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Marne & Chemin des Dames

Join us on this fascinating tour as we look at the story of the Old Contemptibles, visiting the battlefields of the Marne and the Aisne from the 1914 campaign. We will also take a look at some of the lesser-known battlefield sites of the Great War, which include the battlefields where the American ‘Doughboys’ fought in 1918.

Tour Includes

  • 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
  • Specialist Battlefield Guide
  • Convenient local joining points
Travel Options
Outbound &
Inbound Travel
Outbound
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Inbound
Travel
  • By Air By Air
On-Tour
Experiences
  • Coach Excursions

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Itinerary

Please choose your preferred 5 day itinerary

Local departure by coach, then to our hotel at Marne-la-Vallée for a four-night stay.

We begin our tour with the Old Contemptibles, the British regular army of 1914, at the La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial, which commemorates the missing of the 1914 campaign from Mons to the Marne and Aisne. We also look at the role of the Royal Engineers in bridging the Marne River, and see their memorial.

At Montreuil-aux-Lions British Cemetery, we visit the graves of men who fell here in September 1914, before then travelling to the battlefield at Priez.

After lunchtime in Château-Thierry, we visit the remarkable American Memorial which overlooks the town, commemorating the American Expeditionary Force battle here in July 1918.

We then see Belleau Wood where the US Marine Corps fought, and visit their memorial. We end the day at the nearby Belleau Wood American Cemetery.

Includes Breakfast

La Ferte Sous Jouarre Memorial

Included Highlights

Château-Thierry La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial RE Memorial, La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Montreuil-aux-Lions British Cemetery Belleau Wood

This morning we travel to Meaux to visit the Great War Museum. An outstanding and modern museum of WW1, it has one of the largest collections in Europe.

After lunchtime in Meaux, we continue to follow the story of the Old Contemptibles, seeing the Guards' Grave at Villers-Cotterêts and a private memorial to an officer killed here in 1914.

South of Soissons, we look at where the British Army fought in the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918, seeing Villemontoire British Cemetery and the battlefield area between Grand Rozoy and Oulchy. We end at the large and impressive ‘Phantoms’ Memorial which looks out across the Marne battlefields.

Includes Breakfast

Phantoms Memorial, Marne

Included Highlights

Meaux WW1 Museum Phantoms Memorial, Marne Guards' Grave, Villers-Cotterêts Raperie Cemetery, Villemontoire

Today we visit the Chemin des Dames, the ridge where the French Army fought a number of battles throughout WW1.

We descend into the Caverne du Dragon, a system of caves where there was fighting underground, which is now a modern museum that re-opened in 2019.

After lunch in Soissons and a visit to the Soissons Memorial to the missing, we travel along the Aisne Valley, seeing where the Old Contemptibles were between Chivres and Bourg. We'll visit Vailly British Cemetery and Soupir Churchyard, seeing British graffiti from 1914, and then Vendresse Cemetery.

We end back on the high ground of the Chemin des Dames to see the memorial to the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.

Includes Breakfast

Caverne du Dragon

Included Highlights

Caverne du Dragon Soissons Memorial Vailly British Cemetery Soupir Churchyard Vendresse Cemetery

Return home.

Includes Breakfast

Accommodation

You will stay for four nights at the 4-star Novotel Collegien Marne La Vallée Hotel.

Travel Options

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