Bus Hire in Ypres

Ypres (Ieper) is a small medieval city in West Flanders, 130 kilometres west of Brussels via the E40 motorway, that is one of the most significant heritage destinations in the world for WWI commemoration. During the First World War, Ypres was the centre of the Ypres Salient, a British-held bulge in the Western Front lines surrounded on three sides by German positions. The city was completely destroyed by artillery bombardment by 1918 and entirely rebuilt in its medieval form in the 1920s and 1930s. The Menin Gate (on the eastern edge of the city, on the road that troops took to reach the front) is a massive memorial arch listing 54,896 names of Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Salient and have no known grave.

The Last Post ceremony has been sounded at the Menin Gate every evening at 8pm without exception since 1928 (pausing only during the German occupation from 1940 to 1944, when it was briefly moved to Brookwood Cemetery in England). The surrounding Salient contains over 170 Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, dozens of memorials, and numerous preserved battlefield sites. Coach hire for WWI battlefield tours and school history trips to Ypres is one of the most consistent segments of Belgian group transport.

Menin Gate and the Last Post Ceremony

The Menin Gate Memorial (on the Meensestraat, the eastern gate of the city walls, on the road to the front) is a triumphal arch designed by Reginald Blomfield and unveiled in 1927. The arch and its side walls are covered with panels listing 54,896 names of Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Salient before 16 August 1917 and whose bodies were never identified. The Last Post ceremony has been sounded every evening at 8pm since 2 July 1928 by the buglars of the Last Post Association, using the Last Post call used by the British Army to signal the end of the day. During the ceremony (which lasts approximately 15 to 20 minutes) traffic is halted on the Meensestraat and crowds typically fill the gate and the road. Coaches park at the Menenpoort car park or the Cattebeke car park; walking time to the gate is 5 to 10 minutes.

In Flanders Fields Museum

The In Flanders Fields Museum (in the restored Cloth Hall on the Grote Markt, opened 1998, extensively renewed 2012) is the principal WWI interpretive museum for the Ypres Salient. The Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle, the original 13th-century trading hall and belfry of medieval Ypres, completely destroyed in WWI and carefully rebuilt in exact replica form between 1933 and 1967) is the most impressive example of WWI reconstruction in Belgium. The museum covers the complete story of the Ypres Salient from 1914 to 1918 through personal accounts, artefacts, and interactive displays. Group school visits are a major part of the museum's visitor base; advance booking is required. The Belfry (83 metres, with a 49-bell carillon) is separately accessible by lift.

Tyne Cot and the WWI Cemeteries

Tyne Cot Cemetery (9 kilometres north-east of Ypres via the N303, approximately 15 minutes by coach) is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world: 11,954 graves, a memorial wall bearing 34,887 names, and a Cross of Sacrifice. The cemetery is at the site of a German concrete blockhouse (the 'Tyne Cot' shelter) captured by the Australians in October 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). The Passchendaele site (the village of Passendale, 12 kilometres north-east of Ypres via the N303 beyond Tyne Cot) is the furthest point the Allies advanced during the 1917 offensive and now has a small village with a New British Cemetery. Hill 60 (5 kilometres south-east of Ypres, off the N365) is a spoil heap from a railway cutting, fought over throughout the war and now preserved as a shell-cratered memorial site with original dugout entrances.

What Bus Hire Costs in Ypres

As a rough guide, a minibus (up to 19 seats) in Ypres runs around 245 to 475 EUR per day, a midi-coach (around 35 seats) around 405 to 800 EUR per day, and a full-size coach (49 to 55 seats) around 625 to 1,190 EUR per day. Ypres is a specialist heritage market with very high demand from school history trips (September to June) and pilgrimage groups from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Last Post ceremony attracts evening groups year-round. The final figure depends on your route, the date, and how long you need the vehicle and driver. We confirm a fixed price with no hidden charges, so send your details for a free quote.

Services Available in Ypres