In Flanders Fields - Ostend, Bruges & Ypres

Day 1

After pickups this morning, we travel across the English Channel through France and into Belgium. After checking into our hotel, an evening meal is included tonight.

Day 2

Today's full day excursion takes us through the Flanders countryside, where the poppies once grew here. Our first stop is Tyne Cot Cemetery, the world's largest British and Commonwealth military cemetery. We continue onto Essex Farm, where Canadian soldier John McCrae penned his poignant 'In Flanders Fields' poem, where you can explore military bunkers as well as memorials and a cemetery. Today's final visit takes us to Ypres. Why not also take the opportunity to visit the 'In Flanders Fields' museum or explore the array of chic shops and eateries before witnessing the famous nightly last post ceremony at the Menin Gate war memorial to the missing at 8pm this evening?

Day 3

We travel to Bruges, the 'Venice of the North', this morning, famous for its chocolate and lace. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its medieval fairy?tale centre combines cobbled lanes, dreamy canals, market squares, soaring towers and historic churches. After free time to explore, we return to Blankenberge this afternoon, a charming seaside resort home to Belgium's only pier, a busy marina and plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants where you can explore a choice of restaurants this evening.

Day 4

After breakfast this morning, enjoy a leisurely start to your day beside the sea in Blankenberge. We later visit Ostend, the cosmopolitan 'City by the Sea'. We recommend a visit to Ostend's thriving harbour, where you can visit the raised bow of the HMS Vindictive, a heavy cruiser sunk by German submarines in May 1918, now a memorial and silent witness to the Great War. Elsewhere, this thriving seaside resort is renowned for its mussels, a delicacy in Belgium, and its seafood specialities, including Ostend Sole (sole filled with shrimps and mussels) - perfect for your evening meal before we return to your hotel.

Day 5

We leave Blankenberge this morning and travel to Poperinge, where you'll find historic Talbot House. Founded in the Great War as a 'home from home', this everyman's club was a sanctuary of peace for British soldiers during WWI; today, it's a living museum full of surprising stories and home to over five hundred exhibited items. From here, we continue onto our return ferry crossing back home.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner