The Many Compelling Things to See in Ypres, Belgium

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World wars have hit Belgium harder than most countries. Some places, such as Ypres in Belgian’s West Flanders region, are almost totally defined by that history. Ypres hosted some of the largest and most devastating battles of World War I from 1914 to 1918.

You’re unlikely to come across much that isn’t related to this bloody period in history when visiting Ypres. In many ways, the town has become a living memorial to the 185,000 Commonwealth lives lost during the Great War.

When planning my visit to Ypres, I was overly ambitious. I had a grand plan to cover all the things to see in Ypres in just one day, as well as also explore its surrounding areas. In reality, my day trip to the Belgian town was full of fascinating sightseeing but simply not long enough.

Now after visiting Ypres, or Ieper in Dutch, I know just how much there is to do in the town. So, trust me, allow a couple of days in Ypres so you don’t feel like you’ve missed out. To give you a start with your planning, here are the many things to see in Ypres and beyond.

 

A brief war history of Ypres

It only makes sense to start with Ypres’ World War I history given how much the event shaped the town.

Germany invaded neutral Belgium on August 4th, 1914. Having only started to develop a professional army in 1909, they provided little resistance and soon relied on French and British assistance. These combined forces halted the German advance by September, but only after significant loss and destruction.

Unfortunately for Ypres’ sake, it became wedged in a precarious position between the fronts and was strategically important. German artillery shelled the town from October 1914 onwards. Not a single building was left standing by the end of 1917, but thankfully Ypres’ residents had evacuated the town by May 1915.

The First Battle of Ypres occurred from 22nd October to 22nd November 1914, resulting in both armies entrenched across the area now known as the Ypres Salient. The Second Battle of Ypres reignited the conflict in April and May of 1915 and led to gas attacks by both the Germans and the British.

With no real ground won or lost, the conflict stagnated until July 1917 with the Third Battle of Ypres. Even though British forces deployed mines in the area, a devastating German offensive took 400,000 British lives in 4 months! The final battle was the German Spring Offensive of April 1918, as the Germans were reinforced by men moved off the Eastern Front with Russia.

In the end, German forces never took Ypres during the Great War. However, they did reduce it to a pile of rubble. Four long years of combat and shelling left a body count of 185,000 Commonwealth lives lost in the Ypres Salient. With so many ancestors fallen here, it makes sense that Brits, Australians and New Zealanders come to the region to pay their respects.

 

Getting to Ypres

Like most places in Belgium, Ypres is an easy place to get to. That’s even despite it being off on its own in the country’s west near the French border.

Getting to Ypres by train is going to be your easiest option, especially if you’re only planning on seeing the city on a day trip. It’s a direct train from Brussels or Ghent, whereas you’ll need to change at Kortrijk when coming from Bruges. The journey takes between 1-2 hours depending on your starting point.

Hiring a car is a better idea if you want to explore the Ypres Salient and the idea of a day of cycling doesn’t appeal to you.

 

Where to stay in Ypres

Just because I did a day trip to Ypres doesn’t mean you need to too. Spending several days in Ypres would let you explore the city and the memorials that surround the city at a more comfortable pace.

In hindsight, I regret not staying at least one night in Ypres. I feel like I missed a lot, even trying to be thorough. The good news is that you’ll find a range of hotels, hostels and guesthouses in Ypres that suit different budget ranges. To help save you some time, these are some of the highest-rated places to stay in Ypres/Ieper:

• Ariane Hotel
• Main Street Hotel
• @Cocoon

 

Attractions and Museums in Ypres

Exploring the history of Ypres, particularly the events of WWI, is the main focus of most Ypres museums and places to visit. Here’s what to do in town once you arrive.

 

Main Square and Cloth Hall

People’s first stop when visiting Ypres is likely going to be its main square. The Grote Markt, as it’s called in Dutch, is very much the heart and centre of the town, like in many cities in Flanders.

But perhaps that title should more specifically go to the immense and ornate Cloth Hall that dominates the square. When I arrived in the square, it was pouring rain as it often does in Belgium, but that couldn’t distract me from the sight of the Cloth Hall.

Finished in 1304, the building served as a market and warehouse for merchants. Like a severe amount of the town, the Cloth Hall was nearly destroyed during the First World War. Over 30 years, the building was carefully rebuilt to mirror its pre-war appearance.

