The U-Boat War: The Real Das Boot

The U-Boat War: The Real Das Boot

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tourhub | Leger Holidays | The U-Boat War: The Real Das Boot | gub
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7 Days From

$1219

The U-Boat War: The Real Das Boot

7 Days Starting in belgium and ending in Belgium

Visiting: Belgium, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Kiel

Tour operator:

Leger Holidays

Tour code:

gub

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Physical rating:

Low

Age range:

0-99

Special diets catered:

Vegetarians

Tour operated in:
English
From:
$1219

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NB: Prices correct on 10-Jun-2024 but subject to change.

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Tour Overview

German U-Boats were active from the very beginning of the war but took on a vital role during the Battle of the Atlantic when fleets of them were used to try and destroy Allied shipping: their story has been retold in the classic war film Das Boot. The cost of war for both crews and boats was high, with more than 28,000 German submariners being killed. This tour looks at the original U-Boat bases around Bremen, and you even get to go inside two U-Boats!

Highlights

  • Visit the German Naval Museum, which tells the story of the war at sea from bases here in two World Wars

  • Also look at the Allied bombing of the port, including the first RAF raid on Germany on 4th September 1939, seeing the fascinating Bunker Museum

  • Visit the church in Wilhelmshaven which contains memorials to the U-Boat crews who died in the war

  • See the Ehrenfriedhof, the military cemetery of Wilhelmshaven, that contains U-Boat memorials and also the crew of a U-Boat lost in 1940.

Itinerary

Expand All

Day 1 : Arrive In Belgium Or Holland

Location: Belgium

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: City-style hotels

Meals Included: No Meals

Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to Belgium or Holland for an overnight stay.

Day 2 : Continue To Bremen

Location: Bremen

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 4-star standard Dorint City Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

We continue to Bremen for four nights. En route we stop at Deventer for lunch, and also to discuss the 1945 battles in the Netherlands, which involved ground troops from the German Kriegsmarine. We also see the road bridge here which was used as Arnhem Bridge in the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’.

Day 3 : Wilhelmshaven

Location: Wilhelmshaven

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 4-star standard Dorint City Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

We start the tour in the Wilhelmshaven area and start at a huge air raid bunker on the site of one of the original U-Boat barracks, We then visit the German Naval Museum, which tells the story of the war at sea from bases here in two World Wars. We also look at the Allied bombing of the port, including the first RAF raid on Germany on 4th September 1939, seeing the fascinating Bunker Museum. Afterwards we visit the church in Wilhelmshaven which contains memorials to the U-Boat crews who died in the war. Later we see the Ehrenfriedhof, the military cemetery of Wilhelmshaven, that contains U-Boat memorials and also the crew of a U-Boat lost in 1940.

Day 4 : Kiel

Location: Kiel

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 4-star standard Dorint City Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Today we have an early start and travel to Kiel, from where the famous Kiel Canal was constructed before WW1 to take German shipping into the North Sea in the Naval Arms Race of that period. Here we see the massive Laboe Naval Memorial, the U-Boat Museum where you can go inside an original WW2 period U-Boat U-995 that has been brought onto dry land, getting an insight into how the crews lived. We then visit the U–Boat crew’s memorial which lists the name of every sailor who died at sea in a U-Boat and commemorates their 30,000 dead. We also look at the bombing here during WW2 and visit the British Bomber Command graves in Kiel War Cemetery.

Day 5 : Bremen

Location: Bremen

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 4-star standard Dorint City Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

In Bremen we look at the U-Boat bases and a massive concrete bunker, which was built to act as a factory building German U-Boats. Allied bombing stopped this and now it is open as a visitors centre. Later we travel to Bremerhaven and see the Wilhelm Bauer U-Boat Museum. Here we see a salvaged 1944 U-Boat which was later restored for training purposes and serves as a superb example of what life in a WW2 U-Boat was like. We then visit Fort Kugelbake at Cuxhaven, which was part of the defences of this region and was used in WW2. Mines were a great part of the war at sea, and clearing them up after WW2 was a big problem. We end with a look at this story during our visit to Cuxhaven where we see the memorial to the deminers who cleared the seas and paid a high price.

