Ypres
Belgium · West Flanders · 20 m
Description
Ypres (Ieper) is a small town in West Flanders that was shelled to rubble between 1914 and 1918 and then rebuilt stone by stone. The Cloth Hall on the Grote Markt, one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages at 125 metres wide with a 70-metre belfry, was reconstructed to its medieval form and now houses the In Flanders Fields Museum. The Menin Gate carries the names of almost 55,000 Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the Ypres Salient and have no known grave, and buglers have sounded the Last Post beneath its arch every evening at eight since 1928. The surrounding countryside holds the cemeteries and memorials of five battles, among them Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world. Ypres is the principal base for visiting the Western Front and draws pilgrims from Britain, the Commonwealth and Germany.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – June or September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Menin Gate (UNESCO)
- In Flanders Fields Museum
- Grote Markt
- Tyne Cot Cemetery (UNESCO)(Day trip)
- Belfry of the Cloth Hall (UNESCO)
- Saint Martin's Cathedral
- Ypres Ramparts
- Langemark German War Cemetery(Day trip)
- Passchendaele Memorial Museum 1917(Day trip)
- Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum(Day trip)
- Yper Museum
- Hill 60(Day trip)
- Essex Farm Cemetery(Day trip)
- Saint Julien Memorial (Brooding Soldier)(Day trip)
- Ramparts Cemetery
- Hooge Crater Museum(Day trip)
- Saint George's Memorial Church
- Talbot House, Poperinge(Day trip)
- Island of Ireland Peace Park(Day trip)
- Pool of Peace(Day trip)
- Bayernwald Trenches(Day trip)
- Merghelynck Museum
- Armistice Day Commemoration (November)
Getting there
- Train stations:
- Ieper