The Paths of Remembrance: ANZAC

Not at all. This trip is classified as ‘leisurely walking’, the most accessible level in the Normandie Rando catalogue. The daily distances are moderate: 17 km on Day 2 (Amiens to Corbie), 14 km on Day 3 (loop to Villers-Bretonneux), 18 km on Day 4 (Corbie to Albert) and 15 or 21 km on Day 5 (loop to Pozières, Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel). The terrain is generally flat: the Somme valley, the towpaths and the plains of the Picardy plateau present no technical difficulties. You will walk for between 3 and 5 hours a day, leaving plenty of time for museum visits, moments of reflection and exploring the countryside. If you are able to walk for 3 to 4 hours at your own pace, this trip is for you.

It is the only tour in the catalogue entirely dedicated to paying tribute to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fell during the First World War. Day 3 takes you to the sites where, in April 1918, the Australian Expeditionary Force repelled the German army and prevented the fall of Amiens, a decisive turning point in the war. The Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux and the Victoria School Museum are the highlights of this day. On Day 5, in Pozières, you will walk where Australian troops, exhausted by relentless counter-attacks, held their positions at the cost of immense losses. This tour is a journey of personal remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders, and a journey of tribute for all those who wish to understand the sacrifice of the Diggers on French soil.

Day 1: arrival in Amiens, Notre-Dame Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest in France), a stroll through the hortillonnages and the Saint-Leu district with its colourful houses.
Day 2: walk along the Somme towpath past the hortillonnages, marshland, fields and small villages, arriving in Corbie and its ancient 7th-century Benedictine abbey.
Day 3: Loop to Villers-Bretonneux, the fields where the Australians repelled the German advance in April 1918, visit to the Australian National Memorial and the Franco-Australian Museum at the Victoria School.
Day 4: Walk between the Somme Canal and the River Ancre, passing small military cemeteries in the countryside, arriving in Albert and its underground Somme 1916 Museum.
Day 5: transfer to Pozières, then a walk along the eastern front of the Battle of the Somme, the Thiepval Memorial, Beaumont-Hamel Park with its preserved trenches, descent towards Albert through meadows and rolling countryside. Five days between the peaceful canals of the Somme and the hills steeped in history, at the pace of walking and reflection.

Yes, and it is one of the most powerful moments of this tour. Every 25 April, the ANZAC Day ceremony is held at dawn in Villers-Bretonneux, bringing together walkers, locals and visitors from all over the world to pay tribute to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers. In the silence of the morning, the fields are bathed in the first light of day. It is a solemn moment of rare emotional intensity, which serves as a reminder of the strong bond between France, Australia and New Zealand. Departures are available every day: plan your trip so that Day 3 (the loop to Villers-Bretonneux) falls on 25 April, and you will experience the ceremony as a walker, not a spectator. The Normandie Rando team can help you finalise the ideal dates when you request a quote.

Both tours are part of the same ‘Les sentiers du Souvenir’ collection, but they cover distinct memories, territories and battles. The Canadian tour (4 days, €420) starts in Arras, focusing on Vimy Ridge (Battle of April 1917) and the Somme battlefields around Thiepval. The ANZAC tour (6 days, €620) starts in Amiens, follows the Somme valley to Corbie, then explores the Australian sector at Villers-Bretonneux (Battle of April 1918) before heading to the Somme battlefields around Albert, Pozières, Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel. The ANZAC tour is longer, starts further upstream along the Somme, and dedicates two full days to the specifically Australian sector (Villers-Bretonneux, Corbie). If you’re looking for the traces of the Diggers, this is the tour for you. If you’re looking for the traces of the Canadian Corps and Vimy, it’s the Canadian tour.

Yes, it is the highlight of Day 3. The 14 km loop from Corbie takes you directly to the fields where the Australians fought in April 1918. The Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux honours the soldiers who fell in France. The Franco-Australian Museum, housed within Victoria School itself, offers a fascinating account of the relationship between Villers-Bretonneux and Australia. The town and the school still bear the marks of this mutual gratitude today. Arriving on foot, crossing the same fields the soldiers traversed, lends the experience a physical and sensory dimension that a visit by car cannot offer. Day 3 is often described as the most moving part of the trip.