Day 6 : Return To Belgium

Location: Belgium

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: City-style hotels

Meals Included: Breakfast

We return to Belgium for an overnight stay. En route we stop at Sage War Cemetery to visit the graves of RAF crew killed in the attack on Wilhelmshaven and then continue to Nijmegen for our lunchtime with an opportunity to see Nijmegen Bridge and the visitor’s centre: Kriegsmarine divers attacked the bridges here in 1944.

Day 7 : Return Home

Location: Belgium

Meals Included: Breakfast

Return home.

What's Included

  • Accommodation

    As detailed in the itinerary

  • Additional Services

    Travel from a wide range of convenient joining points across the UK is included within your coach holiday price; some carry a supplement. Please contact us for our full list of joining points.

  • Airport Transfers at Destination

    This trip includes coach travel from/to a local UK joining point

  • Fully Guided

  • International Travel

  • Meals

    As detailed in the itinerary

  • Transport

    Comfortable, air-conditioned motorcoach

What's Not Included

Accommodation

You will stay for four nights at the 4-star standard Dorint City Hotel Bremen (formerly the Swissotel Bremen), which is located in the heart of the city. Within walking distance of the charming market square, the hotel’s central location also offers a magnificent view over Bremen’s former city wall. Enjoy the excellent buffet breakfast served in the hotel and all guests have complimentary access to the Purovel Sport fitness centre, with sauna and steam bath. Overnight stays in Belgium or Holland will be in city-style hotels.

Check out our Q&As

  • What type of coach will be used?

    You will travel on either our Luxuria Coach or our Silver Service Coach

  • Is there any free time to explore places during the tour?

    As detailed in the itinerary

  • What is the fitness level required to do this tour?

    Low

  • Is there a supplement for solo travellers?

    Some tours carry a supplement for solo travellers, please ask for details if the Single price is not shown

  • Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?

    No

  • Is the tour coach air conditioned?

    Yes

  • Is there a limit to luggage that can be brought on the tour?

    On Leger Coach Holidays, your allowance is one medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full.

  • Will there be an escort accompanying this tour?

    Fully escorted by our experienced drivers/crews. And in most towns and cities we either include or offer optional sightseeing tours with expert local guides to help you get the most from your visits.

  • Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?

    Yes

  • Will I know the names and details of all the accommodation before I depart?

    Yes

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    40 years

  • Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?

    Sole use of your own room on all Single Traveller holidays: means you still get your privacy and time out from the group.

  • Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?

    Yes

  • Battlefield Tours - Will it be possible to visit a particular cemetery whilst on the tour?

    Please contact us and we will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.

  • What policies are in place for Covid-19?

    Please contact us for latest Covid-19 policies

Reviews of this operator

Gary White (Google Reviewer)  

Just got back from a...

27-May-2024

Just got back from a holiday with leger holidays to callea spain which my wife done as a surprise for my 60th and wedding anniversary together my wife and i had a great time the coach journey there was excellent regular stops for toilet breaks and a stretch. Our two drivers Geoff and katrina were brilliant serving regular drinks and making the trip pleasant all the people on the coach were pleasant the hotel in spain was so nice the best we've stayed in lovely staff lovely bar the guy at the bar was great really friendly nice room. Overall our journey there and our return journey was brill the only thing that was not good at all was the ibis hotel on the return journey the room was horrible not a nice breakfast not polite French staff. Not really interested in trying to speak some english if i was leger should try and use a different hotel. Once again a big thank you to Geoff and katrina well done guys for making our holiday lovely. Hope to see you on another holiday soon

Will (Google Reviewer)  

I went on the 4...

05-Jan-2024

I went on the 4 countries trip and swiss glacier express and overall it was a great trip. The coach I was on was silver service, it was tidy had nice seats and other accessories such as charging points and headsets which was very handy. The drivers Alex and Dave were fantastic, very kind, funny and respectful throughout the whole trip and a pleasure to talk to. The excursions were very pleasant and all ran very smoothly. The hotels were decent and offered a good service. I overall very much recommend leger holidays.

Sally Matson  

Excellent customer service

10-Jan-2023

Booked our ‘Christmas in Austria & Scenic Trains of the Tyrol’ through George on the customer Helpline. Nothing was too much trouble, everything clearly & patiently explained. He even had permission to log in on his day off to finalise the sale! A charming and helpful young person and a credit to the company.

