Find your next holiday
Filter Holidays
Find a single
room in seconds!
Looking for a holiday with single room availability? Now it's quick and easy to find exactly what you need!
Resistance & Occupation in Northern France
Led by Head Battlefield Guide Paul Reed and Dr Victoria Humphreys, we explore the secret history of occupied northern France in WW2 as we look at the Resistance and the Holocaust, as well as the development of German secret weapons.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Convenient local joining points
4 days from £569pp
Travel Options
Outbound &
Inbound Travel
Outbound
Travel
Inbound
Travel
On-Tour
Experiences
Steps to booking your Holiday
-
Tour Details Find a day-by-day breakdown
of the tour -
Select your Departure Browse the available
departure dates -
Checkout Follow our secure checkout
process to book your place
Got a question about
this holiday?
Don’t hesitate to get in touch – our friendly team are ready and waiting to help with any further information you need!
Itinerary
Please choose your preferred 4 day itinerary
Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to our hotel in northern France for a three-night stay.
This morning, we begin at La Coupole near St. Omer, with an included visit to this massive bunker complex which was designed to be the launch site of the V2 rockets on Britain. We look at the development of the German secret weapons at this period of WW2 and have a full morning here exploring the site. After lunchtime, we look at the fighting in this region of Northern France in May 1940, and examine the Courrières and Oignies Massacre – the largest murder of French civilians by German forces during the Battle of France with over 500 deaths. Here we see the memorial and graves of those killed by the Germans. We then travel to Denain to have an included visit to the Museum of the French Resistance and the Forbidden Zone, which tells the story of resistance and occupation in this area, before visiting the nearby Resistance Memorial. We finish in Arras with a visit to the Citadel and the ‘Mur des Fusillés’, where members of the French Resistance and SOE were executed. Here we look at the work of the Special Operations Executive in Northern France.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
We begin today at the Resistance Museum at Bondues near Lille. It tells the story of the French Resistance in this part of France, which was one of the most active during the Second World War. Here we have an included visit to this important museum, and after lunchtime, we visit Lille Southern Cemetery for the story of SOE Agent Michael Trotobas. He worked in occupied France from 1941 until he was killed in a shoot-out with the Germans in 1943 and was recommended for a Victoria Cross for his bravery. We see his grave and memorial here. Later we travel to Ascq, near Lille, when soldiers from the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Division massacred civilians from the town in April 1944. We see the memorial and graves in the local cemetery. We end with the story of the ‘Train of Loos’, a train that left northern France for the Death Camps just as the area was being liberated. Of the 872 sent in that final train, only 284 survived.
Key Visits
Return home.
Includes Breakfast
Got a question about
this holiday?
Don’t hesitate to get in touch – our friendly team are ready and waiting to help with any further information you need!
Accommodation
You will stay for four nights at the Ibis Styles Arras Centre.
Ibis Styles Arras Centre
Located a short distance from the Grand Place and the historic centre, the hotel features views of the city from the trendy bar. It also has air-conditioned rooms with free Wi-Fi.
Hotel Facilities
Need further information? Fill in our enquiry form and we'll get back to you as soon as we can
General
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Lift
Room
- TV
- Hairdryer on Request
Service
- Safe Box in Reception
- 24 Hour Front Desk
Accessibility
- Fridge Available for Medical Requirements
- Disabled Rooms Available
- Wheelchair Access
Transport
- Bus Stop Nearby
Hotel
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Lift
Executive Coach
All of our coaches are modern and comfortable, and you can be assured of a high level of service and reliability from our expert-trained coach crews, who will be on hand to assist and escort you along the way.
Executive Coach Features
- Air-conditioning, an onboard servery, onboard toilet and reclining seats. Please note that on selected air holidays, the executive coach may have limited facilities.
Departure Dates
Got a question about
this holiday?
Don’t hesitate to get in touch – our friendly team are ready and waiting to help with any further information you need!
