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Ypres: Battles in Flanders Fields
Travel with us to Ypres, the main British battlefield of the First World War, and stay right in the heart of the city, close to the Menin Gate. This fascinating tour explores key WW1 sites and memorials, including Tyne Cot Cemetery, The Bluff, and Spanbroekmolen Mine Crater, as well as Essex Farm where John McCrae wrote the world-famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ in 1915.
Tour Includes
- 3 or 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Convenient local joining points
4 days from £549pp
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Itinerary
Please choose your preferred 4 or 5 day itinerary
Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then on to Ypres where we stay in the centre for three nights.
More than 250,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers died at Ypres during the First World War, and we begin our visit by driving up the iconic Menin Road via Hell Fire Corner out onto the ground where the fighting took place.
We explore where Scottish troops fought in 1914 at Black Watch Corner and visit the impressive memorial, walk into Polygon Wood, and see an original German bunker, the nearby cemetery, and the Australian and New Zealand Memorials.
At Tyne Cot Cemetery, we see the largest British and Commonwealth Cemetery in the world, and then examine one of the most controversial battles of the conflict: Passchendaele. We see the Canadian Memorial and ground around the village where the fighting occurred in 1917.
After lunch at Hooge, we visit the In Flanders Fields Museum, one of the most important WW1 museums in the world.
We return to the battlefields and see Essex Farm where John McCrae wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ in 1915, and end at Yorkshire Trench, a preserved British front-line trench found in archaeological work here during in the early 2000s.
In the evening, you have time to attend the moving Last Post Ceremony, just a five-minute walk from the hotel.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
We start this morning at the so-called Aristocrat’s Cemetery at Zillebeke where officers were buried in 1914, many of them from titled families. We then look at the fighting for the key position at Hill 60, examining the War underground and seeing preserved mine craters and bunkers.
We then visit The Bluff; located alongside the old Ypres canal, this was also an area of mine warfare and heavy fighting, and here we see impressive mine craters and the visitors’ centre.
After lunchtime at Hooge Crater Café, with time for the excellent museum and reconstructed trenches, we travel down the Messines Ridge and have an included visit to the German trench system at Bayernwald, a place where Adolf Hitler fought in 1914.
Later, we see the Spanbroekmolen Mine Crater, now the ‘Pool of Peace’, and end at Ploegsteert, or ‘Plugstreet’, where we visit the Ploegsteert Memorial and discuss the story of the Christmas truce in 1914.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
Return home.
Includes Breakfast
Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then on to Ypres where we stay in the centre for four nights.
More than 250,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers died at Ypres during the First World War, and we begin our visit by driving up the iconic Menin Road via Hell Fire Corner out onto the ground where the fighting took place.
We explore where Scottish troops fought in 1914 at Black Watch Corner and visit the impressive memorial, walk into Polygon Wood, and see an original German bunker, the nearby cemetery, and the Australian and New Zealand Memorials.
At Tyne Cot Cemetery, we see the largest British and Commonwealth Cemetery in the world, and then examine one of the most controversial battles of the conflict: Passchendaele. We see the Canadian Memorial and ground around the village where the fighting occurred in 1917.
After lunch at Hooge, we visit the In Flanders Fields Museum, one of the most important WW1 museums in the world.
We return to the battlefields and see Essex Farm where John McCrae wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ in 1915, and end at Yorkshire Trench, a preserved British front-line trench found in archaeological work here during in the early 2000s.
In the evening, you have time to attend the moving Last Post Ceremony, just a five-minute walk from the hotel.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
We start this morning at the so-called Aristocrat’s Cemetery at Zillebeke where officers were buried in 1914, many of them from titled families. We then look at the fighting for the key position at Hill 60, examining the War underground and seeing preserved mine craters and bunkers.
We then visit The Bluff; located alongside the old Ypres canal, this was also an area of mine warfare and heavy fighting, and here we see impressive mine craters and the visitors’ centre.
After lunchtime at Hooge Crater Café, with time for the excellent museum and reconstructed trenches, we travel down the Messines Ridge and have an included visit to the German trench system at Bayernwald, a place where Adolf Hitler fought in 1914.
