Itinerary - 5 Night Holiday by Rail

Day 1

London to Ypres

Travel by train to Brussels before connecting onto the train to Ypres. On arrival in Ypres check-in for your 3 night stay at the Novotel Ypres Centrum.

During the middle ages, Ypres was a prosperous city, renowned for its linen trade. Today it is synonymous with the battles of the First World War. The town occupied a strategic position for the German planned advance through Belgium and into France. As a result, some of the bloodiest battles in human history were fought in the area and the town itself was completely devastated.

The main square was rebuilt after the war and is now the first stop for any visit to the city. The imposing Cloth Hall, originally built in the 13th Century is now home to the ‘In Flanders Fields Museum’ which offers a fascinating and moving history of WWI.

Day 2

Ypres Battlefields Tour

After breakfast in the hotel you depart to discover the World War I battlefields. Explore the history of the Ypres Salient on this half day tour.

The first stop is the first aid dressing station where John Macrae wrote the famous poem 'In Flanders Field'. You then proceed to Langemark, the only German cemetery in the area, where tens of thousands of men lie together in a mass grave.

Continue through the tranquil countryside which is now dotted with dozens of peaceful cemeteries, before arriving at the infamous Passchendaele Ridge. Once here you visit Tyne Cot, which is the world's largest Commonwealth War Cemeteries. Over 12,000 men lie together on the slope where they died. The tour finishes with a visit to the museum at Sanctuary Wood which displays hundreds of artefacts and original photographs.

Return to Ypres to watch the moving "Last Post" ceremony which takes place every night at the Menin Gate.

Day 3

Ypres

Spend a final day discovering all Ypres has to offer. Visit Saint Martin's Church which was damaged during World War I, but rebuilt using material collected from the site. Decorations from different periods can be found throughout the church.

You may also want to have a look around the impressive Cloth Hall on the Market Square. This building was destroyed during the First World War but was carefully and beautifully restored and is a particularly impressive sight at night.

Day 4

Ypres to Caen

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel before travelling by train from Ypres to Brussels and connecting onto the high speed Thalys train to Paris. Once in Paris continue by train to Caen (journey time approximately 2 hours). On arrival in Caen, check-in for your 2 night stay at the Mercure Caen Centre.

Spend the rest of the day exploring this historic city at your leisure. You may choose to visit the Bayeux War Cemetery which is the largest war cemetery in Normandy. Alternatively, admire the Norman Gothic architecture of the Notre Dame Cathedral or visit the Musée Memorial 1944 war museum, displaying lifelike scenes from the D-Day landings.

Day 5

Normandy Beaches Tour

After breakfast take the short journey by train from Caen to Bayeux where you are taken on a half day tour to the Normandy beaches, famous for the D-Day landings in 1944. The tour departs from Bayeux train station at 1pm.

The first stop is Pointe du Hoc, where the infamous German gun positions threatened the Allied ships all the way to the Utah and Omaha beaches. The site was attacked by the elite 2nd U.S. Rangers, commanded by Lt. Col. James Rudder. With its huge fortifications blown to pieces, the important site remains as it was when the Rangers left it and looks like a lunar landscape.

The tour continues along the coast to Omaha Beach, where soldiers of the 29th and 1st Divisions landed, fought and died. Visit the American cemetery, the final resting place of 9387 soldiers, which overlooks the eastern end of Omaha Beach. You can also see the graves of some of the 307 unknown soldiers and visit the graves of the more famous, such as the family who inspired the film "Saving Private Ryan" or General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

The last stop on the tour is the battery at Longues-sur-Mer. It was composed of four guns which were capable of firing shells to a maximum range of 15 miles and were used to attack the British landing zone during the landings. The guns were finally silenced during the D-Day landings and the damage inflicted on the guns can still clearly be seen today.

After the tour, travel by train from Bayeux back to Caen where you spend your second night.

Day 6

Caen to London

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel and spend the morning exploring more of Caen before travelling by train to Paris where you connect onto the Eurostar back to London.