100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge

Great info! I gotta dodge April though. It all helps when I go later in June for other stuff though.
Must remember the info

That's great Bruce. Lieven is so nice and there is quite a few English speaking people. I'm sorta envious Bruce you will see the new welcome centre. It's still under construction but our guide told us yesterday it will be done for he 100th.

Only disappointment I have had is the tunnel with the carved names in the wall is closed and still being researched. Really wanted to see the names and unit crests/badges

Great advice teen.

I booked my hotel in Lievin at hotelF1 Lens Lievin on Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc, Lievin, 62800, France, phone:  +33891705273 from April 8th to April 10th for a total of 96 euros.  Lievin is only 21km from Arras so getting to the Vimy Memorial won't be a problem.  I've stayed in Arras in the past when visiting Vimy, but you gave me the idea to stay in Lievin and that gave me the idea that it leaves a room available in Arras, hopefully for an older veteran and or their family.

More help

Google WOW airlines before you book a flight to France. They are cheap but very comfortable.

There is a hotel,(B&B Hotels small room but comfy bed good washroom free wifi and tv), in Lievin which is about a 15 minute drive to the memorial. 55 euros for 2 a night, right now. Lievin is also about an 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours from Ypres.

Flanders Field museum and Menin gate are in town. Tyne Cot cemetery (largest commonwealth cemetery in the world), Essex Farm (John McRae first aid post), Passchendale museum, Brooding Soldier is all within 20 minutes of Ypres.

The locals are prepared for the anniversary so in Lievin there is most likely going to be shuttles. For Newfoundlanders Beaumont Hamel is an hour from Lievin.

If you are going to come get your name into the que like Bruce said and book online NOW. I used WOW airlines and Booking.com for my trip and have not been disappointed yet. The only negative thing is the cost of renting an automatic is high but standard is cheaper. One more thing use the GPS option for car rental. If the GPS does not accept the street name you can use the GPS co-ordinates to get to where you want to go.

I cannot emphasize enough to book now. In 2014 there was 3 travel companies that bought every room available within 100 kms of Vimy. So hopefully you can get your flights and rooms booked before they take them all.

Here is the website for the French train system.

http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers

If staying in Paris, there is an 0830hrs train that takes approximately 2 hours to get to Arras and is about 30 euros.  Arras to the Vimy Memorial by taxi is another 15 minutes on a good day at approximately 40 euros, but security is going to be thick, and there may be buses at a staging point that shuttle people part of the way.

Tx for that info Bruce.
I'm planning outside the window.

If anyone plans to attend the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 2017 in France, there is a website with need to know information, that will be updated accordingly.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/vimy-ridge/100-anniversary

I have visited the Vimy memorial three times and plan to attend next year. There is a requirement for security purposes, that you must contact the Federal Government and give notice of your intentions. Also, accommodation in Arras will soon be booked solid, so don't hesitate to contact hotel owners. One other option is to stay in Lille or Paris and rent a car or take the train to Arras on Apr 9th, keeping in mind you'll only be allowed to get so close to Vimy with a car.