From IEPER Private 4-hour Tour of the Ypres Battlefield
Description
This unique PRIVATE Ypres battlefield tour cover 40km of the Ypres Salient from Ypres to Passchendaele spanning 1914 to 1918, we follow the Australian/Canadian/New Zealand/ South African/ British soldiers as they attacked towards Passchendaele in 1917, I will ascertain your particular areas of interests and tailor the tour to your liking If you have ancestors that fell in the battle I will tailor the tour where possible to include them I will meet you at the place of your choice, at your IEPER based accommodation or the IEPER railway station whatever is your preference. My own gt uncle is commemorated on the memorial to the missing and my gt grandfather suffered horrific wounds at Passchendaele still only 16 years old. This tour covers a route of 23 miles or 37 km's Max x4 people, private tour for one price 180 euro which equates to 45 euro per person For groups 4+ please contact me in advance Please note the trench is closed from Dec to early Feb, we will see alternative
Tour Options
Itinerary
Here you will hear the story of the massive mines blown here on the 7th June 1917
Here we will see poignant original WW1 trenches and a quaint ww1 museum
Here we will visit the worlds largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery 12,000 soldiers are buried here, only 3,000 have names, two Australian & 1 Canadian VC recipients are buried here
Here you'll hear about the first German gas attack of ww1 on the 22nd April 1915 against French soldiers and how the brave Canadians held the line in the face of this chlorine gas cloud
Here we will see the hospital site where Lt Col John McCrae composed the iconic poem 'In Flanders Fields' and made the poppy the iconic image of ww1
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
IEPER TRAIN STATION: If you are travelling to Ypres via train I will meet at the train station, just message me with the time that you arrive IEPER HOTELS & B'N'B'S: If your accommodation is not listed please just message me with the name and I will meet you there
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(170)
My son and I loved this tour. We had really been looking forward to it and it met or exceeded all our expectations. We have an ancestor who died in the war and is memorialized at Tyn Cot. Søren helped find information on his unit who h gave additional context to visiting the various locations. I highly recommend the tour.
What an incredible WW1 battlefield & cemetery tour with our amazing tour guide Soren Hawkes. This is definitely worth the cost (even for only 2 people) Soren is extremely knowledgeable, provides incredible insights into every aspect of war history, tailored to your specific interests and family connections to the war. Soren goes above and beyond to ensure your experience is personalised to your needs & comfort (even down to toilet stops). He was very punctual regarding pickup from our hotel and extremely generous with his time! Other Australian relatives have done the same tour with Soren and he came highly recommended and we could not have been more pleased with our tour. Thank you so much Soren, for wonderful memories and for helping us honour our dear Great Uncle “Stid” Lieutenant AVL Hull of the 18th Battalion, AIF who was killed in action during the Battle of Poelcappelle and buried at Dochy Farm, New British Cemetery.
A fantastic tour made even better by the knowledgeable, friendly guide, Soren. Soren was so helpful and informative giving us all the side detail that was associated with the region. We couldn’t recommend him and the tour highly enough 👍👍👍
Guide was very informative & tour was comprehensive.
Søren was a fantasitic guide with so much information about the war and the battlefields. As we went back to town, he gave us tips and recommendations for restaurants, shops, and what to do/where/when to be for Last Post. Highly recommended!
Really really informative but also genuinely interesting and fun. Would absolutely recommend.
Exceptionally good tour hosted by Mike, a local historian with excellent English speaking skills. Mike collected us in a very comfortable minibus and showed us many sites and memorials around Ypres. His knowledge was superb and he answered every question we had with authority. Mike also owns a really interesting shop close to the Menin Gate which I would also recommend visiting.
This tour is not my business, nothing to do with my tours
Excellent knowledge of the area and the battles. A true history buff
Soren was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. His ability to respond to questions off the cuff was amazing. We had a thoroughly enjoyable tour and he was particularly respectful of my father’s limitations with mobility. Will be recommending him to friends who are planning to visit Ypers later in the year.
Souren provided a tour that was packed with detail and stories. Learned things that did not know before despite having done some research in advance. The tour was well paced - highlighting well known and lesser known locations. Souren was knowledgeable, entertaining, respectful and engaging. Given the scale of the destruction and devastation, the tour managed to be respectful while also being engaging.
