Walk in the heart of the Peace Gardens of Northern France

Memory Group Stay

Hills and plains of Artois:

An International Front ( 3 days - 2 nights )

[From 10 to 50 people].

First day
Second Day
Third Day

Hills and plains of Artois

Arras Guided Tour: The Squares and Arts District (1:30 hours)

Discover the epicenter of Arras’ famous art of living with its squares, colorful, century-old markets, terraces, stores, and the uninterrupted course of 155 baroque facades surrounding an architectural ensemble unparalleled in Europe, a sumptuous setting for the town hall and its belfry.

Arras upside down (1h15)

Access the first level of the belfry, a symbol of freedoms, built between 1463 and 1554. Destroyed by German artillery in October 1914, it was rebuilt identically by Pierre Paquet between 1924 and 1932.Tasting of local beers and cheeses in the Boves, an unusual and timeless atmosphere out of time, 12 meters underground, in the underground passages of Arras.

Dinner in a typical Arras restaurant : In the cellar or under the arches

Dish-dinner formula with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility to add an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, upon request.

Night at the Mercure**** hotel in Arras

Hills and plains of Artois

Tour of the Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial (1h30)

20 meters below the sidewalks of Arras, discover a site immersed in memory and emotion. After a 20-meter descent in a glass elevator, the escorted audio tour immerses you in the atmosphere of the site until April 9, 1917 at 5:30 a.m., in a surprise attack on German positions.

The CWGC Visitor Centre: Commonwealth War Graves in France (1h)

The CWGC Visitor Centre highlights the work of this remarkable organization at the heart of the commemoration of the war dead. A unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work required to commemorate the Commonwealth casualties of World War I and World War II.

Lunch in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Dish formula with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility of adding an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, upon request.

Tour of the Cabaret-Rouge English Cemetery in Souchez (1h)

This cemetery was created in 1916 by the British. Located at the entrance to Souchez, it owes its name to the presence of a café called “le Cabaret Rouge” that was established nearby. At the end of the conflict, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission made Souchez a necropolis regrouping 7000 bodies from the battlefields of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais. It was in this cemetery that the body of the “Unknown Canadian Soldier” was exhumed in May 2000, which now rests symbolically before the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

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Tour of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (1:30 hours)

From the Memorial to the cemeteries to the preserved trenches, the tour gives visitors a better understanding of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It is said that Canada was born there on April 9, 1917

Tour of the Memorial’14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette – 2h

Three unique sites to understand the Great War in Nord Pas de Calais and honor all those who gave their lives for peace. At the History Center, photographs and artifacts help to understand the Great War. In front of the largest French military cemetery stands the Ring of Memory bearing the names of the 580,000 soldiers who died in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region during the Great War.

Overnight stay in ½ board at the Louvre-Lens**** hotel in Lens (single/double/twin room)

Hills and plains of Artois

Tour of the Louvre-Lens Museum (1.5 hours)

Take a trip back in time in the Galerie du Temps and relive 5,000 years of history at a glance. From antiquity to modern times, explore the arts, time, and civilizations with more than 2,000 works of art from the Louvre Museum’s collections.

Lunch at a local brewery

Main course-dessert package + 1 house draft beer + water + coffee.

Group Stay :

Discover Battlefield & arrounds

( 5 days - 4 nights )

[From 10 to 50 people].

First Day
Second Day
Third Day
Day Four
Day Five

Arrival in Arras
Dinner in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Dinner course with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility to add an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, on request

Night at the hotel

Morning

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Option 1

Tour of the Château de Cercamp (1h30)

Ancient Cistercian abbey, wool weaving factory, residence of the Barons of Fourment, Headquarters of Marshal Foch… Welcome to the Château de Cercamp, a magnificent castle in the heart of the Artesian countryside.

Buffet lunch at Château de Cercamp

Option 2

Tour of the Donjon de Bours (1h15)

A visit to the Donjon de Bours is a unique experience that will take you back in time. Discover this 14th century medieval building with a guide and a scenography that highlights the daily life of the lord of Bours.

