The Remembrance Trail
- 92km long
- 8remembrance sites
- 200 thousand visitors a year
The Somme, a truly international site
20 nationalities
The Somme was greatly affected by WWI fighting with the invasion in August 1914 and the "Race to the Sea" in September, the Battle of the Somme from July to November 1916 and the Battle of Picardy from March to September 1918.
Unlike the Franco-German duel in Verdun, it became a global war in 1916, involving three million soldiers of about 20 nationalities fighting on a front 45 kilometres long.
©Garry
© Somme Tourisme
©Nicolas Bryant
©Nicolas Bryant
The Remembrance Circuit
from Albert to Péronne
The Remembrance Circuit is a blazed trail from Péronne to Albert. It follows the traces of the soldiers, featuring vestiges of fighting, cemeteries and memorials to commemorate WWI soldiers.
It is peppered with poppies, the flower symbolising sacrifice and remembrance of soldiers who perished in the war.
You can do the circuit by car, bike, on foot, aeroplane, alone or with a guide. There are all sorts of possibilities to explore and gain insight into this page of international history.
© Aerophotostudio
©Garry
©Nicolas Bryant
Top 10 sites and places
Not to be missed
- The Thiepval Memorial and the Museum of Thiepval
- The Historial Museum of the Great War of Péronne
- The Somme 1916 Museum in Albert
- The Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel
- The Ulster Tower near Thiepval
- The Lochnagar Crater at La Boisselle
- The Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux and the Sir John Monash Centre
- The memorial sites of Pozières
- Delville Wood and the South African National Museum
- The 'Chapelle du Souvenir Français' of Rancourt
©Philippe GrandsireLittle Train
of the Upper Somme
Go back in time in the train that transported soldiers during the Great War and enjoy a ride along the banks of the River Somme aboard the Little Train of the Upper Somme, a trusty steam or diesel train.
This authentic steam train travels between Froissy and Dompierre on a railway line that was constructed in 1916 for the Battle of the Somme. It was used to supply the trenches with artillery during the war.
Each year, the Little Train organises two Steam Festivals : on Whitsunday and at the end of September.
The narrow-gauge railway museum has a fascinating display of 37 locomotives and some 100 wagons, including French, German and American steam trains, diesel shunters and various military or industrial wagons, mostly dating from the 1910s to the 1920s. Many of these locomotives were used to supply the trenches during the Great War.
The Little Train of the Upper Somme - +33 (0)3 22 83 11 89
Let's talk ToVéronique Bon
Director of the Tourist Information Office in the land of poppies
Useful information
on the Remembrance Trail
- Haute Somme Tourist Office
1 rue Louis XI
80200 PERONNE
03 22 84 42 38
accueil@hautesomme-tourisme.com
hautesomme-tourisme.com
- Tourist Office of the Poppy Country
9 rue Gambetta
80300 ALBERT
03 22 75 16 42
officedetourisme@paysducoquelicot.com
tourisme-paysducoquelicot.com
- Val de Somme Tourist Office
28/30 place de la République
80800 CORBIE
03 22 96 95 76
officedetourisme@valdesomme.com
valdesomme-tourisme.com
Go there
with a Battlefield Guide
Museums, tourist offices and private English-speaking guides (some of whom are British expats who have chosen to live in the Somme) provide guided tours of the Remembrance Trail for groups and individuals. Day tours, half day tours and bespoke tours available...
- Explore the Somme Battlefields with a guide of the 'Somme Battlefields' Partner'. These members all comply with the legal obligations in regard to tour guiding.
- Before traveling to the Somme, do not forget to take a look at our specific WW1 Battlefields guide : digital version.
- Visiting Meuse, Aisne, Somme and Pas-de-Calais – four diverse, fascinating and very welcoming départements in France’s northeast.
Go there
on foot or on bicycle
- Discover the Remembrance Trail by foot with walks and hiking trails in the Haute-Somme and the Poppy Country.
- The "Around the Thiepval Memorial" Trail. Highly recommended for those who want to see the surroundings of Thiepval.
- The "Circuit du Caribou" Trail near the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel.
- Thanks to the guidebook « On the Trail of the Great War in Picardy », visit the Remembrance Trail by foot. 48 walking paths to discover.
- Visit the Somme Battlefields on bicycle with a guide or on your own.
- Bespoke tours are available for one or more days, with or without accomodation, with Cycling the Western Front.
- The Cycle Trail of Remembrance, between Arras and Amiens, offers cyclists a bike ride combining nature and history, with a focus on the sites of remembrance of the Great War.
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ACarrierWant to see the main sites of remembrance in the Somme ? Museums, memorials, battlefields and other sites to discover here !
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En Direct des blogs Tortuga Videos
Mathis BEHAEGEL - LA TORTUGAA velo sur les traces de la bataille de la Somme !
C’est accompagné de son vélo Franklin, que Mathis Behaegel, alias "La Tortuga", a emprunté la véloroute Vallée de Somme pour partir la découverte de l'est du territoire et l'histoire de la Bataille de la Somme. Au programme : Des paysages marqués par le conflit mondial, des rencontres avec des passionnés, des mémoriaux emblématiques de la destination et de la nature.
A découvrir en vidéo ET en podcast !
Pour visionner la vidéo, cliquez ici !
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