In this tour, we will follow the footsteps of the 1st Airborne Division & 1st Polish Para Brigade in their struggle to take the bridges across the Rhine at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden.
This tour will start at the landing zones and will first 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 under the railway near Wolfheze.
Our next stop is the Ginkel Heath where the 4th Brigade landed after which we will follow their route of march for a while. We will then take the direct route to the John Frost bridge where we will discuss their heroic defense and famous last stand.
We will then look at the area where the rest of the 1st Airborne division tried to break through to the bridge but were stopped by a German blocking line. We will follow the Airbornes on their retreat back towards Oosterbeek along the lower Rhine road before parking near the Hartenstein Airborne Museum where we will go for a walk around the area and take a look at some of the material on display outside the museum.
Our next stop will be 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 which lead to the eventual evacuation and the end of Operation Market Garden. That will be discussed at the Church near the Rhine, which was also repeatedly attacked during the siege.
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
- Drop and landing zones near Renkum
- Ambush site of the Reconnaissance Squadron
- Ginkel Heath where the 4th Parachute Brigade landed
- The battle for the road bridge in Arnhem
- Battles of the division to get to the bridge
- Oosterbeek perimeter near Hartenstein HQ
- Westerbouwing heights
- Oosterbeek Church
- Oosterbeek war cemetery
This tour takes around 8 hours. 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.
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 €450.
- For 5-8 persons I have to charge €620 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
