Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge and vicinity
July 21, 2010 8:29 PM Subscribe
Has anyone had experience touring the Canadian WWI sites in France and Belgium -- Vimy Ridge and the Memorial, and Ypres (Ieper) specifically?
I'd like to visit that area for a couple of days this September, but the travel literature is very scant. Are two days enough or too long to see the interesting stuff? Are there better sites than the ones I've mentioned? Is it easy getting around? Is there anything to see? Are there any WWII sites nearby and could they be combined in a two-day stay in the region? Are accommodations easy to get on short notice? Is a car the best method? I've read a little about guided tours, I think -- are they worthwhile? Etc., etc. Are there any questions I don't know enough to ask?
I'd like to visit that area for a couple of days this September, but the travel literature is very scant. Are two days enough or too long to see the interesting stuff? Are there better sites than the ones I've mentioned? Is it easy getting around? Is there anything to see? Are there any WWII sites nearby and could they be combined in a two-day stay in the region? Are accommodations easy to get on short notice? Is a car the best method? I've read a little about guided tours, I think -- are they worthwhile? Etc., etc. Are there any questions I don't know enough to ask?
I took a daylong tour based out of Brugge/Bruges of the WWI battlefields in Flanders about 15 years ago, and I'd say a day was about the right amount of time to take. We were able to see the Memorial, the Menin Gate in Ypres, a couple of cemeteries (including the German Student Cemetery at Langemarck), and a couple of trenches (starting out with a climb down into an underground bunker). Unfortunately I don't recall the name of the tour company I went with (it *might* have been Quasimodo, but I'm not sure).
Having done both guided and self-guided battlefield visits, I'd suggest going with the tour. You'll definitely need to have a car to see everything yourself, but it'll just get in the way if you want to stay in one of the towns in the area, and the tour guides will know the area better than you will and be able to show you things you might not see otherwise. (Our guide had found an unexploded WWI-era grenade he kept hidden along the route. Scared the shit out of one of the other guys on the tour -- who'd been in the Australian Army dealing with unexploded ordinance -- when he stopped to show it to us.)
Feel free to MeMail me if you want more info.
posted by asterix at 9:27 PM on July 21, 2010
Having done both guided and self-guided battlefield visits, I'd suggest going with the tour. You'll definitely need to have a car to see everything yourself, but it'll just get in the way if you want to stay in one of the towns in the area, and the tour guides will know the area better than you will and be able to show you things you might not see otherwise. (Our guide had found an unexploded WWI-era grenade he kept hidden along the route. Scared the shit out of one of the other guys on the tour -- who'd been in the Australian Army dealing with unexploded ordinance -- when he stopped to show it to us.)
Feel free to MeMail me if you want more info.
posted by asterix at 9:27 PM on July 21, 2010
I haven't been to the two you've mentioned (although the Vimy Memorial looks incredible and I'd like to visit one day), but I have been to the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. If you have a chance, I'd suggest finding a way to get down to it, since of all the memorials I've visited, actually walking through the trenches and across no-man's land was one of the most memorable (hah!) moments I've had, and what no doubt helped to establish my fascination with WWI. It's been some years since I visited, but they had a decent informational museum, and also a guide (from Newfoundland, of course) to explain a bit before we were let loose on our own.
But really. Standing in the middle of no-man's land -- in a place that's now a peaceful pastoral scene (complete with sheep grazing their way through the German trenches) was just mind-blowing. It's by no means "authentic" -- in that they've reconstructed the trenches to be historically accurate and to give you that war-time experience. They've allowed grass to grow and the soil to erode. But I think it makes it just that much more powerful.
Unfortunately, I can't give you a good answer on the best way to get around -- I was with a group (of university students), and we had a bus (it was a day long "Circuit of the Somme," taking in American, Canadian, French, and German memorials/cemeteries). However, there is so much to see if you're a WWI buff at all that I'd recommend a car just to visit the small towns and countryside (and if you are a WWI buff, I highly, highly recommend the WWI museum in Peronne - Historial de la Grande Guerre. It's an excellent museum, in an old chateau, in a town that was once behind German lines. As were many of the smaller towns in France in that area, which is why I'd recommend a car. You really can't help but find interesting little places of historical significance.)
And now I'm thinking of the most incredible pastry I had from a little shop in Albert -- sitting in the sunshine with my strawberry tarte, gazing up at the basilica. Ah, incredible.
In terms of accommodation -- if you're taking a car, it would be best I think to pre-book a place. I'm not sure how easy it is to find a place (someone else can advise you there), but we had our home base in Peronne in what was apparently the only hotel in town. It worked for us because we were mostly focused on the area of the Somme, but you might be able to find a B&B closer to the other memorials.
I think two days would be enough -- perhaps one in France (for the two memorials) and then one spent at Ypres. You'd need a full day for Ypres. And considering that WWI is the primary tourist reason to visit Ypres, I'm certain you'll be able to find information of what you'd like to do and see when you get there (if you don't already -- I do assume you're going to at least stop by the Menin Gate.)
