With 2025 marking the 110th anniversary of the landings at Anzac Cove, tour companies are anticipating strong interest in Anzac Day at Gallipoli next year.
Battlefield travel is often a bucketlist experience, particularly when it comes to experiencing Anzac Day at Gallipoli or on the Western Front, says Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours which has just launched its Anzac Day tours for 2025.
“Since COVID we have found many of our travellers have a ‘it’s now or never’ approach to undertaking this pilgrimage,” says founder Mat McLachlan. Bookings are now open for earlybird pricing, available until June 30, 2024.
“Battlefield travel to both the Western Front and Gallipoli is back to pre-Covid levels, and this year we have one of our largest ever number of passengers on Anzac Day tours,” he says.
“On the Western Front we have two coaches undertaking our 10-day Anzac Day on the Western Front tour – which will attend the Dawn Service at Villers-Bretonneux, another two coaches on our 4-day Anzac Day in Ypres tour – which will attend a Dawn Service at Polygon Wood in Flanders, as well as a Custom Group Anzac Day tour – also attending the Villers-Bretonneux Dawn Service. In Türkiye, we have three coaches undertaking our 8-day Anzac Day at Gallipoli tour.
Gallipoli Beach Cemetary
Somme and Flanders most popular battlefield destinations
The Western Front remains the most popular battlefield destination for Australians to visit, with its close proximity to popular European holiday destinations – with the Somme and Flanders located just a few hours north of Paris by coach, car or train (TPG Paris-Lille).
“Our 4-day Western Front Explorers are in high demand, with weekly departures between April and November and we have guaranteed all of our Western Front Explorer departures for 2024,” McLachlan said.
For Gallipoli, the most popular time to visit continues to be Anzac Day, but there is interest in visiting at other times of the year outside of this peak period, which is why Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours offers a few scheduled group Gallipoli tours as well as private tours.
“In 2024 we have 4-day Gallipoli Explorers departing every two months and a 9-day Gallipoli Discovery Tour departing in September,” McLachlan says.
McLachlan is also a battlefield historian who has been walking in the footsteps of the Anzacs for over two decades. He is the author of leading battlefield guidebooks to Gallipoli and the Western Front, and his book ‘The Cowra Breakout’ explored the WWII land battle that took place in Cowra, Australia on 5 August 1944. Mat is currently finalising his next book, Krithia: the forgotten Anzac battle of Gallipoli, anticipated to hit bookshops mid-year.
Anzac Day Dawn Ceremony at Polygon Wood, Ypres. Image courtesy VisitFlanders, Nick Mol