Today the magnificent building houses both the Tourist Centre as well as the renowned In Flanders Field Museum. It’s just one of many sights that make Ypres a great small Belgian city to visit.

 

In Flanders Fields Museum

Without any exaggeration, a trip to Ypres would be incomplete without a visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum. Simply put, it is one of the most engaging, informative and remarkable museums to which I’ve ever been.

I spent over 2.5 hours within the museum and it easily would have been longer if I didn’t have other things to see in town. That it has pride of place within the town’s great Cloth Hall also says something about its importance.

The museum owes its name to the famous war poem by John McCrae, a Canadian doctor and soldier. The museum does a wonderful job of explaining the First World War in comprehensive, but accessible detail.

It covers everything from the geopolitical alliances that existed before the war began to its aftermath and influences. The exhibits of the museum were refurbished and modernised in 2012.

 

Museum Exhibits

Access is given throughout the museum by a small wristband in the shape of a poppy. The wristband lets you interact with various audio-visual displays and if you register your nationality at the start it will try to tailor certain displays to that nationality.

The exhibits in the museum are broken up chronologically, first taking you through the wider events before the First World War, before delving into the specific battles that took place in Ypres. While there are displays that go through the series of events and battles that occurred, other displays focus on particular elements of the war including propaganda posters and military reconnaissance.

One display that particularly caught my eye was the section on chemical warfare, as Ypres was effectively a testing ground for the Germans’ Chlorine Gas. That the weapon’s sole tactical purpose was to create terror speaks to the true horrors of war. The museum does a respectable job of informing and detailing the events of the First World War without glorifying it in any way.

 

Interactive Elements

An obvious benefit of the modern refurbishment of the museum is the sheer volume of audio-visual displays on offer. This doesn’t mean they’ve traded style for substance, however, because they are skillfully used to build up on the information provided.

From stories about figures involved in the war to photographs from the time, the displays are done in a one-on-one manner. Additionally, each area has its own subtle but moving audio backdrop, which lends to the atmosphere of the exhibits.

One of the more engrossing parts of the museum is the recordings of actors portraying people across an array of roles and nationalities. These performances are downright haunting and captivating, with often over a dozen people watching them in dead silence.

They were usually letters and journals being read aloud and there’s even a thorough look at the Christmas Truce from various perspectives. I really can’t commend the museum enough for these displays.

 

Temporary exhibits of the In Flanders Fields Museum

As if the permanent exhibits of the museum weren’t enough, there is also a wing dedicated to the museum’s temporary exhibits. When I visited they had a cleverly arranged exhibit called ‘The War in Writing‘.

It examined texts that were created because of the war, but also ones that provoke contemplation on the role of war. Throughout the exhibit were tables and sofa areas with attached multilingual copies of literature, basically making one giant reading room.

At this stage, my time was starting to run short, so I was only able to spend a short while here. As I understand, the current temporary exhibit is ‘1917 Total War in Flanders‘ which runs from June until the end of the year (2017).

 

Information for visiting the museum

Opening hours of the museum differ between peak and off-season but generally is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (and longer in summer). Entry costs 9€ for adults, 5€ for young adults (19-25) and 4€ for children under 18. While I again didn’t have time, there is the possibility to venture up the Belfry tower which costs an additional 2€. Full information can be found on the Ypres Tourism site.

 

Ypres Cafes and Restaurants

After spending so long exploring the exhibits of the museum, take a break and get some food. Stepping out onto the Main Square, you’ll find plenty of cafes, restaurants and brasseries to choose from. Famished after the museum, I tried the Kollebloeme Brasserie on the Grote Markt and had a filling, but late lunch.

Early in the day, I also visited the Old Tom Brasserie for a coffee and enjoyed its atmosphere (and of course the coffee). I quite liked that the pendant lights were in the shape of bowler hats and its art choices felt oddly fitting for Ypres.

 

Ypres War Memorials

Given the nature of Ypres’ history, it’s no surprise that the city has several memorials to the fallen soldiers of Britain and the Commonwealth. Since the town was effectively evacuated by the locals, you’ll notably find mostly foreign remembrances. While there are statues and plaques scattered about, to me it is the Ypres Memorial on the corner of the Grote Markt that is the most touching and evocative, except the next landmark.