Day 5 is the day with the highest concentration of memorial sites. After a short transfer to Pozières, you walk along the eastern front of the Battle of the Somme, through very rural countryside dotted with villages, hamlets and military cemeteries. In Pozières, the names of 14,000 soldiers (including many Australians) are engraved on the cemetery walls. The Thiepval Memorial, an imposing monument dedicated to the fallen, houses a remarkably designed museum. At Beaumont-Hamel, the preserved trenches of the Newfoundland Memorial Park offer a poignant testimony to the fighting of 1916. The route then descends towards Albert through meadows and rolling countryside. This day’s walk encapsulates the essence of the Battle of the Somme in a single walking tour.

Yes, you have two nights in Albert (Days 4 and 5) to explore this small town, which was the epicentre of the Battle of the Somme. The Somme 1916 Museum, housed in an underground shelter that once served as an air-raid shelter, immerses visitors in the tunnels of the time and recounts the daily lives of soldiers during the First World War. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebières, with its golden Virgin Mary at the top, is the town’s other landmark. In the evening, Albert’s cafés and restaurants offer a welcome moment of calm after an emotionally charged day.

Normandie Rando transfers your luggage between each stage throughout your stay. The base camp format simplifies logistics: 2 nights in Corbie (Days 2 and 3) and 2 nights in Albert (Days 4 and 5), with just two main luggage transfers. On Day 5, a 15-minute taxi transfer takes you from Albert to Pozières for the start of the walk. GPX tracks and a mobile navigation app guide you along each route. Detailed explanations and advice from the team round off the package. You walk light, carrying just a small rucksack.

Amiens is accessible by train from Paris Gare du Nord in 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, with several daily departures. Partner hotels are a 10-minute walk from the station, next to the cathedral and the Saint-Leu district. Free public parking is available if you are travelling by car. On the return journey from Albert, a train to Paris (with a change at Arras) takes around 2 to 2½ hours. A taxi from Albert to Arras allows you to catch a direct TGV to Paris. If you need to collect your car in Amiens, a direct train from Albert to Amiens takes just 25 minutes.

The price includes 5 nights’ accommodation in hotels with breakfasts featuring fresh, local produce, daily luggage transfers between each stage, a taxi transfer on Day 5, GPX tracks, access to the mobile navigation app and detailed route descriptions with tips. Calculated per night, this works out at €124 per person all-inclusive: accommodation, breakfast, taxi transfer, luggage logistics and guiding. For a 6-day trip covering Amiens (UNESCO cathedral), Villers-Bretonneux (Australian memorial), the Somme battlefields, Pozières, Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel, this is a fair price for such a rich experience.

The Standard package offers 3-star hotels: Le Prieuré in Amiens, Hôtel La Caroline in Corbie and Hôtel de la Basilique in Albert. The Comfort package upgrades to 4-star accommodation: the Mercure Cathédrale in Amiens (opposite the cathedral), the Boutique Hôtel Le Macassar in Corbie and Le Royal Picardie in Albert. The €310 difference is spread over 5 nights, amounting to approximately €62 more per night. During an emotionally intense stay, the quality of the surroundings and rest directly contributes to your well-being. Waking up facing Amiens Cathedral at the Mercure, or in the refined setting of the Macassar in Corbie, adds a dimension of comfort that allows you to approach each day of remembrance in the best possible conditions.

No. The rate is the same all year round, from March to November, with no surcharge. Departures are available every day. For groups of four or more, a discount of €30 per person applies. If you prefer to carry your own luggage, a discount of €60 per person is available (not combinable with the group discount). The absence of a high-season surcharge is a significant advantage, particularly around 25 April (ANZAC Day) when demand is high.

The tour runs from March to November, with daily departures. 25 April (ANZAC Day) is the most symbolic date, featuring the dawn service in Villers-Bretonneux which attracts visitors from all over the world. Spring (April–May) offers fields of poppies across the former battlefields and soft light on the memorials. 1 July marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme (1916). Autumn brings golden light and a contemplative atmosphere. Apart from these symbolic dates, each season lends a different tone to the atmosphere of remembrance. Accommodation around Villers-Bretonneux and Albert fills up quickly around 25 April. Booking in advance is strongly recommended.

Fill in a quote request directly on the tour page. The Normandie Rando team will contact you to tailor your tour: choice of accommodation package, departure dates (particularly to time the trip to coincide with ANZAC Day if desired), an extra night in Amiens or Albert, and any other adjustments. You can also call 02 31 65 74 08 for a personalised discussion. The quote request is free and non-binding. It is the first step towards walking in the footsteps of the Diggers, between the canals of the Somme and the hills of Pozières, in a tribute that combines walking, nature and the memory of those who came from the other side of the world to defend freedom.