I will be in Brussels at the end of March. I would like to find a good guided tour of the Waterloo, battlefield and Museum. I have read quite a bit on the battle in the history of the Times. So I’d like a very knowledgeable driver with his or her own vehicle to tour us around the battlefield.
Thank you
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
1971 posts
I have no experience with guided tours in Waterloo, but hopefully Waterloo Tourisme can help you finding a driver who can guide you around for a reasonable price. http://www.waterloo-tourisme.com/en/guides-1815
Maybe the museum can help you too: https://www.waterloo1815.be/en/contact/
According Tripadvisor some companies offer private tours too, are very expensive and hard to say if they are worth the extra money.
Posted by
San Francisco
14507 posts
For the bicentennial of the battle in 2015, much was done to prepare for that occasion as regards to the town itself and the historical sites connected to the Waterloo campaign. As suggested above, I would ask at the Tourist Office.
To get a good comprehensive coverage, not merely an overview, of the battlefield and the monuments, museums, memorials, etc. being motorised is essential with 2 days devoted to seeing the entire place., eg, Napoleon's HQ and that of Wellington, the Prussian memorial, "the farm house" and so on.
Reading up on Waterloo, I would also suggest the works by the British historian, Andrew Roberts, even there is a ton of literature covering the scope as seen from the British and Prussian perspective, or that from the French. If you read French, even better.
I was at Waterloo only once. That was in August 1984, spent all afternoon there, 5 hours. It is about time to go back to see the improvements in 40 years.
Posted by
Seattle
117 posts
If you want to meet your guide at the museum, it's easy to get there via public transportation. As you know from your research, the battlefield and museum are close to the town of Braine-l'Alleud, and the city of Waterloo is farther away. Take a train from Brussels to Braine-l'Alleud and then catch the "W" bus to the museum and battlefield. I found the museum one of the best battlefield museums in Europe. It put the Napoleonic Wars in context, had a marvelous "4-D" movie about the actual battle, and did a superb job on the aftermath. There's also a shuttle bus that takes you to Hougoumont Farm--where the British troops held off the French for hours at a decisive turning point in the battle. In my view, you don't need a guide for the museum--but a driving tour of the battlefield could be worth it.