School Trips to Ypres & Belgium Battlefields

Why visit Ypres?

Explore the WW1 battlefields in Belgium

Ypres is a small town in Belgium that occupied an important strategic position during WW1. It stood in the path of the German’s Schlieffen Plan, as they intended to sweep into France from the north.

The Allies captured the town from the Germans in 1914 and it remained a focus for some of the most intense fighting throughout the war.

There are many fascinating sites of interest in and around Ypres that will bring this period to life for your students. Visits to war graves such as those at the Tyne Cot British Cemetery and memorials such as Menin Gate will bring home to your students the incredible number of lives that were lost during WW1. They’ll also be able to visit museums and recreated trenches, to learn more about the experiences of those soldiers.

Discover the experiences of WW1 soldiers

A school trip to Ypres offers plenty of opportunities for your students to discover what life was like for the soldiers who fought in WW1.

At the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, your students can see what the network of trenches and dugouts looked like and how they were used.

And at Talbot House, they can find out more about how soldiers managed to find some respite from the violence of the Western Front. The house is very much as it was during WW1. Your students will discover how rank was left at the door of this ‘every man’s club’ and they’ll see how important it was for soldiers to have the time to rest and enjoy some entertainment away from the fighting.

Understand the importance of remembrance

Many of the visits in and around Ypres are focused on keeping the memory of WW1 alive. There are many cemeteries, museums and memorials here to ensure that the world doesn’t forget the sacrifice of that generation of men who fought in the First World War.

This gives your students the opportunity to reflect on the importance of remembrance. Why do we still mark Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday? Why do we wear poppies? Why do we still make an effort to remember a war that ended over 100 years ago? All of these questions can be answered for them with a school trip to Ypres.

And, of course, not to be missed on a school trip to Ypres is the opportunity to take part in the moving Last Post Ceremony, which takes place every evening at the town’s famous Menin Gate. Some of your students will be able to lay a wreath as part of the ceremony, and this will be an honour that they’ll never forget.

Book with Halsbury

Take a look at our range of Ypres school trips below, and then get in touch with one of our tour advisers to discuss your requirements.