Ypres (also know as Ieper) Travel Guide
Located in West Flanders, Belgium, Ypres is best known for its part in World War 1.
As you would expect from a town located from a town once at the forefront of the war, a large proportion of Ypres current income comes from battlefield tours from tourists wanting to pay their respects to fallen soldiers.
Having undergone serve damage during the war, Ypres had to be totally rebuilt. With both German and Allied troops having fought fiercely in the Ypres Salient (a salient is the area that extends into enemy territory and surrounded on three sides) many lives where lost, and now a number of good museums and memorials have been built.
Ypres also became famous for being the place where the Germans used poison gas as a weapon for the first time on the Western Front during the Second Battle of Ypres (22nd April - 25 May 1915).
After the war Ypres was rebuilt using the reparations paid by the Germans with the main square, Cloth Hall and the town hall all being restored to their original state. Cloth Hall is now home to the In Flanders Museum which illustrates Ypres role in the First World War.
Travelling to Ypres
Travelling to Flanders from the UK is easy with DFDS Seaways. After taking the ferry to France from Dover, it's less then an hours drive from Dunkirk's port to Ypres. If travelling from the North of England, you can avoid the long drive south and travel onboard our cruise ferries from Newcastle to Holland, and make the journey into France from Amsterdam.