Private WWII Alsace Memorial Tour from Colmar (private)
About this activity
Highlights
- See the new Alsace-Moselle WWII Memorial Museum
- Visit Natzwiller-Struthof concentration camp
- Carefully Selected English-Speaking Guides; Local Experts.
Full description
In the morning, we will come and pick you up at your centrally located accommodation in Colmar. First, meet your English speaking driver/guide that will be with you through the day. You will go over the itinerary and program but please note as this is a private full day tour, we can be flexible and adapt the tour to your wishes. Then, board your air conditioned vehicle and begin your private tour.
After the tour, return to Colmar and end of our services.
The Alsace-Moselle Memorial is the result of regional desire and effort. It attempts to explain the complicated history of Alsace and Moselle, particularly during the time of the Second World War. From 1940 to 1945, Alsace and Moselle were the only areas of the French territory to be annexed by the Third Reich and to experience the extreme violence of a totalitarian regime. The agony cannot be understood without retracing the historical steps of a region long disputed by France and Germany, whose culture is richer today because of this long struggle. This place offers a history lesson available to all, and teaches the necessity to unite Europeans in their diversity and in the respect and dignity of every person in order to offer them peace and freedom. Here you will enjoy a visit and then some free time for personal discovery.
After the visit of the Memorial, your tour guide will certainly have you follow the Alsace wine route that is lined with medieval castles, small towns and breathtaking views of the valley and the Vosges Mountains. To make your private tour a great experience, your driver/guide will certainly indicate a highly recommended local restaurant of the region for lunch. It is also possible to stop at one of the many vineyards to visit wineries or participate in a wine tasting session.
Then Reach the Natzweiler-Struthof Concentration Camp After lunch, we will take you to the Struthof Camp where you will be able to follow a walking tour with an excellent guide. On 21 April 1941, near the village of Struthof, the Nazis opened a concentration camp, KL-Natzweiler. The central camp, the only concentration camp in France, was located in the then annexed Alsace region. Its annexes, scattered over the 2 sides of the Rhine, made up a network of nearly 70 camps, more or less large.
Of the nearly 52,000 detainees of KL-Natzeiler, about 35,000 did not go through the central camp. A labor camp supporting the Nazi war industry, it was also used for medical experiments by Nazi professors from the Reich University of Strasbourg. On 23 November 1944, the Allies discovered the site evacuated by the Nazis since September. Some deportees from the camp annexes had their sufferings prolonged in the spring of 1945 on the “Death Marches”. From 1941 to 1945, the KL-Natzweiler was one of the most murderous camps of the Nazi system. Nearly 22,000 deportees died there.
Included / Excluded
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Colmar.
- English-speaking driver & guide.
- Travel in recent, comfortable & fully equipped A/C minivan.
- Bottled water in the minivan.
- Free WiFi access on board.
- Personal insurance and expenses.
- Meals and drinks.
- Entrance fees to monuments, museums, attractions.
- Gratuities for the driver/guide.
Meeting point
Start Location
Colmar, France
Important information
Know before you book
- Tour is operated in English, other languages on request.
- Tour requires minimum 2 passengers (adults) to operate.
- Tour is not recommended for persons with reduced mobility.
- Prices are per minivan (not per person)
Know before you go
- Tour involves some walking, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
- Currency is in Euros.
- Please be ready 10 minutes before arrival time
Cancellation policy
Up to 48 hours before the beginning of the activity: full refund Less than 48 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund
Reviews
We had a very fun day with Matt to Mont Saint-Mitchel. Matt is an excellent tour guide & he cared for his clients very much. He's an on time person. We learned a lot about the history of Saint-Mitchel via Matt. He made sure we have enough time browsing this beautiful UNESCO. We definitely recommend friends & family this tour. Thank you Matt
Pascal was, above all, a smiling whirlwind of energy from the very start — bursting with knowledge, passion, and just the right amount of dramatic flair. He painted the horror of the Omaha Beach invasion so vividly that we could practically hear the chaos, then marched us through the bunkers at Pointe du Hoc like we were on a mission ourselves. And before we even caught our breath, he had already catapulted us back to Bayeux at invasion speed. A legend in tour‑guide form. Thanks from Croatian Team😉
Our Normandy D-Day tour was well worth it and we so enjoyed our tour guide Matt. He made the tour engaging, entertaining and informative. The tour was just the right size and a half day was perfect for us. It would have been much harder to get around to the sites and understand each without the information that Matt was constantly sharing. There was hardly a time that Matt was not telling us what/how/when of what we were looking at. Thanks Matt!
Additional information
• Tour is in English. Other languages on request.
• Available from April to October.
• Not available: May 1
