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City in West Flanders, Belgium
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Pjamescowie at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ypres (Dutch: Ieper, both pronounced "eeper") is a friendly town of 35,000 inhabitants in Flanders endowed with wonderful architecture and a troubled past. Ypres is best known as the site of three major battles of the First World War, the most famous being the Battle of Passchendaele from July to November 1917. The many memorials and cemeteries of the fallen in and around Ypres draw thousands of visitors each year. The belfry of Ypres is a .
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Menenpoort
Dedicated on 24 July 1927 as a memorial to the missing British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell in Belgium during World War One. Has a Last Post Ceremony each night at 20:00 as a way for the Ypres citizens to express their gratitude towards those who died for Belgium's freedom.
This museum gives an excellent overview of World War I. It is more like an experience that takes you right into daily life during the war. The experience is very moving, and it's a must-see for everyone coming to Ypres, young and old. Allow at least 2 hr for a full museum visit. When the weather is good enough, the belfry tower is also available for visiting for an additional cost, giving you a great overview of the front region.
Ypres has been a rather military city from its foundation on, being always on the boundary of some country. The oldest city walls, dating from 1385, were mostly destroyed for expansion. The city walls that guard the south and east of the city were created by the French architect Vauban in the 16th century. The walls are star-shaped, and made from thick dirt moats, allowing them to hold back the heaviest artillery from that age to World War I onwards. Planted with trees, they form a green belt around the city centre.
The Casemates were bomb-free shelters under the city fortifications. They were also built by Vauban, and they even remained functional as armoury until World War I. One of them contains a pub, another one contains a brewery, and the rest are used for temporary expositions.
Military cemetery in the town of Ypres with 198 Commonwealth soldiers buried next to the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort).
Museum in a beautiful setting, telling the story of the Great War in chronological order. Lots of information on the different battles and a large selection of authentic artifacts on display. The big bonus of the museum is a reconstructed dug-out which lets you experience what life under Flanders Fields must have been at the time.
The largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world, situated to the south of the village of Passchendaele. There's a massive wall at the back of the cemetery, containing names of many missing soldiers. The battle of Passchendaele is known for its big loss of human lives, for a minimal gain in worthless territory. There are also many more smaller Commonwealth cemeteries dotted around the region as well.
One of the most important German cemeteries from the First World War lies in the village of Vladslo, north of Ypres and close to the city of Diksmuide. In one of the few oak-tree woods in the area lie hundreds of square black stones with the names of the buried soldiers. The Peace Treaty of Versailles denied the losers of the war the use of white stone. The stones lie in rigid lines in the grass under the trees. No flowers decorate the burial grounds. Includes a statue by Käthe Kollwitz called "The Grieving Parents".
The cemetery, which evolved from a small group of graves in 1915, has seen numerous changes and extensions. It was dedicated in 1932. Today, visitors find a mass grave near the entrance. This comrades' grave contains 24,917 servicemen, including the Ace Werner Voss. Between the oak trees, next to this mass grave, are another 10,143 soldiers (including 2 British soldiers killed in 1918). The 3,000 school students who were killed during the First Battle of Ypres are buried in a third part of the cemetery. At the rear of the cemetery is a sculpture of four mourning figures by Professor Emil Krieger. The group was added in 1956, and is said to stand guard over the fallen. The cemetery is maintained by the German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.
A well-preserved World War I battle site that changed sides repeatedly. There area covered in craters. There was also a large amount of tunneling during the war which adds to the uneven terrain. The memorial to the 1st Australian Tunneling Co contains bullet holes from World War II.
Daily hot air balloon flights over battlefields around Ypres. The best way to see the impact of the war from the sky. See the large number of bomb craters (now lakes), cemeteries, and trenches.
Bellewaerde was established in 1954 as a zoo and safari park. The park evolved into a theme park. Bellewaerde attracts 850,000-900,000 visitors a year and is one of the main theme parks in Flanders.
A parade in Ypres devoted to the cat. It is held every third year on the second Sunday of May. This "Festival of the Cats" commemorates an Ypres tradition from the Middle Ages in which cats were thrown from the belfry tower of the Cloth Hall to the town square below. Symbolically reviving this practice for the parade festivities, a jester tosses stuffed toy cats from the Cloth Hall belfry down to the crowd, which awaits with outstretched arms to catch one. The throwing of the cats from the belfry is followed by a mock witch burning.
Belgian fries and other fast food.
Ambrosia b&b Ypres
Small hotel (10 rooms). Cooked and/or continental breakfast and free internet.
English family-run B&B. Motorcyclists and children are welcome. Evening meals and packed lunches by arrangement. Tea and coffee-making facilities/TV in all rooms. A small collection of artifacts to view.
English, French, German, and Flemish spoken. The hosts are very friendly. Wi-Fi, terrace, privatised floor with fridge, big comfortable rooms, nice bathroom with bath foams, hearty breakfast (default breakfast with meat, vegetarian on demand including a platter of speciality cheese).
Bed and breakfast, on the former Passchendaele battlefield, named by British soldiers of the Great War. It was taken by the Royal Naval Division in October 1917. Close to all major memorials. Maps, guidebook, and tour guide available. 7 rooms. Small groups of up to 18 people. Private collection on the farm showing artifacts dug up in the fields.
This camp site is five to ten minutes walk through a country park from the town walls of Ypres and about fifteen minutes walk from the Menin Gate. The site has a reception and sanitary blocks but no bar. It is a short walk from Aldi on Steverlyncklaan.
By bus
Ypres has bus lines towards neighbouring towns.
By car
Ypres is easily reachable by car - highway to Kortrijk, then follow directions for Ieper (A19).
By bicycle
Although it's a nice region to cycle, the distances are often too far when you have a specific destination outside the city centre.
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Articles and travel topics about Ypres and Belgium.
ItinerariesStretching from Knokke to Adinkerke, the Kusttram (Dutch for "Coast Tram") makes it possible to travel almost the entire length of the Belgian coast by tram.
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Culture & historyWorld War I, usually called the First World War in the Commonwealth and called The Great War in its time, was one of the largest armed conflicts in history.
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Culture & historyThe Belfries of Belgium and France are a world heritage site. The site comprises 56 belfries from Flanders and Wallonia in Belgium, and from far northern France.
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Travel tipsMilitary tourism is for those with an interest in current or historical military sites and facilities, including museums, battlefields, cemeteries and technology.
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