• World War II Memorial Tour Reviewed in the Boston Globe
  A review of our World War II Memorial Tour recently appeared in the Boston Globe. 
• Tour Description
  Revisit the dramatic history of World War II and enjoy the beauty of Europe through this landmark itinerary. Image Tours will bring you to famous battle sites, war museums, and memorials. Scenic and cultural highlights are also included, making this tour an enjoyable combination of learning, sightseeing, and reflection.
• Included Features
  Meals - In addition to any meals you may be served during your flights to and from Europe, the tour price includes 13 breakfasts and 9 dinners during the land portion of the tour. .

Tour Itinerary

DAY 1 - EUROPE. Fasten your seat belt, settle back and relax for your overnight flight across the Atlantic.

DAY 2 - HOLLAND..Amsterdam Schiphol Airport - Leusden. At Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport your tour manager will greet you at the ‘Meeting Point’. Board your deluxe motor coach for a pleasant journey through the neatly kept pastures and canals of the Dutch lowlands to the little town of Leusden. This evening, enjoy a ‘Welcome to Europe/Get Acquainted’ dinner at the hotel. (Dinner)

DAY 3 - HOLLAND..Amsterdam - Leusden. Travel to downtown Amsterdam, where you may view a diamond cutting demonstration at a workshop. Then relax on a glass top canal boat for a cruise through Amsterdam’s scenic waterways. Afterwards, spend free time pursuing your own interests in Holland’s capital. Maybe you’ll wish to pay an emotional visit to the Anne Frank House (approximately 7 euro), where the teenager hid with her family and wrote her poignant diary. Or, you could take in the treasures at the recently refurbished Vincent van Gogh Museum. In the late afternoon, return to the hotel in Leusden. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 4 - HOLLAND..Grebbeberg Cemetery - Arnhem - Nijmegen - Groesbeek - Best & BELGIUM..Lanaken. Begin today’s journey through the area of the ‘Operation Market Garden’ with a visit to the Grebbeberg Cemetery near Rhenen to pay respects to the many Allied soldiers fallen here. Travel via Arnhem, site of ‘A Bridge Too Far’, and past the Waal Crossing and General Gavin Monuments near Nijmegen. Then motor to Groesbeek and the Liberation Museum, which highlights WWII history from the spread of National Socialism to the events of ‘Market Garden’. Enjoy independent lunch after which you continue to Best, a town in southern Holland. Stop at the Wings of Liberation Museum, which focuses on the landing of the 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles. In the late afternoon, you’ll cross the border to reach your hotel in Lanaken, Belgium near the Dutch city of Maastricht. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 5 - GERMANY..Remagen - Boppard - St. Goar - Rhine Cruise - Ochsenfurt. Travel to Remagen to view the remains of the strategic bridge, which collapsed under heavy bombing and use during the Allied advance over the Rhine in March of ‘45. A few miles south is Boppard, where you will board a pleasure boat for an upstream ride on the enchanting Rhine River. Just before disembarking at St. Goar, glide by the Loreley Rock where, legend tells us, boatmen crashed after hearing the fair maiden’s chant. Continue by motor coach to your hotel in Ochsenfurt, Germany. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 6 - GERMANY..Nuremberg - Sauerlach, near Munich. Travel to Nuremberg, where Hitler staged his huge propaganda rallies, and therefore, chosen as the site for the famous War Trials. Upon arrival, you’ll see the Party Grounds, the Congress Hall and, if open, the room in the Palace of Justice where the Nuremberg War Trials were held. In the late afternoon, arrive at your traditional and cozy hotel in Sauerlach, a small village just outside Munich. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 7 - GERMANY..Sauerlach near Munich. Take a taxi or public transportation and spend your free time today enjoying the Bavarian capital of Munich, perhaps shopping in the picturesque streets around the Marienplatz or visiting one of the excellent museums. Another option for the day is to travel to Berchtesgaden on the optional Eagle’s Nest excursion. Visit the hidden enclave chosen by Adolf Hitler and his aides as a mountain retreat from which they could look out over both Germany and Hitler’s birth country of Austria. This evening, treat yourself to the Hofbräuhaus Dinner optional. (Breakfast)

