Ypres

city in West Flanders, Belgium

16km

Lille

commune in Nord, France

39km

Bruges

municipality in West Flanders, Belgium

60km

Hauts-de-France

Hauts-de-France is the northernmost region of France, located to the north of the French capital Paris and situated on the English Channel at the point closest to England. The region also fronts much of the French border with Belgium. The area is sadly known for its central part in the trench warfare of the First World War (1914-1918), perhaps most notoriously the Battle of the Somme, which lasted four and a half months during which more than one million men and women lost their lives. Unsurprisingly, Hauts-de-France hosts a large number of battlefields, war cemeteries and memorials. Less well-known, but still worth your time are the region's many belfries and Gothic churches, and the remnants of France's industrial heartland. Hauts-de-France was created in 2016 by merging Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy.

65km

Ghent

city in East Flanders, Belgium

112km

Mons

city in Hainaut, Belgium

138km

Paris

capital and largest city of France

149km

Ramsgate

Ramsgate is a seaside town in Kent close to Dover and Canterbury.

150km

Margate

Margate is a town in the Isle of Thanet in Kent and sister town to Ramsgate and Broadstairs. It has seen a revival since the Dreamland amusement park reopened in 2015, and the development of an art scene including the Turner Contemporary gallery.

154km

Dover (England)

town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England

159km

Vleteren

municipality in West Flanders, Belgium

5.8km

Ypres Cloth Hall

16km

Museum Godshuis Belle

art museum and gallery in West Flanders, Belgium

17km

Menin Gate

Dedicated on 24 July 1927 as a memorial to the missing British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell in Belgium during World War One. Has a Last Post Ceremony each night at 20:00 as a way for the Ypres citizens to express their gratitude towards those who died for Belgium's freedom.

17km

Langemark German war cemetery

The cemetery, which evolved from a small group of graves from 1915, has seen numerous changes and extensions. It was dedicated in 1932. Today, visitors find a mass grave near the entrance. This comrades' grave contains 24,917 servicemen, including the Ace Werner Voss. Between the oak trees, next to this mass grave, are another 10,143 soldiers (including 2 British soldiers killed in 1918). The 3,000 school students who were killed during the First Battle of Ypres are buried in a third part of the cemetery. At the rear of the cemetery is a sculpture of four mourning figures by Professor Emil Krieger. The group was added in 1956, and is said to stand guard over the fallen. The cemetery is maintained by the German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.

20km

Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)

A well-preserved World War I battle site that changed sides repeatedly. There area covered in craters. There was also a large amount of tunneling during the war which adds to the uneven terrain. The memorial to the 1st Australian Tunneling Co contains bullet holes from World War II.

22km

Bellewaerde

Bellewaerde was established in 1954 as a zoo and safari park. The park evolved into a theme park. Bellewaerde attracts 850,000-900,000 visitors a year and is one of the main theme parks in Flanders.

23km

Tyne Cot

The largest Commonwealth Wargraves Commission cemetery in the world, situated to the south of the village of Passendale. There are also many more smaller Commonwealth cemeteries dotted around the region as well.

29km

Ten Wijngaerde (Begijnhof Brugge)

In the history, many women couldn't find a man, as men were more likely to die in accidents or in a war. Those women could "marry God" and become a beguine. The beguinage, also known as the convent, offered protection for those single ladies. It lies between the centre of the city and the station, with white painted small houses and fine plane trees, is a quiet place to walk - groups are discouraged.

59km

Old St. John's Hospital

Sint-Janshospitaal contains a museum of six paintings by Hans Memling, within the early medieval hospital buildings.

59km

Church of Our Lady, Bruges

A fascinating church with architecture from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. In the east end of the church are very fine tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy - in contrasting Gothic and Renaissance styles, despite their superficial similarity. The church also houses one of the few Michelangelo sculptures outside of Italy, the "Madonna with child". To see the "Madonna with Child" an entrance fee of €5 for 18 to 26, 26 to 64 is €6, over 65 is €5, and under 17 is free.

59km

Groeningemuseum

Known as 'The city museum of Fine Arts', it houses a collection of artworks that span several centuries (14th-20th), focusing mainly on works by painters who lived and worked in Bruges.

60km

Basilica of the Holy Blood

A beautiful church on the Burg square. It houses a relic - a vial of blood that is said to be that of Jesus - and was built in the Gothic style. Try and get there early so you can view the chapel when it is quiet and not filled with tourists. And don't forget to visit the chapel underneath, in heavy Romanesque style - a contrast to the lovely light Gothic above.

60km

Choco-Story

This museum is a must see for chocolate enthusiasts as it describes chocolate's transition from cocoa into chocolate. Its low-cost tasty exhibits make it well worth the time (and Belcolade's gently overt marketing). Be sure to stay for the chocolate making exhibition to get some excellent samplers.

60km

Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst

contemporary art museum in Ghent, Belgium

108km

Graslei

street in Ghent, Belgium

110km

Campo Santo, Ghent

This monumental cemetery is located on a small hill in the suburb of Sint-Amandsberg. Many famous and important Belgians that lived in Ghent are buried here.

114km

Dour

Walloon municipality in Hainaut, Belgium

120km

Maison Van Gogh

Cuesmoise the house where he lived from August 1879 to October 1880, was saved from ruin in the 1970s and is now accessible to the public.

135km

Belfry of Mons

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, dates from the 17th century and is the only Baroque-style belfry in Belgium.

138km

Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes

You can visit a silex mine dating back to the Neolithic period. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

141km