France Guide
The north
The Somme battlefields
Some of the fiercest and most futile battles of World War I took place around Arras and Albert. The beautiful town of Arras, easily accessible from Paris and Lille by TGV, is the best base for exploring the battlefields. Nearby to the north, at Vimy Ridge, Canadians fell in their thousands, while at Notre-Dame de Lorette, the French suffered the same fate; the battlefields and cemeteries of the Somme lie to the south, around Albert and Péronne.