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    • 2023 GROUP TOURS >
      • Northwest Europe (Sep 8-20) **JUST ADDED**
      • The Cinderella Army (Sep 28 - Oct 14)
      • Italian Campaign (Oct 17-30)
    • 2024 GROUP TOURS >
      • Northwest Europe (Apr 21 - May 6)
      • Italian Campaign (May 13-27)
      • 80th Anniversary of D-Day (May 29 - Jun 11)
      • Northwest Europe (Sep 19 - Oct 3)
      • Italian Campaign (Oct 6-19)
    • 2025 GROUP TOURS >
      • Holland Liberation 80th Anniversary (Apr 21 - May 7)
  • Testimonials
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2024 Northwest Europe
Canadian Battlefield Tour

​From the Normandy Shores OF France
to the Liberation of Holland

​SPRING EDITION

2024 Northwest Europe Canadian Battlefield Tour

From the Normandy Shores of France to Belgium & the Liberation of Holland

the Spring Edition of our Signature Tour,
a perfect mix of WWI & WWII
At a glance     
April 21 to May 6, 2024 • France, Belgium, Holland • 16 days

Overnight destinations     
Paris • Port en Bessin • Dieppe • Amiens • Arras • Ieper • Vlissingen • Groesbeek • Amsterdam

Highlights     
Juno Beach • Omaha Beach • Beaumont Hamel • Dieppe • Vimy Ridge • Flanders & Passchendaele • The Scheldt • Arnhem • May 4th Commemoration at Holten Canadian War Cemetery • Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate, Ypres • ​scroll down to see complete details
Click to Download Brochure!
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Embark on a journey of wonder and discovery as you walk in the footsteps of our Canadian soldiers, who left their mark of service and sacrifice in the pursuit of democracy & freedom. 

Your pilgrimage begins in Paris, extends out to the Normandy shores of Juno Beach, and then carries northeast through WW1 and WW2 all the way to Amsterdam. The tour includes visits to sites of significance to Canada and her allies: ​

  • ​Juno Beach & the D-Day Beaches
  • Vimy Ridge
  • Passchendaele & Flanders
  • Dieppe
  • Beaumont-Hamel & The Somme
  • The Battle of the Scheldt
  • ... and much more
Our annual Northwest Europe battlefield tour is the most comprehensive tour of its kind - a pilgrimage to the Canadian battlefields of both WW1 and WW2 where Canada came of age as a nation and forged a reputation as the army to be called upon for some of the most difficult and challenging battles. This is our annual signature tour, ideal for those making their first trek to the battlefields and hoping to catch most of the significant points of interest. If you were to make only one Canadian battlefield tour, this is it.

Your excursion also includes free time to enjoy a little culture, with the opportunity to visit several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and to explore two of Europe’s most beautiful capital cities ... Paris and Amsterdam. You’ll stay at quality hotels throughout, selected for their great location and service. And you’ll be part of a typically all-Canadian group. Read what past travelers have said about our trips.

Join us for an unforgettable, life-changing journey through France, Belgium and Holland.

​All our tours are carbon-neutral.

Vimy Ridge, France.
Every Canadian ought to visit once.

ITINERARY
Saturday April 20
For many of our Canadian travelers it is departure day, for the overnight transatlantic flight to France. Some travelers may choose to leave for Europe sooner to extend the start of the trip - let us know if we can quote you on pre-tour accommodations.

Guests who have other travels already in progress, or g
uests from other points of origin including the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere, will meet the start of the tour on Day 1 in Paris.
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The optional group flight is typically arranged with
KLM/Air France or Air Canada.

Day 1
Sunday April 21
In the mid-afternoon all clients can check into the group hotel. In the meantime, luggage is stored in the hotel baggage lock-up. Today you are free to explore Paris, the City of Light. Sightseeing highlights include The Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe, Jardins de Luxembourg, Père Lachaise Cemetery, the Eiffel Tower, shopping along the Champs-Élysées, and so much more! Overnight Paris - Novotel Centre Tour Eiffel. [D]

Day 2
Monday April 22
Enjoy a full free day at your leisure in Paris. In the late afternoon we gather in the heart of Paris for our Welcome Dinner, to share a glass and set the stage for our special journey. Overnight Paris - Novotel Centre Tour Eiffel. [B,D] ​

Day 3
Tuesday April 23
This morning we depart for the Normandy coast where we will consider pre-D-Day, looking at the 'Atlantic Wall' defenses facing the Allies in the coming landings. We visit Pegasus Bridge and the Memorial Pegasus Museum where you will learn the story of the pre-dawn paratrooper landings in the region by the British 6th Airborne and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

Free time is given to make a must-see visit to the first house liberated on D-Day, the 
Café Gondrée, a special place filled with history and charm. We then pause to enjoy lunch.