Picnic basket

A basket including a salad, sandwich, dessert and drink

Afternoon

Option 1

Tour of the Séricourt Gardens (May 1 to September 30) (1:30 to 02:00)

Labeled “Remarkable Garden”, the Séricourt Gardens awaken the imagination and tell stories through the cathedral of roses, the maritime alley, the warriors’ garden, the topiary garden…., a real place of discovery and unexpected pleasure.

Option 2

Tour of the Arras Citadel (every day except during the Main square festival)

Conquer this military “little city” designed by Louis XIV to protect and guard Arras. An exceptional site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site among the twelve Vauban fortifications that illustrate the genius of this engineer.

Guided tour of Arras: the squares (45 min)

Discover the epicenter of Arras’ famous art of living with its squares, its colorful, century-old markets, its terraces, its stores and the uninterrupted course of the 155 baroque facades surrounding an architectural ensemble without equal in Europe, a sumptuous setting for the city hall and its belfry

Arras upside down (1h15)
- Access the first level of the belfry, a symbol of freedoms, built between 1463 and 1554. Destroyed by German artillery in October 1914, it was rebuilt identically by Pierre Paquet between 1924 and 1932.
- Tasting of local beers and cheeses in the Boves, an unusual and timeless atmosphere out of time, 12 meters underground, in the underground passages of Arras.

Dinner in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Dish-dinner formula with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility to add an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, upon request.

Overnight at the hotel

Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial (1:30 hours)

20 meters below the sidewalks of Arras, discover a site immersed in memory and emotion. After a 20-meter descent in a glass elevator, the escorted audio tour immerses you in the atmosphere of the site until April 9, 1917 at 5:30 a.m., in a surprise attack on German positions.

The CWGC Visitor Centre Tour: Commonwealth War Graves in France (1h)

The CWGC Visitor Centre highlights the work of this remarkable organization at the heart of commemorating the war dead. A unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work required to commemorate the Commonwealth casualties of World War I and World War II.

Lunch at a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Dish and dessert with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility to add an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, on request.

Tour of the Cabaret-Rouge English Cemetery in Souchez (1h)

This cemetery was established in 1916 by the British. Located at the entrance to Souchez, it owes its name to the presence of a café called “le Cabaret Rouge” that was established nearby. At the end of the conflict, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission made Souchez a necropolis regrouping 7000 bodies from the battlefields of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais. It was in this cemetery that the body of the “Unknown Canadian Soldier” was exhumed in May 2000, which now rests symbolically in front of the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Tour of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (1.5 hours)

From the memorial to the cemeteries to the preserved trenches, the tour gives visitors a better understanding of the battle of Vimy Ridge. It is said that Canada was born there on April 9, 1917

Tour of the Memorial’14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette – 2h

Three unique sites to understand the Great War in Nord Pas de Calais and honor all those who gave their lives for peace. At the History Center, photographs and artifacts help to understand the Great War. In front of the largest French military cemetery stands the Ring of Memory bearing the names of the 580,000 soldiers who died in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region during the Great War.

Overnight ½ board at the Hotel Lens (single/double/twin room)

Former Great Offices of the Mining Company of Lens

Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Guided tour of the pithead and twin slag heaps of 11/19 (2h30)

The Base 11/19 is one of the 5 major sites of the Miner’s Basin listed as World Heritage by UNESCO on June 30, 2012!

At the top of the highest slag heaps in Europe! They shape our landscapes and tell our history… Their importance on a human scale was also recognized when the mining basin was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. The slag heaps (do not pronounce the last L) of Loos-en-Gohelle reach an altitude of 186 m. From there, you can see the Bollaert-Delelis stadium, guess the Louvre-Lens museum and recognize the Canadian Memorial at Vimy. There is something magical about this place, it’s almost like walking on the moon…

Lunch in an Art Deco restaurant in Lens

Dish-dish formula with 1/4 wine or 1 beer + 1/2 bottle of water + coffee. Possibility of adding an aperitif on request.

Option 1

Discovery of the Art Deco facades of downtown Lens (1h30)

At the end of World War I, Lens was more than 90% destroyed and everything had to be rebuilt. At the time, simple, clean lines and geometric shapes of the Art Deco style were chosen , which met the need for modernity and renewal. Art Deco is truly the architecture of a renaissance. Through the exploration of the buildings, this guided tour tells you more about the reconstruction of Lens in the 1920s.