As for guided tours... I'm of two minds. I personally prefer visiting places on my own without a bunch of other people and being able to go at my own pace -- but I also like learning about what I'm visiting. If you're able to get a guided tour of the sites and then wander around afterward, that'd likely be the best bet. The guide will be able to give you the history of the site and likely tell you something interesting you may not have discovered on your own, as well as answer any questions you might have. Also, most of the guides I've encountered at WWI sites really enjoy the subject matter and find it enjoyable to share it with others (of course, "enjoy" in a knowledge-sharing sense, not "yay, war" sense). Since you're already heading that way, why not spend an hour or so getting a better understanding of what you're seeing?
If you start in Ypres, I bet the hotels and tourist center will have plenty of information regarding tours, and then you can decide from there.
/WWI nerdage
posted by paisley sheep at 9:35 PM on July 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
But really. Standing in the middle of no-man's land -- in a place that's now a peaceful pastoral scene (complete with sheep grazing their way through the German trenches) was just mind-blowing. It's by no means "authentic" -- in that they've reconstructed the trenches to be historically accurate and to give you that war-time experience. They've allowed grass to grow and the soil to erode. But I think it makes it just that much more powerful.
Unfortunately, I can't give you a good answer on the best way to get around -- I was with a group (of university students), and we had a bus (it was a day long "Circuit of the Somme," taking in American, Canadian, French, and German memorials/cemeteries). However, there is so much to see if you're a WWI buff at all that I'd recommend a car just to visit the small towns and countryside (and if you are a WWI buff, I highly, highly recommend the WWI museum in Peronne - Historial de la Grande Guerre. It's an excellent museum, in an old chateau, in a town that was once behind German lines. As were many of the smaller towns in France in that area, which is why I'd recommend a car. You really can't help but find interesting little places of historical significance.)
And now I'm thinking of the most incredible pastry I had from a little shop in Albert -- sitting in the sunshine with my strawberry tarte, gazing up at the basilica. Ah, incredible.
In terms of accommodation -- if you're taking a car, it would be best I think to pre-book a place. I'm not sure how easy it is to find a place (someone else can advise you there), but we had our home base in Peronne in what was apparently the only hotel in town. It worked for us because we were mostly focused on the area of the Somme, but you might be able to find a B&B closer to the other memorials.
I think two days would be enough -- perhaps one in France (for the two memorials) and then one spent at Ypres. You'd need a full day for Ypres. And considering that WWI is the primary tourist reason to visit Ypres, I'm certain you'll be able to find information of what you'd like to do and see when you get there (if you don't already -- I do assume you're going to at least stop by the Menin Gate.)
As for guided tours... I'm of two minds. I personally prefer visiting places on my own without a bunch of other people and being able to go at my own pace -- but I also like learning about what I'm visiting. If you're able to get a guided tour of the sites and then wander around afterward, that'd likely be the best bet. The guide will be able to give you the history of the site and likely tell you something interesting you may not have discovered on your own, as well as answer any questions you might have. Also, most of the guides I've encountered at WWI sites really enjoy the subject matter and find it enjoyable to share it with others (of course, "enjoy" in a knowledge-sharing sense, not "yay, war" sense). Since you're already heading that way, why not spend an hour or so getting a better understanding of what you're seeing?
If you start in Ypres, I bet the hotels and tourist center will have plenty of information regarding tours, and then you can decide from there.
/WWI nerdage
posted by paisley sheep at 9:35 PM on July 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
No specific information for you, I was there when I was around 15. Only recently found out what the place actually was (brought there by the family I was staying with). The memorial really is spectacular, and I would love to see it again with adult eyes. The trenches were also fascinating in their mundanity. So a +1 for not missing it.
posted by Iteki at 11:23 PM on July 21, 2010
posted by Iteki at 11:23 PM on July 21, 2010
+1 for the Menin Gate, of course - but just to add that the 8pm sounding of Last Post there is hugely moving, and worth making time for even if you have visited the gate earlier in the day.
posted by paulash at 12:07 AM on July 22, 2010
posted by paulash at 12:07 AM on July 22, 2010
I did the Quasimodo tour out of Bruges that asterix mentioned above, about 6 years ago. 1 day was plenty.
I am sure you could do it on your own with a car, but the tour provides a bit more detail - it was a small group - and you won't spend a lot of time trying to find out where you're going. The trenches we saw were in an industrial area, so I imagine they might be trickier to find on your own.
posted by backwards guitar at 4:57 AM on July 22, 2010
I am sure you could do it on your own with a car, but the tour provides a bit more detail - it was a small group - and you won't spend a lot of time trying to find out where you're going. The trenches we saw were in an industrial area, so I imagine they might be trickier to find on your own.
posted by backwards guitar at 4:57 AM on July 22, 2010
Response by poster: Wow! Thanks for all the excellent advice.
posted by feelinggood at 11:06 AM on July 22, 2010
posted by feelinggood at 11:06 AM on July 22, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by avocet at 8:37 PM on July 21, 2010