Later, we see the Spanbroekmolen Mine Crater, now the ‘Pool of Peace’, and end at Ploegsteert, or ‘Plugstreet’, where we visit the Ploegsteert Memorial and discuss the story of the Christmas truce in 1914.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
This morning, we depart for the Flanders coast and see the Nieuport Memorial to the Missing, looking at how British soldiers occupied the trenches here at the top end of the Western Front, alongside the beaches.
We look at the Belgian Army in Flanders, visiting Ramskapelle, and then the Trenches of Death, a whole system of front-line trenches preserved along the Yser Canal.
After lunchtime in central Dixmude, we visit the impressive German Cemetery at Vladslo, with sculptures by Käthe Kollwitz showing parents morning for their fallen son, just as she and her husband did when their son Peter died here in 1914.
We then examine life behind the lines in Flanders and visit the town of Poperinghe to look at the subject of men who were ‘Shot at Dawn’. We visit Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, one of the largest in Flanders, and here look at the story of women who served as nurses, and the role of the Chinese Labour Corps, also having time to see the visitor's centre.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
Return home.
Includes Breakfast
Accommodation
You will stay for three or four nights at the 3-star Novotel Ypres located in the heart of Ypres, close to Menin Gate and the Market Square.
Novotel Ypres Centrum
The Novotel Ypres Centrum is located in the heart of historic town of Ypres, just a short walk from the Menin Gate. The hotel makes the ideal base for exploring the rich military heritage of the area.
Hotel Facilities
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General
- 3 Star
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
Room
- TV
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Hairdryer
- Extra Pillows and Blankets
- Air Conditioning
- Fridge
- Non-Smoking Rooms Available
- Shower
- Telephone
- Free Wifi
Service
- Safe Box in Reception
- Room Service Available
- 24 Hour Front Desk
- Iron at Reception
- Dogs Allowed on Request
Food & Drink
- Vegetarian Meals
- Gluten Free Meals on Request
- Lactose or Dairy Free Menu
- Vegan Menu
Accessibility
- Disabled Rooms Available
- Wheelchair Access
Transport
- Bus Stop Nearby
Hotel
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
- WiFi Available
Luxuria Coach
Stylish and modern, state-of-the-art Luxuria is the business class of coaches. Boasting comfort of the highest standard, sink into the deluxe armchair-style seats, stretch out with much more space around you, and enjoy a vast choice of entertainment on your personal touch-screen TV.
Luxuria Features
- Deluxe armchair-style seats with leather exterior, central arm rests* with cup holders, adjustable headrests and retractable calf rests on most seats to give you a more comfortable journey.
*Face to face seats are forward and rear facing with a table and will not have a calf rest. - Every seat has its own, fully interactive, touch-screen TV offering a wide choice of entertainment so you can control what you want to watch and when.
- There’s a selection of double and single seats, including six face-to-face seats with tables, and five single seats which are ideal for passengers travelling independently.
- Plug sockets and USB points at each seat mean you can keep your devices fully charged throughout your journey.
- Onboard toilet.
Silver Service Coach
More than simply your method of transport, Silver Service offers a coach with added comfort and facilities, such as deluxe reclining seats with leather headrests, an onboard entertainment system, and a spacious rear lounge so you can socialise with your fellow passengers.
Silver Service Features
- Specially designed reclining seats, with leather headrests, footrests and extra legroom.
- A spacious rear lounge where you can relax, socialise and get to know your fellow passengers.
- Our onboard entertainment and satellite navigation system makes your journey fly by.
- Free personal headphones mean you can tune into the music channel, listen to the radio or watch DVDs being played by your crew.
- Personal tables so you can enjoy your refreshments in comfort as you take in the passing scenery.
Executive Coach
All of our coaches are modern and comfortable, and you can be assured of a high level of service and reliability from our expert-trained coach crews, who will be on hand to assist and escort you along the way.
Executive Coach Features
- Air-conditioning, an onboard servery, onboard toilet and reclining seats. Please note that on selected air holidays, the executive coach may have limited facilities.
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