DAY 8 - GERMANY..Dachau - Ulm - Bad Herrenalb. Pay a thought-provoking visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp. At the lunch stop in the city of Ulm, on the banks of the Danube River, take in the sight of the towering Ulm Münster church. Travel to the northern edge of Germany’s Black Forest, where you arrive at your hotel in the pretty village of Bad Herrenalb, near Baden-Baden. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 9 - FRANCE..Strasbourg - Saverne - St. Avold - Fort Hackenberg - Thionville. Upon entering France this morning, make a stop in Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament. Then travel along a scenic route through the Alsace Region and the Vosges Mountains to the town of Saverne, the scene of heavy fighting in the fall of 1944. The afternoon is reserved for a visit to Lorraine’s American Cemetery in St. Avold, the largest American World War II cemetery in Europe. Before arriving at your hotel pause at Fort Hackenberg, part of the Maginot Line, which was constructed between the world wars as a defense against any future German invasions. The next two nights will be spent in Thionville, located near Metz. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 10 - LUXEMBOURG..American Cemetery & BELGIUM..Bastogne - Ardennes & FRANCE..Thionville. Travel to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to the American Cemetery there, site where General Patton is buried. Near Bastogne, Belgium, visit the Historical Center and the star-shaped Mardasson Monument to the soldiers who died in the Ardennes battles. Drive to Bastogne’s city center for independent lunch and a look at the statue of General ‘Nuts’ McAuliffe and the Patton Monument. Your travels this afternoon will take you into the Ardennes Region, known for the infamous ‘Battle of the Bulge’ and to the town of Diekirch to visit the Luxembourg National Museum of Military History. Drive back to Thionville for independent dinner. (Breakfast)

DAY 11 - FRANCE..Verdun - Reims - Compiègne. After breakfast, you will tour the WWI battlefields and memorials near Verdun. Visit the Fleury Memorial Museum, the cemetery, and the Ossuary, resting place of the bones of 130,000 unidentified soldiers. Later proceed to Reims, General Eisenhower’s headquarters during WWII. Visit the location where the Declaration of Surrender was signed on May 7, 1945, and see the Cathedral of Reims, the coronation church of the French Kings. In the late afternoon, drive to Compiègne in the Picardie Region. Before checking in to your hotel, visit the ‘Clairière de l’Armistice’ in the Forest of Compiègne. Here you will find a replica of the railroad car where the Armistice of World War I was signed and where the French were made to sign a declaration of surrender to the Nazis on June 22, 1940. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 12 - FRANCE..Caen. Depart Compiègne and head to Normandy for a two-night stay. For anyone with memories or knowledge of WWII, these next few days will truly be a highlight of your European tour. Upon arrival in the area, spend the first few hours touring the Caen Peace Memorial and Museum. This beautiful place honors the liberators, victims, and all those who continue to fight for peace. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 13 - FRANCE..Normandy Landing Beaches - Caen. The entire day is spent touring the famous Normandy Landing Beaches. From Caen, drive to the coast and stop at Pointe du Hoc to view the German fortifications. You’ll also travel to Utah Beach and Ste.-Mère-Église. Next is Omaha Beach with the American Cemetery. Proceed to Longues Battery and then Arromanches, where you will visit the D-Day Landing Museum and the beach with the German-built Atlantic Wall. Here the artificial harbors can still be seen. Over independent dinner, discuss your impressions of the day with fellow travelers. (Breakfast)

DAY 14 - FRANCE..Paris. Awaken refreshed and motor to the ‘City of Lights’, Paris. Enjoy a stroll along the Champs Elysées, visit the famed Opera House, or peruse any number of world class museums. You may wish to come along on the Seine River Cruise & the Eiffel Tower optional. After settling into the hotel, spend the evening on your own or join the group at a typical Parisian restaurant on the Paris Evening optional. (Breakfast)

DAY 15 - U.S.A...Daytime Flight across the Atlantic, Back to the U.S.A. Transfer to Paris Airport to check in for the flight home. (Breakfast)

Extend Your Tour

If you would like to begin your vacation in Amsterdam a few days before your tour begins, or stay in Paris a few days longer at the end, you can request that we change your outbound or return flights and book you a room at the first or last tour hotel. You can even request a few nights in London. For detailed information, please ask us.