Belgian Coast, Battlefields and Bruges

Depart the UK

Drive to Dover and take the short sea crossing to Calais or Dunkerque and continue on to Ostend for the next 4 nights.  Dinner will be at the hotel this evening.

Belgian Coast, Blankenberge and Ostend

After breakfast, drive along the coast to the delightful seaside resort of Blankenberge.  There are many museums to explore including the Belle Epoque Centre or Majuttes’ House – once a typical late 18th-century fisherman’s dwelling, the cottage is now a fun museum-café where you can enjoy a cup of coffee with some delicious ‘sluffer’ cake.  Or visit the Dairy Museum – over 350 years of cheese and butter making and culture presented in a thoroughly modern context. Unique to Belgium!  Alternatively, take a stroll along the promenade that runs alongside the vast sandy beach, and explore the marina and Belgium’s only pier or there are many shops to wander around and plenty of cafes and bars to get some lunch.

Return to “Cosmopolitan” Ostend, with its 9km of wide sandy beach and a spacious promenade to spend the afternoon at leisure.  Perhaps call in at the former home of impressionist painter James Ensor.  Now a museum, the ground floor is presented as a 19th-century souvenir shop.  Other museums include Mu.ZEE which is the only place in the world that focuses on modern and contemporary art in Belgium.  Discover ‘The Crystal Ship’ where renowned artists make enormous paintings on walls.  Also worth visiting are the museum ships Mercator and Amandine, both with fascinating stories to tell.  You may want to sample the famous Ostend Shrimp Croquettes or a glass of Krevet, local beer brewed in Ostend.  There are also many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants of offer.

Alternatively, why not delve into some WW1 & WWII history and visit the remains of the German ‘Atlantikwall Raversyde’ which is now an Open-air museum where there are more than 60 World War 1 bunkers, observation posts and artillery positions.  (The museum is located south of Ostend approximately 10-15 minutes drive. Group visits and self-guided audio tours possible – ask for details). 

Return to the hotel for dinner and an evening at leisure.

(Note: If staying in the resort of Blankenberge the programme will be amended accordingly)

In Flanders Fields Museum and the ’14-18′ Route

Make the short journey to Ypres and  meet up with a local guide for a tour around the 14-18 route visiting battlefields and memorials enroute. Stops may include Essex Farm where John McCrae wrote his famous ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem, Langemarck Cemetery which is one of only four German cemeteries in the Flanders region and Tyne Cot Cemetery which is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. The contrast of the gleaming white headstones of Tyne Cot and the simple grey stones of Langemarck, surrounded by oak trees, both places of remembrance, but markedly different. Other sites including Hill 62 Museum / Sanctuary Wood and the Irish Peace Tower in the Island of Ireland Peace Park can be visited but more time may be required.

Back in Ypres, there will be time to get some lunch before visiting the ‘In Flanders Fields Museum’ for a self-guided visit. It is located in the former Cloth Halls of Ypres, in the centre of the town, and presents the story of WW1 in the West Flanders Front region. Using bracelets given to you on arrival, you can activate the exhibits and read accounts of people from the First World War, tailored to be personal to yourself. There are also several films showing clips of the battles and a retelling of life in a WW1 Hospital. (N.B. The museum is closed for most of January and on Mondays between November and March.)

There will be some free time to further discover this historical town before heading for dinner in a local restaurant before witnessing the Last Post.

At 8pm each evening, the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate will commence.  During the war this was the call for all soldiers fighting in the fields outside the gates to head back to the city for the evening. However, many did not return back through the gates. The tradition continues each evening to this day and is one of the most poignant elements to any battlefields tour. We recommend arriving early to be able to see the ceremony taking place and the wreaths being carried.

Return to the hotel by coach.

Bruges Sightseeing

No visit to Belgium can be made without visiting Bruges, the ‘Venice of the North’, a medieval city boasting many canals, a maze of winding cobbled streets, remarkable architecture and more than a few specialised chocalatiers and breweries!  Meet up with a local guide for a walking tour before spending the rest of the day at leisure.  Maybe take a leisurely canal trip to see the city from a different perspective or visit the Historium, a virtual reality experience delving into the history of the city.  There are plenty of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants to browse around.  If you are feeling energetic, climb the steps to the top of the Belfry for a birds eye view of the city or take a horse and carriage ride around the city.

Return to the hotel for a final evening and dinner.

Return to the UK

Depart after breakfast and drive to Calais or Dunkerque for the short sea ferry crossing to the UK.