back or heart problems; the trench walk is on grass.
- Confirm your slot. Message the guide to confirm the date and time once you have booked.
- No dogs in the museum. Service animals are welcome in the car.
- Dress for the weather. Most of the half day is outdoors, at the crater, the memorial and the trenches.
What travellers say about the half day from Albert
★★★★★
Private half day from Albert's museum
Our train into Albert ran late and the guide simply adjusted, then pointed us to a good restaurant for lunch afterwards.
Samantha R. · September 2024
★☆☆☆☆
Private half day from Albert's museum
Travel and a hotel in Albert were booked on the strength of the confirmation, then the tour was cancelled the evening before: the guide was already taken.
Donald T. · May 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the museum ticket included?
No. You pay at the Musée Somme 1916 desk: EUR 8 for an adult, EUR 5 for ages 6 to 18, and nothing for under-6s. Every other stop on the half day is free.
Is the price per person?
No. The fare covers your whole group of up to three. Two or three people share the one price.
How do I get to Albert?
Albert has its own railway station, and the museum is in the town. The getting there guide covers the routes from Paris, Amiens and Arras.
Is there a full-day version?
Not with this guide, but other private days run longer. The private Australian day from Amiens spends nine hours and includes this museum's ticket.
Can the guide look for a relative?
Yes: tell the guide the name and unit when you book. Travellers searching for soldiers have had the half day planned around them.
What if I cancel?
You get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. Inside those 24 hours the fare is not refunded.
Other ways onto the Somme battlefields
Ready for four hours on the Somme?
Pick a morning or an afternoon at the Musée Somme 1916, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability