Arnhem – A Bridge Too Far – Battlefield Tour

In this full day (8 hours) battlefield tour, we will be looking at the 1st Airborne Division & 1st Polish Para Brigade. In the morning we will look at the attempt to seize the road bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. In the afternoon we will focus on the battles in and around Oosterbeek and their eventual withdrawal across the Rhine.

This tour will start at the landing zones where we will talk about the landings and the plans to capture the bridge at Arnhem. Then we will follow the men of the Recce Squadron and their ill-fated mission to capture the bridge with their Jeeps, this includes a stop at the tunnel (culvert) under the railway near Wolfheze.

Then we’ll look at the area around the Utrechtseweg where part of the 1st Airborne division tried to break through to the bridge but were stopped by a German blocking line. Our last visit in the morning is the John Frost bridge where we will discuss the capture, their heroic defense and famous last stand of the 2nd Battalion.

Then we will drive to Oosterbeek for a hearty lunch.

After lunch we will visit the Ginkel Heath where the 4th Brigade landed after which we will follow their route of march from the DZ to their almost total destruction as a unit.

Our next stop is the Westerbouwing heights, a hill overlooking and dominating the Rhine River. The loss of this hill and nearby ferry site made reinforcing the perimeter almost impossible. This led to the eventual evacuation and the end of Operation Market Garden. That will be discussed at the Church near the Rhine, which was also of vital importance during the siege of Oosterbeek.

Our final stop will be to pay our respects at the War Cemetery where we will walk among the graves and remember their sacrifice.

Arnhem tour itinerary

This tour begins at 09:00h at the Arnhem railway station and we will visit the following locations:

Drop and landing zones near Wolfheze
Ambush site of the Reconnaissance Squadron
Battles of the division to get to the bridge
The battle for the road bridge in Arnhem
Lunch
Ginkel Heath where the 4th Parachute Brigade landed
Oosterbeek perimeter
Westerbouwing heights
Oosterbeek Old Church
Oosterbeek war cemetery

This tour takes around 8 hours and ends around 17:00h (5PM) at the Arnhem railway station.

Please note that a visit to the museum is not part of the tour. Please let me know if you want to visit the museum so we can arrange this as part of the tour, the entrance to the museum is not included in the price of the tour.

Languages

This tour is available in English and in Dutch.

Pricing

We have a flat fee price for our tours:

Price for a full day private tour for 1 to 4 persons including transportation is €480.
For 5-8 persons I have to charge €650 to cover the rent of a large minivan.
Lunch and museum entrance is not included in the price.
For a group of more than 8 persons please visit my Groups page