Amiens - Ghent

Stay Amiens. Visit Arras.
Stay Lille. Visit Lens.
Stay Ghent. Visit Ypres & Bruges.

Do budget enough time to enjoy Arras itself, a handsome place with history in both world wars. The Vimy memorial nearby is accessible by taxi and worth half a day; the 100th anniversary of the battle was celebrated last weekend with a big ceremony, and I understand a visitors centre was recently added.

Yes, the Battle of Vimy Ridge Centenary was last Sunday (Apr 9) at the Memorial. We were there and it was unbelievably crazy busy. 10,000 secondary school students and 15,000 others. Long waits for everything (WC's, shuttle buses, water stations). Glad we went but wouldn't do it again. We went back on Apr 13 and they were still removing the gear from the event and there were just a handful of us wandering around the whole grounds. It was so nice! We got some great pictures of the memorial with nobody on it. There were literally just 4 of us around the monument when we were there the second time.

Anyway, as for the Visitors Centre, yes, they have constructed a new larger one adjacent to the old one (which is closed and out of service). It's very good. Outside they now have some trench mock ups. There are also free tours of some original underground tunnels as well, but these are guided. No charge for any of it.

If you are thinking of Ypres, I would absolutely think that you would enjoy that. We met our guide for a private battlefields tour outside the Ypres Visitors Centre and regret we didn't explore it more as it had much info on the Great War and it looked quite well done.

If you are thinking of doing a tour of the Somme battlefields and are interested in a guided tour (+/- 4 hours) let me know and I will pass along the website and contact info for the guy we used (...ex 20 year Belgium Military paratrooper that saw action in Afghanistan and Iraq).

Peter

Hi,

If you are into the war history of the Somme and Nord Pas-de-Calais, ie Arras, both places were fought over in both wars. Amiens on the Somme was to be reached by M+30 (thirty days after moblisation) in the original Schlieffen Plan of 1905. I would stay in Arras and do the day trip to Amiens.

Arras was the General HQ for the British. How much of the war history do you want to track down in Arras? The museum underground is in the City Hall, obviously, it can be seen only by tour, which is given in French, at least, when I was there several years ago. Maybe it's changed, but I wouldn't count on it. The British WW1 cemetery is at the edge of the city. The ground floor of the City Hall is where the Tourist Office is, lots of brochures on war sites in the area, eg, Vimy, etc are available. Yes, you can walk the distance from the centre ville ie, the City Hall to the British WW1 cemetery, ca one hour. I did it once

Hi,

Using public transport is only going to get you so far. It's much better to be motorised for tracking down war sites around Amiens and Arras. From Arras to Ypres the British WW1 cemeteries dot the countryside, more and more the closer you come to Ypres. The Tourist Office at Arras arrange tours out to the various cemeteries and battlefield sites.

Thanks for all the wonderful replies. I might give some more information to hopefully narrow things down a bit. We are Australian, so plan to be in Villers-Brettoneux for the dawn service on ANZAC day. We will hopefully either stay in VB or Amiens the night before. From there we intend to head towards Ghent. We plan on using Ghent as a base to visit Bruges, and after reading the previous replies, also Ypres. It sounds like Arras can't be missed, but is it the best place to use as a base for that area? I am interested in military history, but my wife would also like to visit museums/art galleries etc. I've heard Lens is good for this?
Thanks again for all of the informative replies. This forum really is fantastic.

Hi,

You're welcome. If you have time, walk through the centre ville in Arras, you'll see plaques commemorating the liberation of the city in 1944 (by the Welsh Guards?) and pointing out the fall of the place in 1940, another plaque referring to the flank attack by the British on Rommel in 1940 The plaque does not spell out all that, only the specific dates are indicated in 1940, which gives you the historical clue on what the plaque is referring to), and on Cambrai in 1917.

Yes, there is a specific museum in the centre ville in Arras, which features art and cultural exhibits, can't remember the name. The building looks like a small chateau. In the summer of 2009 it featured (which I was glad to see the exhibit) on " Bonaparte in Egypt"

On Lens...I've been through it a couple of times. . There is smaller version of the Louvre in Lens, since a few years...can't help you much with the art.

Fred, that museum in Arras you mentioned above I believe you are referring to Musee des Beaux Arts. It's immediately adjacent to the St Vaast Abbey and Cathedrale St Vaast (officially Cathedrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint -Vaast), which was bombed and burned within an inch of its life in April 1917 and subsequently rebuilt.

@ Peter...Thanks for the information. It must be. I just know how to get to it by recognising it. But in 2009 the special on "Bonaparte in Egypt" had been moved from the "Institute of the Arab World" in Paris. I'm glad I caught it in Arras.