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Nord-Pas-de-CalaisCulture & history

Our most recommended Nord-Pas-de-Calais Culture & history

Lille City Tour

1. Lille City Tour

What could be nicer than to tour the city comfortably seated in a minibus? This is the perfect way to discover Lille in 75 minutes. Equipped with an audiovisual system in 9 languages (French, English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Russian), this city tour by bus offers views of the city’s main sites and monuments, from its origins to the most modern districts. Admire the Goddess statue as you drive past the Place du Général de Gaulle (Grand Place) and see the Opera House, the Chamber of Commerce and the Beauregard Row at the Place du Théâtre. Of course, you will also drive past the Townhall with its Belfry, the Citadel and the Old Paris Gate.

Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo and Battlefield of Dunkirk Tour

2. Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo and Battlefield of Dunkirk Tour

From May 26 to 4 June 1940, Dunkirk was the theatre of the largest evacuation effort in military history: 338 000 Allied soldiers were evacuated on a flotilla of more than 800 ships. Discover the incredible story of Operation Dynamo with our exclusive ‘Dynamo Tour’, a trip back in time which pays tribute to all the allied soldiers involved in the operation and who created ‘The Dunkirk Spirit’, a symbol of hope and resistance. During a pleasant tour on board your coach (or your car if you choose the individual VIP tour), which will drive around Dunkirk, our guide will introduce you to the unmissable sites of Operation Dynamo. It will also lead you on the tracks of the shooting of the movie ‘Dunkirk’ directed by Christopher Nolan, released in July 2017. During the tour, we will stop at the following memorial places: The evacuation beaches The beautiful, wide sandy beaches are very peaceful nowadays. Things were quite different in the spring 1940. Imagine being a soldier of the BEF, hoping desperatly to climb on board one of the Dunkirk Little Ships to escape the ‘Hell of Dunkirk’… The port The East Mole in the port was the point where most of the soldiers were evacuated. We’ll make a stop at an impressive bunker, built by the Germans during the occupation, to see the preserved part of the original East Mole. British Memorial and Cemetery The impressive British Memorial commemorates the memory of the 4528 soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force who died during 1940 and who have no known grave. Next to the memorial is a cemetery of 810 graves of British soldiers. Most of them were killed defending the perimeter of Dunkirk during the evacuation operations in May-June 1940.

Private Round Trip Transfer from Arras to Vimy Ridge

3. Private Round Trip Transfer from Arras to Vimy Ridge

Explore the Hauts-de-France region thanks to this private transfer. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the Vimy site. Our car can have 3 adults and 1 child. At the Canada National Vimy Memorial, you will see: - the new interpretation centre, underground Grange tunnel, and restored trenches. - Canadian Cemetery N°2 and Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery. - the Moroccan Division Memorial. - the Monument The memorial at Vimy is Canada’s largest war memorial. It is dedicated to the memory of the 66,000 Canadians who died during the First World War. Canadian sculptor and architect Walter Seymour Allward captured the emotion of a nation faced with the sacrifice of its fellow citizens, as well as Canada’s deeply held values of peace and freedom. The memorial site is on land given to Canada in thanks by the people of France. It offers an impressive view overlooking the plain of Artois. During the Great War, in France, in the north-Pas-de-Calais, at Vimy, near Arras, Canada was recognized by this battle as a free and Indepedant nation. Dedicated to peace and remembrance, the Canadian Vimy Memorial, the most prestigious Canadian monument in Europe, was erected to commemorate this hard battle of the trenches, to celebrate the birth of the Canadian nation and to ensure that this great War is the last. There are English and French speaking guides in the interpretation centre. The rest of your visit to the site is self-guided.

From Bruges: Flanders Fields Remembrance Full-Day Trip

4. From Bruges: Flanders Fields Remembrance Full-Day Trip

On the way to the Flanders Fields area our guide will tell you which events led to the First World War and how the disaster developed. We stop at a very moving German Cementery, from where we drive to a section of the WW1 trenches. We will visit the Monument of the Brooding Soldier, which commemorates the sacrifice of 2,000 Canadian soldiers during the first German gas attack. Close by is Hill 60 which had fallen into German hands but was mined by tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers. After a short lunch in Ypres (included in the price) our guide will take us to the outstanding Flanders Fields museum. We will hear the touching stories behind four years of trench war. You will then be taken to the battlefield at Passchendaele and visit Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world where British, Irish, Australian and Canadian soldiers rest. Then our coach will take us to Essex Farm. This was the field hospital where Canadian field surgeon Dr. John McCrae wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" We will then arrive again in beautiful Ypres and eat a quick snack. At 8pm we will attend the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate, a daily tribute to all Commonwealth soldiers and officers that were missing after battle.

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Frequently asked questions about Nord-Pas-de-Calais Culture & history

What are other things to do than Culture & history that are worth visiting in Nord-Pas-de-Calais?

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What people are saying about Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 146 reviews

a very long day, starting in Brugge with an unexpected 2 hour walking tour of the city. visited the first war graves around 2pm with the stop including a quick sandwich lunch. Visited a number of historic sites and monuments arriving Ypres around 7pm. just enough time to grab a quick bite and get to Menin Gate for ceremony. back to Brugge around 9.30 pm. those picking up tour in Brussels had an hour before and after us to travel making it a 13 hour day! Johan was a good and informative guide and bus driver did a great job. A tip though, take plenty of water and some snacks as nowhere to purchase these other than lunch and dinner. Other than being a very long day, it was worthwhile

Very clear commentary, both via the headphones and the driver. A really good introduction to this fabulous city. I would definitely recommend this on the first day to help get your bearings and understand the city’s evolution. Plus the views!

This was an amazing trip. Yohan our guide was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond and ensured we saw different memorials /cemeteries related to our homeland, mine being New Zealand. Thank you.

The tour gives you a good impression about the town and his history. Not to long, not to short. Overall conclusion: excellent.

A great way to see the main sites of interest in the city. Good value for money.