Lions Mound
Apsley House
Waterloo Panorama
Lion's Hillock
Hougoumont
Battle of Waterloo
Grand Place, Brussels
Wellington’s Apsley House, No. 1 London
Wellington Museum in Waterloo and site of British field hospital, Mont St Jean Farm
All key Waterloo battle site and museums
Two entertaining talks from military historian, Julian Humphrys
This exciting tour which starts in London before heading to Belgium tells the story of two gigantic characters in British and French history – the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte. The battle on Sunday 18 June 1815 was the decisive engagement of the Waterloo campaign which saw Wellington return a hero and Napoleon abdicate four days later. It was, according to Wellington, "the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life.” Explore the history of both key protagonists in the company of acclaimed and entertaining historian, Julian Humphrys.
Available Departures |
From |
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| 25 - April - 2025 | £ 1350.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings St Pancras Departing: 25th April 2025 at 15:04 Returning: 28th April 2025 at 14:52 |
Day 1: Apsley House and Eurostar to Brussels.
We meet this morning at Number One, London, Apsley House at Hyde Park Corner, the London home of the first Duke of Wellington, whose glittering interior has changed very little since the Battle of Waterloo. Bags will be stored on board our coach during the visit which will then transfer us to St Pancras for afternoon Eurostar to Brussels. Transfer to hotel for three-night stay with welcome drink, lecture from Julian, “The Scum of the earth: Wellington's Army” and dinner with wine at the hotel.
Day 2: Wellington Museum, Mont St Jean Farm and free time in Brussels.
A morning that looks at the battle from the English perspective as we visit the Wellington Museum in Waterloo and Napoleon’s last HQ at the Ferme de Caillou, where he spent the night of the 17th June 1815, houses a series of artefacts including his camp bed and funeral mask. This afternoon is free to spend in Brussels at leisure and for some personal exploration. Second lecture this evening, “Emperor in exile: Napoleon on St Helena,” and dinner with wine at the hotel.
Day 3: Hougoumont Farm, Lion’s Mound, Panorama, 1815 Memorial, and Napoleon’s Last Headquarters.
A full day exploring the history of the battle, visiting key sites, viewpoints and memorials, as well as Mont St Jean Farm, which acted as the British field hospital, all brought vividly to life by your knowledgeable, enthusiastic and entertaining host, Julian Humphrys. Visit of Placenoit before returning to Brussels. Evening free in Brussels.
Day 4: Free time before return Eurostar to St Pancras.
Morning guided walking tour to show you the highlights of our host city and EU capital, Brussels. The rest of the day is at leisure before transferring to the station for the Eurostar to St Pancras.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.
Tour Grading: This tour has been graded as demanding due to the amount of time spent on foot, lots of standing for viewing, and uneven terrain. There is extensive walking and standing for viewing each day, especially on Day 3. Please visit the mobility page of our website for further information, or call our team if you have any questions prior to booking.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
PLEASE NOTE: As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages.Trollies are available at St Pancras and Lille, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
Marivaux Hotel, Brussels
Located 500 metres from the historic Grand Place on elegant Boulevard Adolphe Max, the four-star Marivaux is converted from an old cinema and is the perfect base for this tour. Facilities include lounge, restaurant “Meatme, ” small gym and very comfortable cinema-themed rooms with all modern amenities. Please note the hotel restaurant is closed on a Sunday evening.
Pre-tour accommodation is available at the Premier Inn, London Kings Cross St Pancras, about a 5 minutes walk from St Pancras International, at an approximate rate of £120 per room. Bookings can be made direct with the hotel on 0871 527 8672 or visit their website.
Your Guide
Julian Humphrys
Julian read history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, has worked at historical sites both in Britain and overseas and is now a trustee of the Battlefields Trust and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has a very infectious enthusiasm for history and has published numerous books on castles and battles. He currently leads more than a dozen tours for Travel Editions and imparts his extraordinary historical knowledge with wit and panache, making a tour led by him both an educational and entertaining experience.
Review by Fulton who travelled 21-April-2023
Review by Hall who travelled 21-April-2023
A very good tour and the guest lecturer was excellent. The only complaint was that the hotel restaurant and bar were not open on the Sunday night which was the one night we were expected to make our own arrangement for eating. Unfortunately the tour manager seemed unaware of this and had advised everyone that they could have a meal in the hotel that night. Given that we were all tired and it was raining I think many would have preferred to eat in the hotel.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 21-April-2023
This was a fascinating tour. Julian Humphreys is a mine of information which he imparts in an interesting and entertaining way. My understanding of the battle is now much deeper having heard Julian and seen the locations for myself. However, the tour would have benefited from being on different days of the week, as the free time on Monday morning was rather frustrating - all museums and galleries were closed. The hotel was situated a short walk from Grand Place but somewhat marred by the extensive roadworks right outside. Hopefully by next year the revamp of the boulevard will be complete! The hotel interior is rather dark, mainly because it has been converted from an old cinema and many of the windows look out onto a wall a few feet away. However it was clean, the bed was comfortable and the staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. No evening meal was provided on the Sunday evening and it transpired that the hotel dining room isn't open on Sundays - bizarre and very inconvenient, although reception staff recommended a group of us to try a nearby fish restaurant, and we ended up having a very nice meal. Just a shame we had to walk through the rain to get there after a long day out! (Useful tip - bottled water is exorbitantly expensive in Brussels - 8.50 euros for a l.5 litre bottle for the table! Tap water is never available, apparently.) As a vegetarian, I found the hotel dinners somewhat lacking as the chef seems to think that vegetarians only eat vegetables (eg, when the main dish was chicken and veg, I only received veg - so stock up on protein snacks to top up your energy.) These considerations apart, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the period.
Review by Shewell who travelled 21-April-2023
Julian certainly knew about Waterloo he was so full of information. The best tour we have done so far with travel editions.
Review by Baker who travelled 21-April-2023
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Julian, as usual, was the fount of all knowledge while Karen was tirelessly rounding us up and keeping us under control. Looking forward to my next trip.
Review by Hawkes who travelled 21-April-2023
Extremely enjoyable tour but the joining instructions were useless: there were 2 coach parking areas - at the opposite ends of Park Lane!!!
Review by West who travelled 31-October-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 31-October-2019