Our final stop is 
Longues-sur-Mer, a German coastal artillery position of four large naval guns which posed a serious threat to Allied ships off-shore and the landing beaches themselves. We then make our way to our hotel for the first of three nights' stay, winding down in the hotel where we gather to chat about the day. Overnight Port-en-Bessin - Mercure Omaha Beach. [B,L]

Day 4
Wednesday April 24
This morning we mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day by walking the sands of Juno Beach. We visit St-Aubin-sur-Mer, where a 50-mm German anti-tank gun still sits ominously in its casemate. From here we venture a short distance to Bernières-sur-Mer to observe the famous Canada House and the nearby defenses. Courseulles-sur-Mer is our next stop, with more visits at the water's edge. 

After a pause for lunch we tour inside the Juno Beach Centre, along with a guided tour of the underground German command bunker just out front. We then walk along the shore again, with storytelling and much reflection, to hear personal accounts of the men who landed in this stretch of Juno Beach.

In the afternoon we visit the hallowed grounds of 
Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, the burial place of 2,044 Canadians who fell in the early hours of D-Day and the subsequent Battle of Normandy. Overnight Port-en-Bessin - Mercure Omaha Beach. [B,L]

Day 5
Thursday April 25
Day Five takes us to points west where we first explore the British landing zone code named Gold Beach. This area was selected as one of two sites to construct the man-made Mulberry Harbour where ships could off-load the massive supplies needed for the allied forces. The view from the cliffs above reveals remnants of the harbour just off-shore. We then walk down into Arromanches, a lovely coastal tourist village, to visit the Musée du Débarquement which wonderfully illustrates how the harbours were designed.

Next up is the famous American landing sector code named Omaha Beach, depicted so accurately by the opening twenty minutes of the Steven Spielberg motion picture Saving Private Ryan. Here the Americans suffered heavy losses, as illustrated by some time of reflection at the Colleville-sur-Mer American War Cemetery which serenely overlooks the Normandy shore below. We then take a break for lunch at a local restaurant just up the coast - situated on the hill with a view looking directly onto Omaha Beach and the amazing National Guard monument. 

We then move further west to 
Pointe-du-Hoc where the United States Army Rangers famously scaled 100' cliffs to secure the position. We close out the day with a short drive in-land to La Cambe German Cemetery and an opportunity to respectfully consider the losses of the other side. More than 21,000 German soldiers lie here, some having not yet reached their eighteenth birthday. Overnight Port-en-Bessin - Mercure Omaha Beach. [B,L]

Day 6
Friday April 26
Today is a scheduled free morning, allowing you time to explore the local village of Bayeux. You may wish to consider taking in the 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry which depicts events leading to William the Conqueror's invasion of England, or perhaps take a peek inside the enormous cathedral. Bayeux is also a wonderful location for photography, the town having been mostly spared the destructive fighting of the war.

Right after lunch we depart Bayeux, stopping for a visit at
Ardennes Abbey near Caen, an important Canadian pilgrimage, before saying goodbye to Lower Normandy and continuing our journey northeast along the coast to Dieppe for the night. Overnight Dieppe - The Windsor. [B]

Day 7
Saturday April 27
We begin the day with a morning stroll along the main beach of Dieppe to consider Operation Jubilee - the plans, the execution and the after-math of the August 1942 raid that went horribly wrong.

The raid entailed three Canadian attack zones and we next move northeast to the beach at 
Puys, Canada's darkest hour of WW2, followed by a visit to Pourville to the southwest and Merritt's Bridge. We conclude the visit of the battlefields with a view of Dieppe from the coastal cliffs above, then head back into the center of town to pause for lunch - allowing time to explore the many restaurants which line the inner harbour.

​Our final stop is the 
Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, tucked away up the hill and beyond the edge of town which beckons Canadians to visit. Listen here to CBC's Robert Bowman and his broadcast from Dieppe the day after the raid. We then depart the coast and resume our journey into northern France, as we move inland and back in time to World War One. Overnight Amiens - Ibis Styles Amiens Centre. [B]

Day 8
Sunday April 28
Day Eight is steeped in history as we wind our way into the French countryside to consider the Battle of the Somme, one of the largest, bloodiest and most destructive battles of World War One. You will be intrigued with a guided tour at Beaumont-Hamel - it is here that the Newfoundland Regiment was nearly wiped out in the first few hours of the attack. This proudly Canadian battleground is one of the best preserved sites in all of the western front.

