# Driving Tour of Belgium Battlefields



## RedSox68

I am trying to plan my husband's dream trip -- a driving trip around Belgium to visit the WWI and WWII battlefields.  It will be his celebratory trip for finishing his cancer treatments.

We plan to take 2-3 weeks, but would love some help with ideas, sites, renting a car, tips from anyone who has done it, etc.  I don't even know where to begin, so any tips would be a start.  Thanks.


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## Woodview

Here goes  .

  Best to fly to     Brussels   Airport ..     Or     Paris  Airport       Or     Amsterdam.

 For  WW 1           Brussels  or Amsterdam

For WW2             Paris  

  Hire a car  at any of these  Airports       Rentalcars.com          Or  Sixt   car hire

        You drive on same side of road as in USA             BUT MOST  cars are    STICK   shift    . you will have to order  Automatic 

    Go for   a    larger car      a Volkswagen   Passat   or a Tyota   Corrola   .

        Fuel   should be    Full to Full       &  with  Unlimited  Kilometers   ( Not Miles )   FUEL  is expensive 

  Speeding  is Strictly enforced    by   Speed Cameras    (I Know  as I have been Caught  )



  Hotels  ..........   Look for       The  Logis   Hotel Chain          or Best Western    etc .

  Book      Half Board          ======       Dinner     Bed & Breakfast .           Drink Driving   is a NO NO .


 Sights  for WW 1          Ypres     &  Mriennine     Gate   & Thiepfille    War Memorial   


         More  to Follow


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## RedSox68

Sorry, just getting back on this board.  

WOW, Woodview, that is incredible information.  Thank you so much.  For Christmas I got my husband a Ypres walking tour book, and a Belgium Battlefield guide.  Booking a car and hotels will be interesting as we usually travel with group tours and don't have to worry about any of that. 

Any information you provide is terrific.  One question:  what do you mean by "book half board"?


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## RedSox68

Also, any suggestions for travel from Paris or Amsterdam?


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## RedSox68

Bumping up -- hoping to do this next Spring (gotta have something to look forward to at this point).  Any additional info on this type of trip, including hotels and restaurants, would be most appreciated.


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## ykmom

We are Canadians and have been over 3 times in the last 5 years and my husband has been over 3 other I think.  Battlefields are his passion.  Meninen Gates service is an absolute must do,  It is nightly  at 8pm - says get there around 6. Pond farm and McRae bunker where in Flanders fields was written.  If you are going in Spring the tulip fields in Keukenhoff are amazing,   Arnhem is a nice place too, very significant.  There’s the bridge and museum.  Feel feel to reach to out to me.  I do Disney, he does history so it’s a perfect combo!  He says he would be happy to give you some suggestions


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## RedSox68

ykmom said:


> We are Canadians and have been over 3 times in the last 5 years and my husband has been over 3 other I think.  Battlefields are his passion.  Meninen Gates service is an absolute must do,  It is nightly  at 8pm - says get there around 6. Pond farm and McRae bunker where in Flanders fields was written.  If you are going in Spring the tulip fields in Keukenhoff are amazing,   Arnhem is a nice place too, very significant.  There’s the bridge and museum.  Feel feel to reach to out to me.  I do Disney, he does history so it’s a perfect combo!  He says he would be happy to give you some suggestions



Thank you so very much.  Yes, we will take any help, tips, suggestions.  Places to stay, eat, whether to rent a car or travel by train, etc.  Your advice is most appreciated.  It just feels a little overwhelming to start out with -- even just deciding which direction to travel in first and loop around from.  For the 45 years I've known my husband, we have lived and breathed battlefields.  He does DIsney with me, I do history travel with him.  We even got married at Valley Forge, and he used to be a reenactor of American Revolution, Civil War, WWI and WWII.  

Also, any tips about car rental -- where.  We were thinking of taking the train from Brussels to Brugges, and then renting a car for the rest of it.  Thanks again.


