Canadian War History - 1917 Return to the Western Front: London, Vimy & Paris

Rows of white headstones stretch across the Canadian Cemetery No. 2 at Vimy, France, under a clear blue sky. A domed memorial structure stands in the background.
Journey through history on this 8-day educational tour through England and France. Begin in London with iconic landmarks, world-class museums, and classic British experiences—from Trafalgar Square to fish and chips in Covent Garden. Then travel to Vimy for a powerful commemoration of Canada’s legacy in the First World War, including student-led ceremonies and attendance at the official 110th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Conclude your adventure in Paris, exploring the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, and historic sites such as Notre-Dame and the Sacré-Cœur. This tour combines cultural discovery with meaningful historical reflection. !
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Day 1 Overnight Flight to England (London)
Tour must depart April 5, 2027
Day 2 Hello London
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Details: London city walk
Step outside your hotel for a stroll through the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, royal parks to street art. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques
Details: Trafalgar Square
See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.
Details: National Gallery visit
Visit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Botticelli; but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Cézanne.
Details: Piccadilly Circus
Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.
Details: Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Details: Leicester Square
Leicester Square is perfectly situated in the heart of London's West End, with Trafalgar Square to the south, Piccadilly Circus to the west, Covent Garden to the east, and China Town to the north.
Details: Covent Garden scavenger hunt
Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led scavenger hunt of Covent Garden, London's oldest and most entertaining area. Enjoy an after-dinner adventure, complete exciting activities and solve fun clues. Each clue and every activity is built to maximize on-tour experiential learning.
Details: Classic fish & chips dinner
Nothing's more British than fish and chips-there are eight fish and chips shops ("chippies") for every McDonald's in the county. Head to an authentic pub with your Tour Director for a taste of this national food, generally served with malt vinegar.
Day 3 London landmarks
Details: Natural History Museum visit
Come face to face with a life-size blue whale. And see what happens below earthquakes and volcanoes before eruptions. Plus unearth vast collections of insects, plants and extinct species inside the Darwin Centre. You’ll also see world-leading scientists in action through a one-of-a-kind Cocoon experience.
Details: British Museum visit
Explore the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, and the Sutton Hoo Treasure.
Day 4 London--Vimy
Eurostar chunnel crossing to Lille
Travel to Vimy area
St. Julien Canadian Memorial visit
Details: WorldStrides exclusive commemorative event
Join fellow WorldStrides travelers in an exclusive event to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the battles fought on the Western Front by Canadian soldiers during World War I.
Day 5 Vimy Ridge
Exclusive student-led cemetery commemoration ceremony
Lunch included
Details: 110th Vimy Ridge Commemoration Ceremony hosted by the Canadian Government
Participate in the official ceremony at the Vimy Memorial, witnessing tributes and speeches honoring Canadian soldiers. Reflect on the historical significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and its impact on World War I.
Day 6 Vimy--Paris
Travel to Paris via Beaumont Hamel
Somme Trench Museum visit
Details: Wellington Quarry and museum visit
Travel twenty metres below the streets of Arras to the Wellington Quarry, where thousands of soldiers hid underground before a surprise attack on the German front lines on April 9, 1917. Learn about the Battle of Arras and the troops who built and lived in the tunnels below the town. Discover the military strategy behind the tunnels and how it helped win the First World War.
Details: Beaumont Hamel guided visit
Newfoundland’s most significant single military action was on July 1, 1916 at Beaumont Hamel, at the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. The day proved the bloodiest in history for the British army, and caused the greatest military loss in history for Newfoundland. To honour the regiment’s bravery, King George V added “Royal” to the regiment’s name, making it the only regiment in the British Empire to receive such a designation.
Day 7 Paris Landmarks
Paris city walk
Île de la CitéNotre-Dame CathedralÎle St. LouisLatin Quarter
Montmartre tour director-led sightseeing
Sacré CoeurPlace du TertreMoulin Rouge
Details: Paris city walk
This city was made for walking. Stroll grand boulevards with sweeping views of the city, pristine parks with trees planted in perfect rows, and narrow streets crowded with vendors selling flowers, pastries and cheese. Then head to the Île de la Cité, a small island in the Seine, to see Notre Dame Cathedral.
Details: Notre-Dame Cathedral
View the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Work began in 1163 on a spot that had been a holy shrine since Roman times. Over the centuries, the cathedral has been the scene of some of France's most momentous occasions, including the coronation of Napoleon.
Details: Jardin du Palais Royal visit
A popular monument decorated in the antique style so fashionable in the 18th century. This is one of the favourite spots for locals and tourists to come for a stroll.
Details: Montmartre tour director-led sightseeing
If you’re coming to Paris, you absolutely need to take a walk in Montmartre! This area will wake the artist in you up. Its narrow alleys, windmills, little details, and soul are some of the things that make Montmartre so unique. As you walk in Montmartre, you will quickly understand how it has inspired so many artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh. As you walk up the hill make sure to take in all that surrounds you, because in Montmartre you are likely to find surprises around every corner!
Day 8 Flight home from Paris
Tour Includes:
  • Round-trip airfare
  • Overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms
  • Full European breakfast daily
  • Dinner daily
  • Full-time services of a professional tour director
  • Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
  • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
  • Tour Diary™
  • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
  • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.

We are better able to assist you with a quote for your selected departure date and city over the phone. Please call 1.888.378.8845 to price this tour with your requested options.

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