Author Topic: Tank Museum Tour UK / Europe  (Read 3453 times)

ripley

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Tank Museum Tour UK / Europe
« on: August 20, 2022, 03:51:42 am »
 I planning on going to Europe in the summer of 2023 and want to see / tour the tank museums in Bovington , Saumur , Munster and hopefully Kubinka , as well as the Normandy beaches  before I get too old to travel and walk around a lot asking dumb questions like most tourists . My question , does anyone on the forums know of a good UK travel agent who could arrange this type of tour ? Thank you

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Re: Tank Museum Tour UK / Europe
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2022, 10:48:14 am »
I know of some battlefield walk tours, but I have not heard of any travel agencies that setup military museum tours. That being said, how hard can it be to just plan to visit the museums on your own? This way you have the flexibility to spend more time at a site if needed. For example, when I went to the Bovington tank museum (before the change), I gave myself one full day. However, I ended up going back the next day because one day wasn't enough.

Also, if you want to go to the tank and car museum in Italy (Museo Storico della Motorizzazione Militare), you have to plan ahead and be prepared for on the spot changes. Because it is a restricted area, it is by appointment only, and if the group is not big enough, they tend to cancel the session.

Oh, and if you go to Rome, I highly recommend going to the Piana delle Orme history museum (Museo Storico Piana delle Orme). It is south-east of Rome (about an hour drive) just past the town of Latina. Not well know by visitors, but very much worth checking out. They even added an aircraft and boat park at the back which has about 3-4 military boats and 8-9 military aircraft. However, one day is not enough, and it is somewhat out in a rural area, but well worth a visit if you can.

ripley

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Re: Tank Museum Tour UK / Europe
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2022, 11:03:13 am »
I wasn't even thinking about going to Italy , but maybe I'll have to rethink my plans . My main interest is tanks and so the major museums are a given , and my friends who are coming with me are interested in the Normandy beaches and battle sites of the WW2 Canadian forces , so we will be doing those . I guess it depends on how much time we can spend over there and the dollar value we have to spend . The travel agents here in Canada tend to plan trips that cater to the vets who fought in Europe where as we want to take in a lot more that covers are hobby interests . At least we have lots of time to figure stuff out and any info past on  is appreciated

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Re: Tank Museum Tour UK / Europe
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2022, 06:02:16 pm »
Quote from: ripley
...and my friends who are coming with me are interested in the Normandy beaches and battle sites of the WW2 Canadian forces, so we will be doing those.

Don't forget to remind them that Canadian forces played an important role in the Italian campaigns from Operation Husky, to Monte Cassino, to help liberate Rome, to all the way up to the Gothic Line in northern Italy. This might spark an interest to go to Italy (hint, hint). Oh, and did I mention that the tank museum (Museo Storico della Motorizzazione Militare) in Rome has a lot of tanks?

Side Note:
If you and your friends also like aircraft, and you are in Rome, then you have to visit the Italian Airforce Museum (Museo Storico Aeronautica Militare) which is just north-west of Rome located at the picturesque Lake Bracciano.

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Re: Tank Museum Tour UK / Europe
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2022, 09:26:42 am »
Not in Europe, but also, don't over look some of the good tank museums in the US like the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, WY and the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA, to name just two of several good museums worth visiting.