 

Menin Gate

The most famous thing to see in Ypres is the Menin Gate, a memorial to the casualties of the First World War. Built upon the site of a previous medieval gate, stands a giant Roman triumphal arch.

The gate is adorned with the names of a staggering 54,896 British and Commonwealth soldiers who went missing in the war up until August 15th 1917. Those missing after that date are memorialised at Tyne Cot Cemetery.

I spent quite some time looking through the names of the soldiers endlessly listed, including far too many Australians. For those who have visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, it will have a familiar feeling. I was trying to find the name of my great-uncle who had fought in Ypres, but later learned he was buried in one of the outer cemeteries.

The Menin Gate is also the location in which the Last Post ceremony has been held daily at 8 pm since 1928. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay to hear it, but it is an incredibly touching tradition.

 

The Old Town ramparts

An aspect of Ypres that I was unaware of was the stalwart ramparts that protect and surround half the town. For centuries the town was protected by city walls, but in the 17th century, things changed. Ypres became a vital defensive town along the French border and the ramparts were built up to make it an immovable and complex series of bastions.

There is even a canal moat with islands that sits as a protective buffer before them. The ramparts are the best preserved in all of Belgium and you can learn more about them in the De Kazematten Visitors Centre.

The modern purpose of the ramparts has shifted from defence to recreation, with a long winding 2.6km park built atop them. This walking route along the ramparts is open to the public and wheelchair accessible. Even during the tail end of winter, the park and its bare trees have a welcoming atmosphere to it.

The views from on top of the ramparts also give you great views down into the moat and across the rooftops of Ypres. Occasionally you come across a clearing with flowers starting to bloom or the remains of towers that belonged to the 14th century ramparts.

A spot that certainly captured my attention was the small Ramparts War Cemetery sitting by the banks of the moat. This gated-off cemetery holds graves of Commonwealth soldiers, including several Maori tombstones. Unfortunately, a temporary issue with entry left me just peering over its low hedge. Yet another noble, dignified reminder of Ypres’ unfortunate history.

 

Visiting the Ypres Salient

Fighting in World War I was not restricted solely to the town of Ypres. It also covered much of the surrounding countryside in an area known as the Ypres Salient.

This is where the frontline for the Commonwealth and German forces was and where much of the combat took place. Today, the Ypres Salient is home to many memorial cemeteries for those who fought and died in the region.

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the most well-known, as previously mentioned, with its 11,956 graves. It is one of the largest Commonwealth cemeteries in the world and stands where the German frontline once was. Australian forces took the front on October 4th 1914 and began burying the first bodies there.

Only 3,800 of the 12,000 bodies buried there between 1919 and 1921 have been identified. There are also several museums in the Salient area, including the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in the village of Zonnebeke and the Museum on the Yser.

 

Tours and Cycling the Ypres Salient

My plan to explore the Salient in the afternoon had been to rent a bicycle and visit some sites. Unfortunately I never really had the time to do this but hope to visit the Salient next time. Several places rent out bikes in the city centre. The most central are Hotel Ambrosia, Chez Marie and Bikingbox Cycletours.

Prices for bike rental are pretty even at 15€ for a full-day and a little less for a half-day. Collect brochures on cycling routes at the tourism office for just 2€. There are also a whole bunch of walking, cycling, and driving route brochures you can buy at Westtoer.

For more thorough and stress-free trips to the Ypres Salient, you can also look at the many tours on offer. Of course, visits to the region of West Flanders can also look beyond Ypres and the Salient. There are far too many to name, but the world’s best Trappist beer at Vleteren deserves a special mention.

Hopefully, all this information will help ensure you don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t underestimate how long you need to have an in-depth visit here.

 

Travel Tips for Visiting Ypres

• Plan your visit in advance. There’s plenty of information available on the Ypres Tourism and Flanders Fields websites.
• Allow ample time for the In Flanders Fields Museum as it can take you by surprise.
• Remember that the Last Post happens at 8 pm so factor that into your dinner/travel plans.
• Get out into the Ypres Salient and drive or cycle to the surrounding sites and cemeteries.

 

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What was your experience like when visiting Ypres? What were your favourite things to see in Ypres? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

*Disclosure: I received free tickets from Ypres Tourism to the In Flanders Fields Museum. As always, my opinions are my own.

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