Our lunch stop is in the midst of the Somme battlefield region, at a local restaurant hidden from view offering an outstanding menu. Next is a visit to see the impressive 
Thiepval Memorial, the largest Commonwealth War Graves monument in the world on which are inscribed the names of over 72,000 soldiers who fell during the Battle of the Somme and have no known grave (including one very special name).

​The day includes a visit to the 
Lochnagar Crater and additional points of interest in the region. Overnight Arras - Holiday Inn Express. [B,L]

Day 9
Monday April 29
Each Canadian ought to visit Vimy Ridge once in their lifetime and today is your day. A short distance north from Arras takes us into Souchez for quick stops at points of interest in the area, along with a delicious lunch at a well-known establishment filled with historical charm. 

In the afternoon we visit Vimy. We will take a guided tour of the underground tunnels which reveal how soldiers lived and prepared for battle beneath the earth. We also walk the above-ground trenches for a first-hand feel of trench warfare. Ample time is then given to be at, on and around the Vimy Monument, arguably the most impressive of all the war monuments in Europe.


We then say au revoir to France and drive north across the border into Belgium, to the enchanting small town of Ieper (Ypres) in the province of West Flanders. At 8pm the Last Post Ceremony will take place near the Menin Gate, as it has every evening since 1928. Overnight Ieper - Novotel Centrum Flanders Fields. [B,L]

Day 10
Tuesday April 30
Ieper (Ypres) was the center of fierce, prolonged, bloody fighting in The Great War and the remnants of this are all around. We pass Hellfire Corner on our way to the monument at Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood).

Our morning includes 
The Brooding Soldier at St. Julien, a favourite monument for many, which commemorates the Canadians who suffered the first gas attacks of the Great War in 1915. We will visit Essex Farm ... it is here, in the province of West Flanders, that Canadian LCol John McCrae penned his famous poem In Flanders Fields. We also visit the monument to the Battle of Passchendaele at Crest Farm, and nearby Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in the world.

We return to Ieper for free time in the afternoon. The Last Post Ceremony takes place again at 8pm and selected travelers will be invited to lay a wreath on behalf of the tour group. Overnight Ieper -
Novotel Centrum Flanders Fields. [B] 

Day 11
Wednesday May 1
Our Wednesday morning will see us visit a number of interesting sites in the very southwest corner of the Netherlands. We will look at the crossing of the Leopold Canal and the fight for the Breskens Pocket. This is the beginning of the Battle of the Scheldt, a costly battle for Canada and a crucial success story for the allied war effort.

We pause for lunch at the 
Canada-Poland Museum in Adegem, Belgium, to see their amazing one-of-a-kind collection followed by a group lunch in their wonderful, historic hall. 

We will visit monuments at Eede, as well as Hickman's Bridge and the Hoofdplaat monument. Each visit tells a part of the story of the Canadians and the fierce fighting that took place in this region, as the liberation of Holland began. Of particular interest will be a walk to an original Bailey Bridge, constructed by the Canadian Engineers in 1944 and still in use today. Overnight Vlissingen - Amadore Arion. [B,L]

Day 12
Thursday May 2
We continue our journey through the Scheldt region today, with a visit to the Walcheren monument to hear about the battle for the causeway, a seemingly impossible objective.

We also make a visit to Woensdrecht where we are joined by one of Holland's top WWII historians. He grew up here, and was just a young boy when the fighting raged in the streets. He will share vivid stories of Canadian sacrifice in the fight to free the Dutch people in his little village. We then visit Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery to pay our respects.


​After lunch we stop for a visit at the rarely visited monument at Kapelsche Veer, following in the direction taken by the Canadians as they gradually moved northeastward toward the German border in the fall of '44. Overnight Groesbeek - Fletcher Hotel Erica. [B,L]

Day 13
Wednesday May 3
This morning we venture a short distance north to Arnhem to stand in the shadow of John Frost Bridge - "a bridge too far" - to discuss the now infamous Operation Market Garden of September 1944 and the small but pivotal role played by the Canadians. Further north, we stop in at the tiny village of Rha to recall its liberation in April 1945 and the high price paid to free its citizens. It is then time for lunch at leisure in the picturesque town of Zutphen.

