Travel in Belgium — Day Trip to Ypres
28. February 2016
Ypres is a small town in Belgium close to the French border that many people have never heard of or only link to the battles that took place there in World War I and II. In fact, hundreds of thousands of soldiers met both quick and long deaths in the Ypres area during the wars, a statistic that would make any statistician wide-eyed when told that each single number represented a life just like their very own.
The town and surrounding area astonishes with endless memorials and graveyards, some having dozens of individuals buried in one spot. When you stop to consider the many who died, you gain an appreciation for the fragility of life and the enormous scale of the World Wars.
Ypres, travel-wise, is good for the following:
- If you have an interest in history and war (especially World War I and II)
- If you enjoy fresh air, quiet and biking
I spent a quiet Sunday in February with friends in Ypres, biking in the area around the town and visiting some of the memorials and museums. If you go during the winter or the time leading up to Spring, it is recommended to dress warmly.
The Essential Information
How I got there: Car (a friend drove)
It is possible to take a train to the city of Menen nearby Ypres and then bus into Ypres. Check out my quick guide to trains in Belgium HERE
Here’s what I did:
After arriving, we (myself and friends) went to Ambrosia Hotel where we rented bikes for the day at 15 Euros per person. Link for the bike rental website.
We also purchased a bike route map and set off on what was to be more than a 35km journey.
Among multiple stops at small cemeteries and memorials a few were especially remarkable:
We grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant offering large portions and simple dishes such as pasta and hamburgers about 100m down the road from the entrance to the Memorial Passchendaele (unfortunately the name is not on google maps and no pictures of the meal were taken).
After lunch we moved onto some more exciting parts of the Ypres area. We spent most of the day biking around the city of Ypres and not in it, as most memorials and sites are in the vicinity of the city.
Our first stop was Hill 62, a privately owned museum and trench preservation from the first world war. Entrance was 7.50 Euro but worth it to walk in preserved trenches and get a feel of where soldiers had fought.
After Hill 62 we rode over to Hill 60 which was free and simply a plot of grounds cordoned off for preservation of the land as it was after the end of the first and second world wars. Even if one cannot see well from the pictures, the land retains the bumps and unevenness from artillery bombardments and other damages from the war. Old bunkers are but rubble here.
Having spent a good portion of our day on the bike we began running out of time as the sun started to set and had just enough room to squeeze in a quick stop at a Crater from the war:
Riding back into the city of Ypres and returning our bikes we had enough time to walk around the city center and get some sweets at a local festival, including the Flemish Oliebols!
Our trip to Ypres was a mixture of intrigue, fun and exhaustion. Better planning and more time would have been nicer, but that is why I am here to provide some tips and other ideas of what one can do, see and eat in Ypres!
Tips:
- If you plan to ride bikes to view sites like us, keep in mind the travel distance and the weather
- Decide, depending if you go for one or more days, which sites you want to visit beforehand and prioritize those you are most interested in. Ypres memorials and sites cover a large area and cannot all be reached within one day
- Go in the summer. Rain and cold are not your friends here where you will be outdoors for most of the day
Other things to do/see in Ypres:
- Ypres Cloth Hall and the In Flanders Field Museum (5 Euros to get in)
- Pay for a Battlefield Tour — have a professional drive and guide you; here is a recommended website link: Click Me!
- Hooge Crater and Museum (Link)
Did someone say FOOD?:
- De Ruyffelaer (Gustave De Stuersstraat 9–11)
- Old Tom Restuarant (in hotel) — (Grote Markt 8)
- ‘t Klein Stadhuis (Grote Markt 32)
A trip to Ypres provides many opportunities to do something different, even if it is still touristy. Forget the usual viewing of medieval European monuments and cathedrals or cultural museums featuring paintings and statues that for many melt into the same thing after seeing the first one-hundred. Check out Ypres.
My travel blogs keep out the quirky and little details of every trip: the jokes, mishaps (such as falling off of a bike) and many other things individual to a persons trip. Don’t be afraid of a small place, just GO!