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## Woodview

Again      ....., Fly to  Brussels          .......  Hire a car        .....  Sixt    car hire    ....... ( You drive on the same side of the road )

         Remember  most cars are     NOT  Automatic   

  Look up the   Logis   hotel chain   brand  of   hotels .

Have a decent       Sat Nav    with   European   Maps on it     (  Benelux   & France )


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## Woodview

Make sure  you have    a    Chip   & Pin          Credit   Card      &  Debit Card .

   A lot of  places  are   now  going     "  Contactless  "   payment    for  small   transactions    (     €   25       or $  35 )


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## RedSox68

Woodview said:


> Make sure  you have    a    Chip   & Pin          Credit   Card      &  Debit Card .
> 
> A lot of  places  are   now  going     "  Contactless  "   payment    for  small   transactions    (     €   25       or $  35 )



Good advice.  Thanks much


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## moorhunhe

If coming to Belgium, Ieper (Ypres) is a very nice place to go.
It has lots of cemetaries, for example Tyne Cot Cemetary.
In the middle of the city center is Flanders Field Museum.
And it has the Menenbrug, where they do the Last Post.  It's a ceremony, and every evening they honor a different person.
It's always extremely busy though watching the Last Post.
(and with what's going on, not sure if they are still doing this for the public).

*EDIT*
omg, I totally misread 2020 into 2021, you may have already been?  If not, it's something to consider, hehe


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## RedSox68

moorhunhe said:


> If coming to Belgium, Ieper (Ypres) is a very nice place to go.
> It has lots of cemetaries, for example Tyne Cot Cemetary.
> In the middle of the city center is Flanders Field Museum.
> And it has the Menenbrug, where they do the Last Post.  It's a ceremony, and every evening they honor a different person.
> It's always extremely busy though watching the Last Post.
> (and with what's going on, not sure if they are still doing this for the public).
> 
> *EDIT*
> omg, I totally misread 2020 into 2021, you may have already been?  If not, it's something to consider, hehe



Thank you so much.  No we haven't been yet.  Now hoping to go in 2022 -- so any more tips are greatly appreciated.  Places to stay, eat, etc.


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## moorhunhe

RedSox68 said:


> Thank you so much.  No we haven't been yet.  Now hoping to go in 2022 -- so any more tips are greatly appreciated.  Places to stay, eat, etc.



I actually lived on the other side of the country from where Ypres is (near Holland/German border), so unfortunately I'm not familiar at all with places to stay or good things to eat over there.

Though, in "my neck of the woods" there is the biggest fort you can go and visit "Fort Eben-Emael", or there is the "Drielandenpunt", which is where the borders of Belgium/The Netherlands/Germany come together.


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## RedSox68

moorhunhe said:


> I actually lived on the other side of the country from where Ypres is (near Holland/German border), so unfortunately I'm not familiar at all with places to stay or good things to eat over there.
> 
> Though, in "my neck of the woods" there is the biggest fort you can go and visit "Fort Eben-Emael", or there is the "Drielandenpunt", which is where the borders of Belgium/The Netherlands/Germany come together.



That Fort sounds amazing.  Is that a place you can do a day trip from Amsterdam?


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## moorhunhe

RedSox68 said:


> That Fort sounds amazing.  Is that a place you can do a day trip from Amsterdam?



Just had a look on maps, it could be possible, depending on what your plans are and such.
It's about 2,5 hours drive.  The tours usually start in the morning around 10 or 11, and if I remember correctly, when I did it, it was over an hour long.  It's in the province Liège, you could possibly go to Liège city also have a stroll, stores, nice buildings, history, etc ...  Depending on what you like off course.
Or on the way back, stop at Maastricht in The Netherlands, which is also a very nice city to see (it's the city we usually go to if we want to go shopping, as that city is even closer for us then the nearest city to my village in Belgium, lol).


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## RedSox68

Thanks!


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