Paris-Amiens for Somme tour
 

Enquiring on behalf of a work colleague who is booked to do a tour of the Somme battlefields from Amiens in November. She arrives in Paris Gare-du-Nord via Eurostar from London. Other than hiring a car, what is best way of getting to Amiens and back?

Somewhere I started another (reworded) thread on this topic, because this thread had attracted no answers. However, that thread has disappeared. I knew threads were prone to do that when new, but I had always been told that if I typed my screen name in the search panel all my threads would come up. I have now discovered this is not the case - despite typing "twoflower" in, the missing thread is still hidden!

But to add to my above, I have since heard that rail services go to Amiens from Paris Gare-de-Lyons. Is this true? It surprises me - because of Amiens direction I'd have expected Gare du Nord. Also I understand one can get to Amiens by train from Lille. As this traveller is coming from London on the Eurostar, that might be a better option.

Has anyone done these Somme tours? Any remarks on how good they are?

twoflower -- I'm sorry, I can't help with your question. However, regarding your other problem -- if you click on your screen name (upper left-hand corner or in a message), all your previous posts will be listed.

The train from Amiens leaves from Paris-Nord, as you correctly surmise.

Have a look at www.sncf.com - and click on the English flag for the English language version.

Train times vary from just over an hour to about 1.75 hours. I didn't look at prices. Eurostar goes to Lille, so I had a look at connections from there. There appears to be a couple of options, which may or may not be quicker.

I can't say about the quality of tours, as we toured the area by car 3 years ago. The graves and memorials are very impressive. I did notice some very large tour groups going around the traps.

I guess you had little response to this question because very few Americans visit this area - mostly British, Canadians and Australians (and French and Germans, of course) were involved in this part of the war. The Canadian / Newfoundland memorial (can't remember where it was), was very moving.

I hope your colleague enjoys the place (I guess "have fun" is not an appropriate wish)

That should read : The train FOR Amiens"....

One of these days I'll take more water with it!

Margo Oz: Thanks for that. So much for Amiens' own publicity website - that's where (under "how to get here") I got the Gare-de-Lyons information. I'll check out the site you gave me.

Yes, I guess even for Australians and New Zealanders, it's all a bit remote and long-ago. I must say I wasn't much interested myself (but I've visited the more recent Normandy & Gallipoli landing sites) until I read a very vivid book set in the Somme - "Birdsong" by Sebastian Faulkes.

For anyone who is interested, the tour company my friend is looking at specialises in small group tours of 6 people. They also do a tour from Limoges based round the sites operated in by Violette Szabo the Anglo/French agent captured and killed by the Nazis, and played by Virginia McKenna in that excellent old movie "Carve Her Name With Pride." This tour also takes in Oradour-sur-Glane which I haven't been to but hope to visit on my way to the Dordogne next year.

Amiens is a lovely city and easy to get to from both Lille and Paris. From the Eurostar station at Lille you need to change stations (they're about a 5 mins. walk apart - easy) and catch a train to Amiens (often its the same train that goes to Rouen). The journey takes about an hour. From Paris its definitely via Gard du Nord - the trains are frequent (about every hour) and most take about an hour (the long train is the local commuting option and worth avoiding!). As for the WW1 sites I would recommend hiring a car for a couple of days - there's so much to see and really the only way to get around easily is in a car. While you're in the area can I recomment a great little place to stay called Le Macassar (small luxury private inn that we cant stop raving about!!)