Starting the planning and am wondering about the travel logistics of staying in Brugge, day trip to Ypres and then back to Brugge at night, then The next day on to Brussels to take Eurostar to London. 1st - have read that you should not miss the evening at Menin Gate, however there is no train back to Brugge after , so..
2nd- if we did stay in Ypres for the night, then head to Brussels for our departure the same day via Eurostar, would this be a better option?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
496 posts
Hi Judy,
I'm doing this same trip next year, but I'm staying in Ghent. There's two evening trains that go back to Ghent after the Last Post. From Ghent, there's still trains leaving for Brugges all the way up until nearly midnight.
It's a bit of a longer journey, but it's totally doable.
-- Mike Beebe
Posted by
OP
Saskatchewan
308 posts
Thanks Mike for the reply. I’ve followed a few of your reports and have enjoyed them a lot. Our itinerary for October is this - arrive Amsterdam after a river cruise and spend 5-6 days there and using it also as a base for day trips. We then train to Osnabruck to visit family for 3 nights. From Osnabruck, we will train to Brussels and then on to Brugge or Ghent for 3 nights (not sure yet, but will base out of either one) and also include the Ypres day trip. Back to Brussels to hop the Eurostar to London and finish with 3 nights London. Just trying to get the travel logistics down between these cities. Any info welcome! We have recently returned from Vietnam and survived the infamous scooters of HCM, so hoping the bikes in AMS won’t be toooo crazy. Am wondering about taking the train direct from Ypres to Lille, France and catching the Eurostar, but I haven’t dine any research on that yet.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
496 posts
Judy,
Thanks for enjoying my insane rantings!
If you're relying on the train, you might want to consider Ghent over Brugge, especially if you need to get to Brussels. Brugge is a quick trip by train from Ghent, as is Brussels.
Our itinerary for 2019 is London -> Ghent -> Munich -> Colmar -> Paris.
Since we need to catch an early flight out of Brussels to Munich, we chose Ghent over Brugge because the train is a direct shot to the airport. From Brugge, it's an extra 1/2 hour and one train change. Also, the trip to Ypres from Ghent is a one-train deal, too.
Something to think about, at any rate.
Enjoy your trip!
-- Mike Beebe
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7206 posts
Many people rave about the Menin Gate ceremony. To me, it’s much like any number of other military ceremonies I’ve been to and I wouldn’t hang out in Ypres/ieper just to see it. Go to it if you’re really interested in seeing it and not simply because others say you should go. When we went to Ypres in March, it was with Quasimodo tours. Very informative and worth the price. For those who want to stay later for the ceremony, it will arrange a taxi to bring you back. You’d need to ask them what that costs. We returned to Bruges at about 6pm. The next day we left for the next stop on out trip.
Posted by
OP
Saskatchewan
308 posts
Hey Mike, any relatives in Saskatchewan? I went to school with a Beebe.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
496 posts
I don't believe so -- we're an odd clan: originally (allegedly) we were bee keepers in middle ages and there's a million different spellings of the name. But sadly, I don't think I have any Canadian relatives.
Posted by
94 posts
We also did the day tour to Ypres with Quasimodo. The owner of the tour company was our guide and he was also the one that took us back to Brugge at the end of the Menin Gate ceremony (rather than a taxi). We enjoyed our evening. However, for us it wasn't something we absolutely had to see. We probably would have also enjoyed spending the evening in Brugge. I think it just depends on your interest and your time in Brugge. If you use Quasimodo, travel logistics at least won't be an issue. I don't remember the extra cost to stay later but it wasn't too much more.