First World War Expert Led Battlefield Tours
Each year we run variety tours that give an overview of the Great War as well as focusing on the actions in particular locations and by particular people. As well as our classic Walking the Ypres Salient and Western Front tours, we take an in depth look at the outskirts of the war, including the Gallipoli campaign and the Russian Revolution and delve into the impact of specific people like war poets, Lawrence of Arabia and the Doughboys. All of our First World War tours are accompanied by experts who are all either authors, historians or ex-military personnel.
All of our forthcoming Scheduled First World War Tours are listed below.
Italy During the First World WarStarts 16th September 2026 (6 days)
Whilst the Italians prevaricated over whether to join the Entente powers in their struggle against the Central Powers, the Austro-Hungarians set about fortifying their Alpine borders.View Tour Details
Journey's EndStarts 10th June 2027 (12 days)
This sweeping 12-day tour provides an excellent overview of the Western Front from Verdun in the east to Ypres in the west. The unique itinerary includes such iconic battle areas as Verdun, the Meuse-Argonne, Marne, Mons, the Somme and Arras which will put the whole war into perspective geographically, chronologically, strategically, tactically and technologically.View Tour Details
Lawrence of ArabiaStarts 13th March 2028 (11 days)
This tour has it all! It has a fascinating subject in the shape of Thomas Edward Lawrence - a 26 year-old Oxford archaeologist, sent to Arabia in late 1916, where he became a liaison officer to Prince Feisal - and the rest, as they say, is history.View Tour Details
Lawrence of Arabia in Saudi ArabiaStarts 20th November 2028 (12 days)
A unique historical tour following the Hejaz Railway and the routes of Lawrence of Arabia, tracing the Arab Revolt across northwest Saudi Arabia. Travelling from Riyadh to Jeddah, the itinerary explores remote railway stations, desert forts, Nabataean tombs at Hegra, and historic cities including Medina and Yanbu, combining off-road exploration with exceptional archaeological and historical sites.View Tour DetailsFirst World War Tours - Future Planning
We intend to run all of the following tours in the near future. Final dates and prices are yet to be confirmed. Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as these tours become available.
1918: The Hundred Days1918 was a busy year on the Western Front. The first half of the year saw both British and French Armies on the back foot, close to collapse and reeling from what were to be the last German offensives before the entry of the USA into the war.View Tour Details
Discovering the Western FrontVisits to battlefields such as Mons, Ypres, the Somme and Arras will put the whole war into perspective geographically, chronologically, strategically, tactically and technologically.View Tour Details
First & Last ShotsBy a poignant quirk of fate, British forces fired their first and last shots of the Great War in the Belgian city of Mons. Today, the first and last British casualties from 1914 and 1918 lie buried, together with their former German foes, in the remarkable St. Symphorien Cemetery.View Tour Details
Ireland: from the Easter Rising to the TroublesThis 8-night and 9-day tour traces the bitter events of the twentieth century in Ireland from the fight for independence from the British state to the tragic consequences of partition in 1921. Travelling from Dublin and the south to Belfast and Derry in the north we explore the places connected with the fight for independence, Civil War and Troubles in the company of an expert historian.View Tour Details
Medics and PadresBecause of its industrial nature, the number of casualties in the First World War was on a scale never seen before. However, if you were wounded in the Great War your chances of survival were high, that is if you could be evacuated into the casualty system quickly.View Tour Details
Mons and Le CateauThe well-trained army regulars and reservists of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) saw their first action of the Great War on the outskirts of Mons in Belgium on August 22nd 1914. The Kaiser disparagingly referred to them as ‘a contemptible little army’ and by late November they had been virtually destroyed. But in so doing they had succeeded in keeping the enemy both out of both Ypres and Paris.View Tour Details
SalonikaAn exploration of one of the least visited and much overlooked campaigns of the First World War. Based in the quiet and untouched area of northern Greece and just over the border in North Macedonia, the early spring will make for a pleasant, rustic and fascinating tour.View Tour Details
SarajevoOn 28th June 1914 in Sarajevo, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were shot dead by Serbian nationalists. The outcome was a European-wide mobilisation.View Tour Details
The Battle of VerdunAn immersive exploration of Verdun and its environs, the scene of the bloodiest battlefield on the Western Front. Straddling the River Meuse, the dominant terrain provides numerous dramatic vistas from which to gain a comprehensive appreciation of the pivotal events of this fight of attrition.View Tour Details
The Battles of the Marne and AisneOn this tour we visit farms and villages where Sir John French defeated the German advance in 1914, the battle ground of the Chemin des Dames and Champagne sectors boasting bunkers, caves and ghost villages from 1915-18, and the well-preserved Belleau Wood commemorating the epic fight by US Marines in 1918.View Tour Details
The Doughboys Turn the TideA tour of the major battlefields fought over by the American Expeditionary Force from 1917 to 1918 featuring the St Mihiel Salient, Meuse-Argonne, Fismes, Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood.View Tour Details
The Gallipoli CampaignA comprehensive tour featuring visits to S, V, W, X and Y beaches, Cape Helles, Gully Ravine, Bigali, Ephez, ANZAC Cove, Gaba Tepe, Kumkale and Suvla Bay. A thorough tour of Troy and an exploration of Istanbul’s Sultanahmet and fabulous military museum.View Tour Details
The Russian RevolutionSt Petersburg, Russia’s most opulent city, home to the Tsars and the much maligned Imperial elite, was destined to become the epicentre for a revolutionary movement and would eventually take on the name of its leader becoming Leningrad.View Tour Details
The War PoetsThe War Poets created some of the most powerful expressions of the human realities of the Great War which were instrumental in leading to a fundamental re-appraisal of the utility of war after the armistice and have moved generations of readers ever since.View Tour Details
The Ypres Salient War PoetsTo partner our 'Words, Music and Landscapes' War Poets tour, this new four-day tour combines history, literature and art to give an insight into the infamous Ypres battlefieldView Tour Details
Tunnellers on the Western FrontSimon Jones, acclaimed author of ‘Underground Warfare 1914-18’, has conducted painstaking research into this little-known aspect of the Great War to create this tour especially for TCE.View Tour Details
Walking The SommeWith expert historian Simon Jones we walk the countryside of The Somme, combining eyewitness accounts with scholarly insights to gain a deeper understanding of this five-month battle and its impacts.View Tour DetailsDiscover the battlefields and historic sites in comfort, staying at 3, 4 and 5 star hotels, sampling the local cuisine and immersing yourself in the culture. All of our tours are accompanied by a dedicated tour manager who will handle all of the organisational stresses and worries of travel so that you are free to experience and engage with the poignant and defining stories of the Great War.