The Somme battlefields | The Chemin des Dames | The Armistice Clearing

The fascinating World War 1 museum built into the old ramparts at Péronne - the Historial de la Grande Guerre - is a great starting point when investigating the history of the area. The museum presents a careful analysis of the events leading to the Great War, and depicts the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary people too. Material on display represents all the key actors in the conflict with special emphasis on the British and the Commonwealth. It is the true life of a young British soldier that is personally recounted in the film on show at the Historial.

The "Musée des Abris-Somme 1916", in Albert, must not be missed. The town was the refuge of the British rearguard and the museum is located in a tunnel which was converted into an air raid shelter in 1939. The museum recreates the life of the Tommy in the trenches in the July 1916 German offensive. From there, too, you can start your visit to the surrounding numerous war memorials and cemeteries; an excellent and fully self-explanatory booklet is available in English with brief descriptions so you can select how much you wish to see of the monuments and battlefields of the Somme.