Ypres & Flanders

To Ypres

Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels before changing for the local service to Ypres, travelling via Ghent.

Ypres North Salient Battlefields Tour

Today you have a leisurely morning in which to discover Ypres, best known for being the centre of intense fighting between the Germans and the Allied forces in World War I. To commemorate this, the city has a number of monuments that record the tragic events of the Great War, including the Menin Gate and the poignant 'In Flanders Fields' Museum.

Although Ypres feels like an ancient city, its buildings are not original. Everything you can see in the city has been lovingly and painstakingly restored after the complete destruction caused by four years of warfare. This afternoon join a local, specialist guide for an exploration of several poignant battlegrounds and memorial sites. Included are, Essex Farm, a former dressing station where Colonel John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" - one of the most famous poems from the First World War, Pilckem Ridge, site of a devastating gas attack during the second battle of Ypres in 1915, Langemark cemetery, the last resting place of 44,000 German soldiers. You will also see Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world and Hill 60, the site of some of the most intense fighting of WWI, amongst others.

Ypres South Salient Battlefields Tour

Again today begins with some free time ahead of your afternoon exploration of Ypres' South Salient Battlefields. Begin at the site of the Battle of Messines where in 1917, in preparation for a major assault on the Germans, 22 underground mine shafts where dug - many by experienced engineers who had worked on London's underground system. As well as other important burial grounds and areas of interest, you'll continue to the well-preserved German Bayernwald trenches, which may be of particular interest as Hitler was stationed here from 1914 to 1915 as a company runner, and the location of the 1914 Christmas truce, where soldiers from both sides came together on no man's land for a game of football.

Return to the UK by rail

 After checking out of your hotel this morning, begin the journey home by rail catching the train firstly to Ghent then Brussels, where you'll board the return Eurostar to London.

Please note

The itinerary above is just a suggestion and you are free to make adjustments to suit your exact requirements. Please call 01904 734 358 to speak to one of our Tailor-Made Holiday Specialists about tailoring your holiday with GRJ independent.

Departure Times

All departures on this tour depart on Eurostar after 12pm, allowing morning travel into London from most of the UK.