Canadian World War History: Vimy to Juno Beach

Board your overnight flight to Amsterdam.

Welcome to the Netherlands! Meet your fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Today’s panoramic sightseeing tour introduces you to Amsterdam’s iconic canals and unique character.

• Walk past the National Opera and Ballet, Jewish Historical Museum, National Holocaust Museum, and Hollandsche Schouwburg war memorial
• Drive through the city center to see Museumplein and Mint Tower
• View Dam Square, home of many landmarks including the neoclassical Royal Palace, the 15th-century New Church, and the National Monument
• Pass the Anne Frank House, where the young diarist and her family hid during World War II
• Stroll by the canals and bridges, taking in the houseboats that dot the banks

Please note: You’ll be divided into groups of 20 people or less for the walking portion of the sightseeing tour. Each group will have their own local guide.

Enjoy a free evening in Amsterdam or add an excursion.

Travel to Lille, France today, stopping for several visits along the way.

• Stop in the city of Bergen op Zoom to learn about its history as one of the sites of the Battle of the Scheldt, an important military campaign for the Canadian First Army during the Second World War
• Continue on to the Belgian city of Mechelen to enter the Kazerne Dossin, a Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on the Holocaust and Human Rights

In Lille, sit down for an included dinner with your group.

Today, set out to explore Ypres with a local guide who specializes in Canadian history.

• Stop at the Canadian Hill 62 Memorial at Sanctuary Wood
• Enjoy free time for lunch in the Belgian city of Ypres
• Visit the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 on the grounds of an historic château to learn about the battle that took place there
• Pay your respects at Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest in the world for Commonwealth troops
• Enter the In Flanders Fields Museum, where you’ll discover the impact that the First World War had on this region

After free time for dinner, make your way to the Menin Gate for the Last Post ceremony, a nightly tribute to those who gave their lives for Belgium's freedom during WWI. Afterward, travel back to Lille.

Continue your exploration of the Vimy region today on a sightseeing tour with a local guide.

• Visit the Vimy Ridge Memorial, a national historic site of Canada
• Enter the Vimy Interpretive Centre to see medals and memorabilia from the battle
• Explore the Vimy tunnels and trenches

Continue on to the Normandy coast, stopping en route to visit the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, which honors the sacrifices made by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

Later, sit down for an included dinner with your group.

Set out to explore the Normandy region with a local guide who specializes in Canadian history, stopping to uncover historic sites as you go.

• Visit the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, the burial place of many Canadian soldiers who fought during the beginning of the Battle of Normandy
• Enter the Juno Beach Centre
• Explore the seaside town of Arromanches
• Step inside the D-Day Museum, which highlights the events of June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy

Travel to Paris today, stopping en route to visit the town of Dieppe with your Tour Director leading the way.

• See the Canadian Memorial, which chronicles the events of the Dieppe Raid in August of 1942
• Visit the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, where Allied soldiers killed in the Dieppe Raid were laid to rest

Later, arrive in Paris and enjoy a free evening or add an excursion.

A guided tour introduces you to the architecture, scenery, and history of the City of Light’s many neighborhoods, called arrondissements.

• Drive down the sycamore-lined Champs-Élysées to view the Arc de Triomphe
• Pass Pont Neuf and the legendary Notre-Dame Cathedral, located on an island in the Seine River
• See the Eiffel Tower, the Palais Garnier opera house, and Place de la Concorde, the city’s grandest square
• Marvel at the iconic architecture of the Louvre and Hôtel des Invalides

Enjoy a free afternoon in Paris or add an excursion.

Then, join your group for a farewell dinner this evening.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend your stay in Paris.