Day 1: Be met at Lille railway station and drive to Fromelles, the first battle on the Western Front for the Australians. Fromelles featured the news in 2011 because of the reburial ceremony in the new cemetery. En-route to Ypres we visit Messines, Ploegstreet Wood and the Flanders Fields Museum (interactive museum). In Ypres, you will attend the Last Post ceremony. On request, you may lay a wreath at the Menin Gate during the ceremony of the Last Post. Lunch is included. Accommodation in Ypres at Camalou B&B.

Day 2: We visit the battlefields of the Ypres Salient such as Hill 60 and Caterpillar, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele and the Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world with the cemetery counting more Australians graves than in any other French cemetery. Return to Lille in the late afternoon. Lunch is included.

During these tours we don't only visit war sites and cemeteries but we survey the landscape for a better understanding of the events. We stop at British, Australians and German bunkers, trenches and at first-aid posts situated sometimes on private properties accessible only with our local guide. Our guide will also give an insight of the Belgium and French history and culture.

Your guide: Annette

The best way for me to guide is to listen to what people want to see. There is a program, but it will always be adjusted to meet visitors expectations. Battlefield tours are also a kind of pilgrimage. Very often Australians & New Zealanders who come here are the first of the family to visit the grave of a grand father, an uncle etc..For each visitor, it is a personal journey. If our guests have ancestors who took part to The Great War, they should provide information (regiment, battalion, etc.),prior to their arrival in order for us to have time to research on their behalf.. Interview of Annette Linthout: Click here

Battlefield Tour is an accredited company based in Ypres, specialized since 1987 in guiding battlefield tours of the Ypres Salient. Choosing Battlefield Tours is the most time-efficient way to get the best from your visit at the Ypres Battlefields from the Great War (1914-1918) Annette, your very knowledgeable guide will take you around all the famous sites..A specific tour is designed for visitors from Australia & New Zealand in order to visit the Battlefields in depth.