Option 2

Guided tour of the former Grands Bureaux de la société des Mines de lens (1h30)

The former Grands Bureaux de la Société des Mines de Lens were built between 1928 and 1930 and housed the management and administration departments. Today, they house the Jean Perrin Faculty of Science.

The French gardens allow one to appreciate the facade of this prestigious regionalist-style building. Its architect, Louis-Marie Cordonnier, worked extensively on the reconstruction of the Region. The interior of the building houses decorations signed by great names of Art Deco such as Majorelle or Daum.

Night in ½ board at the Hotel Lens (single/double/twin room)

Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the Louvre-Lens Museum (1.5 hours) (choice of permanent exhibition or temporary exhibition)

Take a trip back in time in the Galerie du Temps and relive 5,000 years of history at a glance. From antiquity to modern times, explore the arts, time and civilizations with more than 2,000 works of art from the Louvre Museum’s collections.

Lunch at a local brewery

Dish-dessert package + 1 house draught beer + water + coffee.

Departure – end of stay

Individual stay

Hills and plains of Artois :

Private Experience

[From 4 to 9 persons]

First Day
Second Day
Third Day

Arrival in Arras around 11:00 am

Discovery of the Scarpe Valley (1h30)

Evade into the calm of the Scarpe Valley with one of the activities offered by Riverside Park, the one and only whitewater stadium north of Paris! A natural transition between Arras and its surrounding countryside, the Scarpe Valley.

Lunch in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Dish-dish formula with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility of adding an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, upon request.

Check-in at the hotel
Private guided tour of Arras: The squares and the Arts quarter t (1h30)

Discover the epicenter of Arras’ famous art of living with its squares, its colorful, century-old markets, its terraces, its stores and the uninterrupted course of the 155 baroque facades surrounding an architectural ensemble unmatched in Europe, a sumptuous setting for the town hall and its belfry

Option

Extend your visit to Arras with a visit to one of our designer workshops: “Le bleu d’Arras”, specializing in unique porcelain decoration, or “L’Atelier de Sylvie Facon”, an internationally renowned fashion designer!

“Secret dinner in the Boves”: an upside-down gastronomic experience
- Aperitif and appetizer at the top of the belfry (height 55m) for a magnificent panoramic view of the city.
- Private dinner in the Boves: indulge in the intimate atmosphere of these underground galleries, originally a place where chalk was mined and people worked by the sweat of their brows, for a dinner with delicious food and beer pairings. Starter, main course and dessert. Drinks included (beers and water).

Overnight stay at hotel

Underground breakfast at Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial (1:30 hours)

Tour the Wellington Tunnels and have an English breakfast on the spot (almost) at the launch of the Battle of Arras on April 9, 1917. Tea, coffee, orange juice, beans, bacon, savory porridge, pancakes and orange marmalade…” The perfect English breakfast!

The CWGC Visitor Centre: Commonwealth War Graves in France (1h)

The CWGC Visitor Centre highlights the work of this remarkable organization at the heart of commemorating the war dead. A unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work required to commemorate the Commonwealth casualties of World War I and World War II.

Lunch in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Dish formula with 1/4 wine or 1 beer or 1/2 bottle of water. Possibility of adding an aperitif and/or a cheese plate, upon request.

Tour by Canadian students of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (1h30)

In the heart of a 107-hectare forest, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial invites you to discover its imposing monument erected facing the plain, which pays tribute to the 66,000 Canadian soldiers who died in France during the conflict. An interpretation center and reconstructed trenches complete the visit, in a landscape still dotted with shell holes, mines and covered with a forest of conifers. The network of underground tunnels is run by Canadian students

Private tour of the Ring of Memory (1h)

Look up the name of an ancestor who fought in World War I and discover the beauty of the Artois hills and plains. The place impresses and will not leave you indifferent. (A more complete research can be done by our genealogy service at the History Center)

Guided tour and tasting at the St Germain Brewery (1h30)

A craft brewery producing Page 24 beers in Aix-Noulette, near Lens. Let Michel tell you the secrets of this craft brewery using only local ingredients. Once you’ve tasted our brewers’ beverage, there’s no doubt you’ll want to stay a while at Page 24. The Saint-Germain Brewery has recently diversified and acquired a still to distill juniper, gin and whiskey.

