Planning your trip

Visit travel outside Canada for helpful information on health and safety, travel documents, travelling with children and more.

Registration of Canadians abroad – a free service to help the Government of Canada notify you in case of a critical issue where you are traveling or to reach you when there is a family-related emergency back home.

We recommend you contact a tour provider, a travel agent or search tourism websites for the area you will be visiting, such as:

• Explore Arras
• Tourism Lens-Lievin
• Pas-de-Calais Tourism
• Visit Somme
• Visit Amiens
• Visit Flanders

Dress for the weather

You will be spending the majority of your time outside.

Choose the right footwear

Whether you are visiting a cemetery, a monument or visiting a large memorial site, you will be walking. Conditions vary, so be prepared for uneven ground and wet or frozen turf.

Pack snacks and water

There are no food services available at any of the Government of Canada or Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites. However, the visitor centre at the Vimy memorial has some vending machines with snacks and beverages.

Can I leave a memento?

You can leave personal items at a monument or on a headstone in a war cemetery, but please do not attach anything as this can cause damage.

Please do not remove a memento

Flags, wreaths, photos or other items placed on memorials or graves should be left alone. They have significance to someone.

If you are interested in tracing the path of an individual or regiment, these resources may be of assistance:

• How to obtain copies of military service records
• Library and Archives Canada: Military Heritage (includes databases, research guides and virtual exhibitions)
• The Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the First World War
• Liberation Route Europe
• Visitor centre – Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Arras, France

If you are searching for a grave or memorial for someone who died in service, consult the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to find where they are buried or commemorated.

Visitor centre – Vimy

Learn about the monument and about the sacrifices and contributions made by Canadians during the First World War.

Bulletin board

Find visitor centre hours of operation, contact information, and notices about events or maintenance at Government of Canada memorials in Europe.

FAQs

Find answers to common questions about visiting memorials in Europe.

The eight Canadian battlefield memorials

Many Canadians gave their lives in Europe during the First World War. These battlefield memorial sites commemorate their sacrifice.

The Trail of the Caribou – the Royal Newfoundland Regiment memorials

Following the First World War, five battlefield memorials were built in France and Belgium to commemorate Newfoundland’s accomplishments, contributions and sacrifices during the First World War.