Euan Donald (Google Reviewer)  

Been on two tours now...

10-Oct-2023

Been on two tours now the “D Day beaches” and “ All Quiet on the Western Front” tour of the Somme and Ypres. Both four days in total, two travelling and two on the site of the various battles. This is outstanding value for money, picked up from Carlisle , Cumbria and literally looked after all the way through the tours. The coaches are great and the accommodation spot on . The guides are very knowledgeable ( Mark Hope brilliant guy)and the bus drivers professional . Absolutely fantastic .

Sue Sinfield (Google Reviewer)  

Due to covid it was...

21-Jul-2022

Due to covid it was 3rd time lucky for us to visit lake Garda, what a treat. One or two hiccups but no fault of Legers at all. Praise to Graham and Chris for their excellent driving and coffee service. Our visit to Verona, our guide was very informative but did walk at a pace sometimes had to hurry to keep up. A lovely holiday

Michael Stephen Shilleto   England

Four Countries New Year & the Swiss Glacier Express

07-Jan-2024

Firstly we must thank Alex and Dave our tour guide / drivers who entertained us through out . The tour was fantastic so was the hotel’s food and entertainment. The tour was through the new year holidays as expected lots of shops closed and hotels were understaffed which was lost on some travelers. We travelled back from stop 24 on a luxuria coach I would recommend paying the extra for the comfort alone

Roy Williams (Google Reviewer)  

Great company. We did the...

03-Apr-2024

Great company. We did the 4 day D Day Normandy Landing tour.We had 2 great driver's John and Ian.. Nothing was a problem for them. They kept us safe and entertained.Then we had Fred Greenhow as our guide And he was outstanding. He told us everything we wanted to know. Can't praise them enough Thank you all. We will do more tours with them......

aled blackshaw (Google Reviewer)  

just returned from a solos...

25-Mar-2024

just returned from a solos break to valkenburg and rhine valley i enjoyed the break overall although both journeys were considerably longer than expected due to several picks ups. I could have done without the 3 countries meeting point excursion to be honest and the lunch on rhine cruise was very basic. The drivers/couriers were efficient and good humoured and provided free lunch vouchers on the ferry which were much appreciated. I probably would book another break with leger but to somewhere a lot closer to home.

Mary Elmhirst (Google Reviewer)  

I was told by a...

19-May-2024

I was told by a customer service advisor (Michael) , our hotel overlooked the River Seine, which was totally untrue. It was nowhere in sight and a good walk to get to it. My view from the hotel room was a wall and a window, There was no porterage available and although our drivers offered, after a 15 hour journey to France, we all opted to take our own luggage. To get into the shower there was a step to it and the floor of the shower was like an ice rink when wet, with nothing to hold onto. ( I showered wearing my slippers to avoid slipping). The plunger to the sink was unusable; (the lever to retrieve it was broken). The staff were pleasant and helpful, the bed was comfortable and clean abd the breakfast was worthy of the 3 stars given. Otherwise, I have stayed in a better 2* hotel in France. The driver and travel rep, Paul were both very friendly and pleasant but it was the first time Paul had been on this trip and therefore had little knowledge of the places we visited! There was no commentary and the history of Monet and Versailles was read out from a book! All in all, nothing would persuade me to take part in another Leger tour.

TU  

Many thanks to Molly.

03-Jan-2023

I have recently booked a trip to Le Mans and had the good fortune to speak to Molly. She was very helpful and a pleasure to talk to. She was able to answer all but one of my queries with clarity and promised to ring me with the answer to the un-answered question as it required further investigation. This she duly did. An unusually pleasant experience when making a booking over the phone, if only it could be this easy every the time.

1 Dates & Availability

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Sep 28, 2024 - Oct 04, 2024
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Aug 18, 2025 - Aug 24, 2025
$1575

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Saturday - Friday

May 16, 2026 - May 22, 2026
$1334

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Saturday - Friday

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$1397

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Monday - Sunday

Aug 17, 2026 - Aug 23, 2026
$1652

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Book with Confidence

  • Low Deposit

    Leger Holidays requires a minimum deposit of 20% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 75 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of leger holidays charges.

    Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

    At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.

    At 42 days before tour starts: Forfeit 75% of booking price.

    At 21 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.

    At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.

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