World War One battlefield tour guides

If you want to visit the key battlefields around Ypres, you can do it yourself. But enlisting the help of one of the many specialist World War One battlefield tour guides available is a good idea.

Not only do World War One battlefield tour guides they know the best places to visit and when to visit them, but they can also help bring this unforgettable time in world history back to vivid life with their knowledge and enthusiasm. Here’s a personal pick of some WW1 battlefield tour guides in Ypres.

Flanders Battlefield Tours

If you only have an afternoon to spare but want to make the most of it by visiting the unmissable sights, then Flanders Battlefield Tours offers an excellent four-hour tour of the Ypres North Salient. It runs from 13:00 to 17:00 daily and gives tourists a chance to visit several key monuments and battlegrounds.

These include Essex Farm, which was the location of the bunker where John McCrae wrote the remembrance poem In Flanders’ Fields; the sombre oak tree-filled German cemetery at Langemark; and the impressive Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passchendaele.

The tour costs 35 EUR including museum entrance fees. Children under 12 who take up a seat pay half-price. Pre-booking is recommended.

2Xplore Tours

If you are looking for a more personal, customised battlefield tour, then 2Xplore Tours might be ideal for you. Your guide is Patrick Jonckheere, an ex-Belgian Para Commando who was born in nearby Diksmuide and has a real passion for the history of the Great War. He offers two day-long set tours. The Ypres Salient Tour includes the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the Passchendaele Memorial and the preserved battlefield at Hill 60. The Ijser Front Tour covers Nieuwpoort and the Ijser Memorial before heading to the Ramskapelle gunner post, the Trench of Death at Diksmuide, the Ijser Tower (Museum, Pax Gate and Crypt) and the German Military Cemetery at Vladslo.

Patrick also designs customised tours: just explain what you want to visit and he’ll arrange everything, including food, transport and accommodation. A day-long 2Xplore tour costs 65 EUR. All tours include entrance fees and an info pack.

Cycling the Western Front

For a battlefield tour with a difference, try Cycling the Western Front. It takes advantage of the fact that most of the WW1 action took place within a fairly small — and generally flat — area.

This means that the battlefield sites are only about 4-8 km apart and can be visited by bicycle. It’s a unique and environmentally friendly way to visit them. The tours are personally guided and cover all ages and abilities.

One-day tours are the standard, but multiple-day tours can be arranged and include accommodation and transportation of your overnight luggage. Contact organiser Carl Ooghe for more information on 0475-81.06.08.