At 7.30am on July 1st 1916 as the whistles blew and the most famous battle of the First World War began, hopes were high in Britain and the Empire that the 'War to end all Wars' would soon be won. 

Just a few terrible hours later as the hot summer sun slowly set over a scene of unbelievable carnage the flower of a generation lay dead and dying on the barbed wire of No Man's Land . 

It was less than two years since the start of the Great War. In that time men from every town and village in Britain had left their families to answer the call of King and Country with an enthusiasm that quickly created the largest volunteer army in the nation's history. From factories and offices groups of men had even enlisted together to form the 'Pals Battalions', complete units comprised of friends from the same background and area." 

It was these men who now lay motionless among the shell holes and barbed wire of No Man's Land; half the attacking force, a staggering 60,000 men lost on the first day of the battle alone. 

The savage fighting dragged on for another four and a half months and deteriorated into a ghastly war of attrition as the British army inched slowly forward against ferocious German counter attacks. As losses reached unbelievable levels, tens of thousands of Anzacs, Canadians and South Africans joined the fight and forged themselves a place in history.

For the first time in British history a single battle had touched almost every family in the land as sons and brothers failed to return, their names today engraved on every war memorial in Britain. 

"Brilliant - very moving, thank you" Mr & Mrs Samson, St Albans UK


"Thank you, a trip not to be missed" Mr & Mrs Lock, Romford, Essex, UK 

Tour details

Our tour will take you through the Somme battlefield to all the major sites and many minor ones. Together we will explore the opposing trenches that still silently face each other across the shell-pocked expanse of No Man's Land, memorials, cemeteries and silent, atmospheric, poppy splattered fields.

You will be able to pay your respects at the world's largest Commonwealth War Memorial (an awesome structure that commemorates the tens of thousands who are still missing). You will see the Ulster Tower, Pozieres, and much more, including sites such as Newfoundland Park and Delville Wood where the men of the Commonwealth built such an enduring reputation. 

The final stop on our tour is by far the most dramatic. It is to the truly massive mine crater, the largest on the Western Front, that was the result of 27 tonnes of explosive detonated deep beneath the German line! Today it sits like a massive eye staring coldly up into the clear blue sky. An eternal symbol of the incredible destructive power of the First World War.

Note - Our tour always visits Anzac and Canadian sites. 

"Brilliant and informative tour, worth repeating" Mike and Bob Nener, Swansea, Wales 

How to book? Click here

"Outstanding! Thank you" Rupert Shield London 

Prices & Booking

Tour price when picked up in Arras; 35 €uros per person. 

Tour price when picked up in Albert; 25 €uros per person. 

Where it is at all feasible our luxury air-conditioned Mercedes minibus will pick you up from your hotel (Arras) at 9.00am. In other cases we can collect you from the Arras train station at about 9.15am. If you wish to be picked up from your hotel in Albert or the train station there, please be ready for 10.00am. We would appreciate it if you could be waiting outside when we arrive. If you wish, please bring a packed lunch.

After a powerful, memorial and sometimes emotional tour, you will arrive back to Albert at 12.30am  and to Arras at 1pm.

As a special service we will be happy to take you to a relative's grave in the area free of charge.

Payment is possible in Sterling or euros, British cheques also accepted, please pay the guide. 

We reserve the right to alter details without notice. 

"Really first class, educational - and good company!" Mike Partington, Aylesbury UK

How to book? Click here

About Us

Our tour is the original Somme tour, and as at Ypres, Salient Tours were the first company in modern times to offer daily minibus tours around the battlefields. Since it's inception in 1994, our Somme tour has taken literally tens of thousands of visitors from all around the world to the various sites, both to the obvious ones and to the quiet, lesser known spots that we have discovered in many years of living on and exploring the battlefields. 

We know the battlefields like no one else and our guides not only live there and have English as a first language, but they are chosen from hundreds of applicants. Dealing with a subject as important as the Great War demands great sensitivity and our reputation has been built on the respect and dedication shown by these guides . We have been featured on TV and radio, the Wall St Journal, the Sunday Telegraph and the New York Times, but it is the comments in our visitors' books of which we are most proud.

Salient Tours (France) is a French company with British ownership. It is based on the Somme, and is fully registered, licensed and insured in France for transporting the paying public.