WW1 Sites - Where best to base camp?
 

We will be picking car up at CDG and heading towards Amiens to visit some of the WW1 battle sites and cemeteries before heading on to Normandy. Am thinking we will need a bed somewhere for 3 nights to give us a decent amount of time to look around - we especially want to visit Villers Bretonneux.
Would Amiens be the best base or something smaller and easier to navigate?

Thanks

Amiens is small and easy to navigate.
If us a town not a city. Smaller is a village.
Amiens is quite nice. Don't forget to visit the water gardens. Called hortillonages.

We stayed in Amiens for 3 nights to go to Villers Bretonneux, then we stayed 3 nights in Lille as we wanted to go to Fromelles. Really enjoyed both towns.

We stayed in the Ibis Hotel Amiens and found it very convenient. It's an easy walk from there to the main eating areas in the evening.Depending on the time of year you are there, the Cathedral has a most spectacular sound and light show each evening. It runs through twice; first in French then repeats in English.

Make sure you have good directions to get you to Villers Bretonneux - we found it a bit trick first time around (without a GPS).

Have you visited a WW1 memorial before? If not, I can give a few hints to make it easier for you. Also, if are going to pay respects to a particular soldier, you can find out his place of death from the Australian records before you go.

Turns out my great-uncle was killed in the field directly opposite the memorial.

I am guessing you are Australian as you are visiting Villiers Bretonneux. We visited in 2012 and it is a very moving experience. We did not have a relative to find, but our elderly neighbour had an uncle who was named on the memorial , one of thousands who have no known grave, so that was our person to find.
There is also more recent Australian memorial at nearby Le Hamel [ not to be confused with Beaumont le Hamel which is also interesting ]. We found this an interesting memorial as well. It has lots of info and is in a lovely position in among the wheat fields.
Pozieres is also a place to visit. Make sure you get a photo of the "digger" at the town sign. Then go on to the nearby small memorial to Mouquet Farm by the side of the road. This was a significant battle where thousands [ including our neighbour's uncle] of Australian soldiers died.
We spent a week in the region and as we drove around, chanced on several other small Australian memorials to various regiments . There are so many cemeteries and memorials, including a large German cemetery with men who were also husbands, fathers, sons and brothers. Makes you really think about the futility of war.
Bon voyage.

Amiens is a very good base for what you are doing.

Do you have the Major and Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guides?

Major and Mrs Holt's Concise Guide Western Front South - http://amzn.to/1J4Yyq7

Major & Mrs. Holt's Concise Illustrated Battlefield Guide - The Western Front - North: 100th Anniversary Edition - http://amzn.to/1J4YHcX

Major & Mrs. Holt's Battlefield Guide to the Somme - http://amzn.to/1Ok7CGo

Major & Mrs. Holt's Definitive Battlefield Guide to the D-Day Normandy Landing Beaches - http://amzn.to/1Ok7K8O

etc.

They are great resources and I highly recommend them.

For Australians, an excellent reference book is 'Walking With The Anzacs' by Mat McLachlan. Di