The group then takes a tour of the superb Freedom Museum in Groesbeek, followed by a visit around the corner to 
Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Holland and the resting place of a recipient of the Victoria Cross. Here are buried many of the young men who fell in the Rhineland battles as the Allies moved across the border into Germany in the final months of the war. Overnight Groesbeek - Fletcher Hotel Erica. [B,L]

Day 14
Thursday May 4
Today is Remembrance Day in the Netherlands, when the entire country pauses at 8pm for a national moment of remembrance. On this day, at 11am, we attend the annual remembrance service at Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the forest just outside of town. We see how the local school children are made central to the event, which usually features pipes & drums, members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 005 Europe, dignitaries, and most especially, Canadian veterans.

At the conclusion of the event we take lunch in the forest nearby, to enjoy a typical Dutch meal. ​​​We then travel to the coast for two nights in the capital city of Amsterdam, famous for its canals and picturesque bridges. Overnight Amsterdam -
NH City Centre Hotel. [B,L] ​

​Day 15
Friday May 5
The battlefield portion of the tour is over but your trip is not! Today is Liberation Day - enjoy a full free day at your leisure in Amsterdam. Your day might include a visit to the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum, or perhaps the Anne Frank House. The flower market is a great place for souvenirs, and the Leidseplein and the Rembrandtplein are great places for food and people-watching! Overnight Amsterdam - NH City Centre Hotel. [B]

Day 16
Saturday May 6
This morning is departure day for some travelers - buffet or box breakfast is included depending on departure time from the hotel. Some travelers may choose to remain in Europe longer to extend the end of the trip - let us know if we can quote you on post-tour accommodations. [B]​
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Note: This itinerary is subject to minor alteration prior to the booking deadline. Clients should also keep in mind that minor variances are always possible during the actual tour based on the need to adapt to circumstances we encounter during our travels.
Click to Download Brochure!

PRICING
$7220 CAD Land Only, Per Person, Based on Double Occupancy (two people sharing a room)
$2110 CAD Single Supplement (the additional cost if traveling on your own - one person in the room)
 

PRICING INCLUDES:
  • An expert Canadian Historian, and an expert Canadian Tour Director, who will both accompany you on your full tour
  • Fifteen nights accommodation in twin or double rooms with private facilities
  • Travel by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats, facilities and free on-board Wi-Fi
  • Buffet breakfast (cold and/or hot) at the hotel each morning, plus select meals as outlined in the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner); lunches and dinners typically include a glass of wine/beer
  • All entrances as per your itinerary
  • All hotel service charges, local taxes, and porterage (where available, one bag per person) are included
  • Gratuities to Coach Driver and Local Guides are included ... these costs are extra on most other tours and can add up to $200 CAD or more per person at the end of your trip, be sure to compare
  • Tour package which includes select daily detailed historical battle maps, period photographs, original audio recordings, and more ... a complete digital copy of all this is also given to you at the farewell dinner - an invaluable personal resource 

PRICING EXCLUDES:
  • Airfare - we can provide a quote for flights from any gateway in Canada, to match your own individual preferences based on dates, routes, class of seating, etc; there will be one coach transfer at either end of the tour: from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the hotel in Paris on April 21, 2024 in coordination with the arrival of Air Canada AC872; and from the hotel to Schiphol Airport on May 6, 2024 in coordination with the departure of Air Canada AC809; travelers not utilizing these will be responsible for their own transfers
  • Porterage at select hotels
  • Pre-tour and/or post-tour accommodations - check with your favourite travel agent or ask us for a quote​
  • Travel Insurance Protection - check with your favourite travel agent or ask us for a quote from Manulife 
  • Meals other than stated on the itinerary
  • Passport & related fees
  • Any optional excursion not specifically stated
  • Items of a personal nature
    ​ ​ 
IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Hotels have been pre-booked but are subject to change
  • This tour requires a minimum of 20 passengers to operate
  • Non-refundable deposit of $500 per person due upon booking
  • Balance of payment due on or before the booking deadline: Monday February 19, 2024
  • Liberation Tours will donate on your behalf to Forest Recovery Canada, to make your trip carbon-neutral
  • Download and read our Terms & Conditions ​prior to making your booking

Book Your Trip!
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Questions? Contact your favourite travel agent or:

John Cannon, Tour Director
1-833-252-0001  |  booking@liberationtours.ca 

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Join us on the journey of a lifetime.
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©2023 Liberation Tours Inc.
info@liberationtours.ca

(833) 252-0001
(647) 812-9601


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