The Battlefields of Belgium – Campaigns from WW1, WW2 & Waterloo
5 days from £679pp
About the tour: The Battlefields of Belgium – Campaigns from WW1, WW2 & Waterloo
Tour Introduction
Enjoy an introduction into the military history of the Belgium battlefields from Waterloo to World War One and World War Two. Leaving Bruges, we explore the field of Waterloo and visit the Waterloo Memorial Museum. We look at subjects like the defeat of Napolean by Wellington and Blucher. We then look at the well-known battlefields of WW1 as we travel to Flanders and look at the conflict around Ypres. Seeing sites such as Tyne Cot Cemetery, the Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum and Menin Gate, where we attend the moving Last Post Ceremony. Finally we delve into the history of WW2, where we look at the liberation in Belgium in1944, visit Breskens Pocket and see the spectacular Liberation Museum.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Convenient local joining points
(Deposits from £150pp)
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your battlefield tour either online, or by telephone (), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can -
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Tour Itinerary
For customers living outside of the UK, if you want to make a booking you will need to provide a UK postcode on our online booking system. If you are not able to provide a relevant UK postcode then you can enter the postcode for London Victoria Coach Station – SW1W 9TP. You should then be able to proceed to complete your booking.
If you do encounter a problem then you can speak to one of our friendly advisors who will be happy to help.
Please Note : After completing your booking, a member of our Customer Service team will be in touch to make sure everything is okay.
Either e-mail our Reservations Department or call on 01709 830 333 and they will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.
Day 1
Local departure by coach, then to Belgium for a four-night stay.
Day 2 - Waterloo & Mons
We start with the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Beginning at the Waterloo Memorial Museum we look at the defeat of Napoleon by Wellington and Blücher. You also have time to climb the Lion Mound and see the stunning Waterloo panorama.After lunch in Waterloo we travel the ninety-nine years from Waterloo to Mons and look at the opening shots of WWI. At Nimy Bridge we see where the first Victoria Crosses were awarded for bravery in 1914 and then see the Mons War Museum. At St. Symphorien we see a unique and moving cemetery where the dead of both sides are buried and in the British plots this includes the ‘first and the last’ Commonwealth casualties of the Great War.
Included meals: Breakfast
Lion's Mound, Waterloo (4)
Key Visits
- St. Symphorien Cemetery
- Lion's Mound, Waterloo
- Nimy Bridge
- Waterloo Memorial Museum
- Mons War Museum
Day 3 - Flanders & Ypres
Today we travel to Flanders and look at the four years of conflict around Ypres between 1914 and 1918. We visit the largest British and Commonwealth cemetery in the world at Tyne Cot and examine the battles for Ypres.At the Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum we see a system of preserved WWI trenches and then have lunch at Hooge, together with time to visit the museum. In the grounds of the Hooge Château we visit some mine craters from 1916 and then travel down the Messines Ridge to the visitors' centre before seeing the Memorial to the Missing at Ploegsteert.
We end the day by travelling into Ypres for free time to explore before we attend the moving Last Post Ceremony which is held at 8pm every evening.
Included meals: Breakfast
Last Post Ceremony (5)
Key Visits
- Tyne Cot Cemetery
- Hooge Museum
- Ploegsteert Memorial
- Last Post Ceremony
- Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum
- Hooge Château
- Messines Museum
Day 4 - Knocke-Heist & Walcheren Island
Moving on to the Second World War we look at the liberation of Belgium in September 1944. At the For Freedom Museum in Knocke-Heist we see an amazing collection of life-size dioramas depicting the fighting in this region.We then travel into the Breskens Pocket to see where the Canadians landed on the coast. After lunch we look at the battle for the Walcheren Island in November 1944 when commandos landed on the coast and the Canadians attacked from Antwerp. We see the Sherman Tank Memorial overlooking the landing beaches and also visit the war graves in Bergen op Zoom.
Included meals: Breakfast
Bergen op Zoom (2)
Key Visits
- Freedom Museum
- Breskens Pocket
- Sherman Tank Memorial
- Bergen op Zoom
Day 5
Return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Please note: entrance to museums and places of interest are at extra cost.
Meal and museum package available whilst on tour approx cost €50.
Specialist Battlefield Guides
All of Leger’s battlefield tours are accompanied by specialist guides. Their individual in-depth knowledge of warfare will be informative, as well as enhance your overall experience, as they recreate a fascinating perception of the history and factual events of each battle. Discover the actual catalysts for war, the strategies employed and the final, inevitable outcomes, as well as experiencing the emotional human side of the front line.
Please note: On certain tours, you may get tour guides other that the ones listed below.
Hotel
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333
Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Your hotels will supply towels in your room.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
Hotel Olympia
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About the hotel
The friendly, family-owned Hotel Olympia is situated in a quiet neighbourhood on the western outskirts of Bruges, yet only around a 30-minute walk from the Grote Markt, and the shops and sights. Popular with Leger guests for many years, Valerie and her team will do their best to ensure a pleasant stay in this beautiful city. The hotel has a small bar, breakfast room on the first floor and lift to bedrooms. The hotel has 31 comfortable bedrooms with T.V., telephone, free WiFi and safe (at small additional cost). All rooms have walk-in shower.
Hotel Features
- Bar
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Lift
- WiFi Available
Room Features
- Bath and/or Shower
- Hairdryer
- Telephone
- TV
Travel Options
Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.
Front row seats can be reserved for £14pp (up to 6 days duration), £22pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £25pp (9 days duration and over) on all European tours. In addition to this seats on the second row can be reserved for £7pp (up to 6 days duration), £14pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £15pp (9 days duration and over). This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on feeder journeys to/from the U.K. port. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.
Please note: On some coaches the legroom on front seats may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled for any reason and front/second row seats are not available on your new tour you will be refunded the supplement. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach. Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the U.K. port are not allocated.
Hot and cold drinks are served on the main tour coaches. Prices are approximately £1 or 1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by the driver. Drinks may also be served on the transfer coaches but this is not guaranteed.
Transfer vehicles are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure and will depend on where passengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the U.K. port may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours, compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Stop 24 Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
One medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases. Hand luggage can be stored in the overhead racks aboard the coach.
It could be either - This will be confirmed in your travel documents.
When it comes to getting to the Battlefields, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you choose from.
Silver Service Coach
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Silver Service Features
- Sit back and relax in specially-designed, deluxe reclining seats, with leather headrests, footrests and more legroom than standard coaches.
- Enjoy the perfect temperature onboard with climate control.
- Relax and have a chat in the spacious rear lounge.
- Servery on board offering a range of refreshments.
- Porterage* at most hotels, so you really don’t have to lift a finger.
- Time flies with our onboard entertainment system.
- With free personal headphones you can tune into the music channel, listen to the radio or watch DVDs.
- Onboard toilet
Silver Service Seating Plan
Silver Service Virtual Tour
Travel Extras
With an overnight stay or the option to meet us at the interchange, our travel extras allow you to create a travel experience to suit your needs...
Join coach at Interchange
+ Find out moreJoin your tour coach at the interchange.
On most tours if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines.
Excludes tours to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
