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Ypres

Once a bustling centre of industry ranking alongside Bruges and Ghent, it's now impossible to reference Ypres (Ieper in Dutch) without acknowledging the huge role it played in WWI. After its almost total annihilation, the town was rebuilt to its former specifications – a monumental task – to serve as a memorial to those who lost their lives here in the Great War. Its restored Lakenhalle is one of Belgium's most spectacular buildings.

Ypres has become a place of pilgrimage for many. It's the gateway to the Salient (aka Flanders Fields), a bow-shaped bulge that formed the front line around town; some 300,000 Allied soldiers and up to 200,000 civilians and German troops lost their lives here.

In recent years visitor numbers from Commonwealth countries have soared; plan your visit well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Explore Ypres

I
In Flanders Fields Museum
No museum gives a more balanced yet moving and user-friendly introduction to WWI history. It’s a multisensory experience combining soundscapes, videos,…
T
The Last Post
Every night at 8pm, traffic through the Menin Gate is halted while buglers sound the Last Post in remembrance of the WWI dead, a moving tradition started…
M
Menin Gate
A block east of Grote Markt, the famous Menin Gate is a huge stone gateway straddling the main road at the city moat. It's inscribed with the names of 54…
R
Ramparts CWGC Cemetery
One of Ypres' most attractive military graveyards, this Commonwealth War Graves Commission site is found 1km south of the Grote Markt.
Lakenhalle
Dominating the Grote Markt, the enormous reconstructed Lakenhalle is one of Belgium’s most impressive buildings. Its 70m-high belfry has the vague…
R
Ramparts
Ypres is unusual in that it has retained extensive sections of its city fortifications. Designed by French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de…
M
Merghelynck Museum
Unrelated to WWI, this museum faithfully reproduces a French manor house dating from 1774 and is filled with period antiques and artworks. The catch: it's…
S
St-Maarten en St-Niklasskerk
Directly behind the Lakenhalle, this vast church was a cathedral until 1797 and was almost totally destroyed in WWI. Reconstruction has beautifully…
G
Gateway to Ypres
This excellent visitors centre should be your first port of call if you're a Commonwealth citizen looking for information about a family member who died…

I
In Flanders Fields Museum
No museum gives a more balanced yet moving and user-friendly introduction to WWI history. It’s a multisensory experience combining soundscapes, videos,…
T
The Last Post
Every night at 8pm, traffic through the Menin Gate is halted while buglers sound the Last Post in remembrance of the WWI dead, a moving tradition started…
M
Menin Gate
A block east of Grote Markt, the famous Menin Gate is a huge stone gateway straddling the main road at the city moat. It's inscribed with the names of 54…
R
Ramparts CWGC Cemetery
One of Ypres' most attractive military graveyards, this Commonwealth War Graves Commission site is found 1km south of the Grote Markt.
Lakenhalle
Dominating the Grote Markt, the enormous reconstructed Lakenhalle is one of Belgium’s most impressive buildings. Its 70m-high belfry has the vague…
R
Ramparts
Ypres is unusual in that it has retained extensive sections of its city fortifications. Designed by French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de…
M
Merghelynck Museum
Unrelated to WWI, this museum faithfully reproduces a French manor house dating from 1774 and is filled with period antiques and artworks. The catch: it's…
S
St-Maarten en St-Niklasskerk
Directly behind the Lakenhalle, this vast church was a cathedral until 1797 and was almost totally destroyed in WWI. Reconstruction has beautifully…
G
Gateway to Ypres
This excellent visitors centre should be your first port of call if you're a Commonwealth citizen looking for information about a family member who died…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Ypres.

See
In Flanders Fields Museum
No museum gives a more balanced yet moving and user-friendly introduction to WWI history. It’s a multisensory experience combining soundscapes, videos,…
See
The Last Post
Every night at 8pm, traffic through the Menin Gate is halted while buglers sound the Last Post in remembrance of the WWI dead, a moving tradition started…
See
Menin Gate
A block east of Grote Markt, the famous Menin Gate is a huge stone gateway straddling the main road at the city moat. It's inscribed with the names of 54…
See
Ramparts CWGC Cemetery
One of Ypres' most attractive military graveyards, this Commonwealth War Graves Commission site is found 1km south of the Grote Markt.
See
Lakenhalle
Dominating the Grote Markt, the enormous reconstructed Lakenhalle is one of Belgium’s most impressive buildings. Its 70m-high belfry has the vague…
See
Ramparts
Ypres is unusual in that it has retained extensive sections of its city fortifications. Designed by French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de…
See
Merghelynck Museum
Unrelated to WWI, this museum faithfully reproduces a French manor house dating from 1774 and is filled with period antiques and artworks. The catch: it's…
See
St-Maarten en St-Niklasskerk
Directly behind the Lakenhalle, this vast church was a cathedral until 1797 and was almost totally destroyed in WWI. Reconstruction has beautifully…
See
Gateway to Ypres
This excellent visitors centre should be your first port of call if you're a Commonwealth citizen looking for information about a family member who died…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Ypres

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