Nightly ½ board in a former Mining Engineer’s House (single/double/twin room)

Miner-basin-as-seen-from-the-Vimy-Memorial

visite-11-19-photo-cpie-chaine-des-terrils-1440x959

Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Bike tour around the Louvre-Lens (bike rental included)

This 10km tour in a rather urban environment takes you to discover the most emblematic sites of Lens and to the two slag heaps of Loos-en-Gohelle.

You will pass:
- In front of the Louvre-Lens museum, where you can stop in the park, hang your bikes and visit the exhibition and the Gallery of Time,
- In front of the Bollaert-Delelis stadium
- In several mining cities where you will compare their different types of architecture
- The Base 11/19 and if you feel up to it, you can climb up to the top of the slag heaps. Until mid-October, our terrils café, offers you a welcome break, something to refresh yourself and all the right hiking tips.
- In front of the historic places of Lens: the Art Deco train station, the Great Offices of the Société des Mines de Lens

As a bonus: the good addresses on the route to stop for a meal or a drink, the best places to rest and enjoy the view, and all the sites to see and visit nearby.

Possibility to rent an electric bike.

Lunch in a typical “estaminet” of the region

Dish-dessert package + 1 house draft beer + water + coffee.

End of the stay

Other experiences

Hills and plains

Hills and plains of Artois

Arras Guided Tour: The Squares and Arts District (1:30 hours)

Arras upside down (1h15)

Dinner in a typical Arras restaurant : In the cellar or under the arches

Night at the Mercure**** hotel in Arras

Hills and plains of Artois

Tour of the Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial (1h30)

The CWGC Visitor Centre: Commonwealth War Graves in France (1h)

Lunch in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Tour of the Cabaret-Rouge English Cemetery in Souchez (1h)

Tour of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (1:30 hours)

Tour of the Memorial’14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette – 2h

Hills and plains of Artois

Tour of the Louvre-Lens Museum (1.5 hours)

Lunch at a local brewery

Arrival in Arras

Dinner in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Night at the hotel

Morning

Option 1

Tour of the Château de Cercamp (1h30)

Buffet lunch at Château de Cercamp

Option 2

Tour of the Donjon de Bours (1h15)

Picnic basket

Afternoon

Option 1

Tour of the Séricourt Gardens (May 1 to September 30) (1:30 to 02:00)

Option 2

Tour of the Arras Citadel (every day except during the Main square festival)

Guided tour of Arras: the squares (45 min)

Arras upside down (1h15)

Dinner in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Overnight at the hotel

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Tour of the Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial (1:30 hours)

The CWGC Visitor Centre Tour: Commonwealth War Graves in France (1h)

Lunch at a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Tour of the Cabaret-Rouge English Cemetery in Souchez (1h)

Tour of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (1.5 hours)

Tour of the Memorial’14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette – 2h

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Guided tour of the pithead and twin slag heaps of 11/19 (2h30)

Lunch in an Art Deco restaurant in Lens

Option 1

Discovery of the Art Deco facades of downtown Lens (1h30)

Option 2

Guided tour of the former Grands Bureaux de la société des Mines de lens (1h30)

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Tour of the Louvre-Lens Museum (1.5 hours) (choice of permanent exhibition or temporary exhibition)

Lunch at a local brewery

Departure – end of stay

Arrival in Arras around 11:00 am

Discovery of the Scarpe Valley (1h30)

Lunch in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Check-in at the hotel

Private guided tour of Arras: The squares and the Arts quarter t (1h30)

Option

“Secret dinner in the Boves”: an upside-down gastronomic experience

Underground breakfast at Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial (1:30 hours)

The CWGC Visitor Centre: Commonwealth War Graves in France (1h)

Lunch in a typical Arras restaurant in the cellar or under the arches

Tour by Canadian students of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (1h30)

Private tour of the Ring of Memory (1h)

Guided tour and tasting at the St Germain Brewery (1h30)

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Bike tour around the Louvre-Lens (bike rental included)

You will pass:

Lunch in a typical “estaminet” of the region

Night at the Mercure hotel in Arras