Beer & Battlefields

4 days from £419pp.

Beer and Battlefields

Visit: Beer and Battlefields, Battlefields

Kazematten Brewery

Visit: Kazematten Brewery, Belgium

Brasserie Thirlez

Visit: Brasserie Thirlez, Battlefields

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Your Itinerary

Join us for a fascinating experience on a new battlefield tour designed by our popular guide Marc Hope. We combine many battlefield sites from both WW1 and WW2 with visits to a selection of the best breweries, many of which were affected by the conflicts and whose beers were drunk by the troops. At each brewery you will have a guided tour and enjoy a sampling of the beers!

Local departure by coach, then to Ypres for a three-night stay. Your guide will discuss some beer recommendations en-route, together with running through the itinerary.

Poperinghe

Poperinghe

Today we look at life behind the front and discuss the famous estaminets where soldiers got to drink the local beer themselves during the war. In Poperinghe we visit Talbot House and their Behind the Lines museum. We also look at the subject of those ‘Shot at Dawn’ and visit the Death Cells. Lunchtime in Poperinghe followed by a visit to the Hop Museum to look at the whole history of this in the Flanders region, and enjoy a tasting of a Hommelbier. We then move on to see the St. Bernardus Brewery at Watou near Poperinghe, a village where soldiers were billeted in WW1

  • Included meals: Breakfast
Trenches of Death

Trenches of Death

We travel up to Diksmuide to see where the Belgium Army was fighting during the Great War and see the fascinating Trenches of Death which snaked along the Yser Canal: a place where two armies opposed each other over a short stretch of water. We then visit the De Plukker Brewery near Poperinghe. After lunch at Hooge Crater Café, with time to explore the museum, we visit the Leroy Brewerie Het Sas at Boesinge, which was on the front line in WW1, and then go into Ypres and visit the Kasematten Brewery in the Ramparts close to where the Wipers Times was published in 1916. A fascinating end to a unique tour.

  • Included meals: Breakfast

Return home

  • Included meals: Breakfast

At a Glance

Tour Includes

  • 3 or 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
  • Specialist Battlefield Guide
  • Convenient local joining points
  • Travel by executive coach or upgrade to Silver Service

Included Excursions & Visits

  • Battlefield visits as described
  • Brewery visits as described

Optional Excursions & Visits

  • Entrance fees to museums & places of interest (extra cost)

Notes

With each Brewery visit you will get a guided tour of the brewery plus a chance to sample the beers and also have an opportunity to buy products from each brewery’s shop. Each visit takes around 1.5 to 2 hours.

Single Room Supplement from £109.00 (4 days), £129.00 (5 days).

Local departure by coach, then to Ypres for a four-night stay. Your guide will discuss some beer recommendations en-route, together with running through the itinerary.

Poperinghe

Poperinghe

Today we look at life behind the front and discuss the famous estaminets where soldiers got to drink the local beer themselves during the war. In Poperinghe we visit Talbot House and their Behind the Lines museum. We also look at the subject of those ‘Shot at Dawn’ and visit the Death Cells. Lunchtime in Poperinghe followed by a visit to the Hop Museum to look at the whole history of this in the Flanders region, and enjoy a tasting of a Hommelbier. We then move on to see the St. Bernardus Brewery at Watou near Poperinghe, a village where soldiers were billeted in WW1

  • Included meals: Breakfast
Trenches of Death

Trenches of Death

We travel up to Dixmude to see where the Belgium Army was fighting during the Great War and see the fascinating Trenches of Death which snaked along the Yser Canal: a place where two armies opposed each other over a short stretch of water. We then visit the De Plukker Brewery near Poperinghe. After lunch at Hooge Crater Café, with time to explore the museum, we visit the Leroy Brewerie Het Sas at Boesinge, which was on the front line in WW1, and then go into Ypres and visit the Kasematten Brewery in the Ramparts close to where the Wipers Times was published in 1916. A fascinating end to a unique tour.

  • Included meals: Breakfast

We spend today looking at the Battle of Flanders in 1940 and the Retreat to Dunkirk following the fortunes of the British Expeditionary Force, including the Wormhoudt Massacre site. After lunch at St. Omer we visit the Brasserie Thiriez in Esquelbecq, a French brewery frequented in the ‘phoney war’ by British Troops.

  • Included meals: Breakfast

Return home.

  • Included meals: Breakfast

At a Glance

Tour Includes

  • 3 or 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
  • Specialist Battlefield Guide
  • Convenient local joining points
  • Travel by executive coach or upgrade to Silver Service

Included Excursions & Visits

  • Battlefield visits as described
  • Brewery visits as described

Optional Excursions & Visits

  • Entrance fees to museums & places of interest (extra cost)

Notes

With each Brewery visit you will get a guided tour of the brewery plus a chance to sample the beers and also have an opportunity to buy products from each brewery’s shop. Each visit takes around 1.5 to 2 hours.

Single Room Supplement from £109.00 (4 days), £129.00 (5 days).

Frequently asked questions about our tours

Certain excursions are included in the price of your holiday. If you choose not to go on an included excursion, for whatever reason, no refunds will be made.
Yes, you will receive one with your Travel Documents, which are sent 7-10 days before departure.
We believe that our holidays may not be suitable for children under 8 years old (except for Disneyland Paris bookings) however, we will consider individual requests on application. Customers aged 18 and under at the time of travel must be accompanied by an adult, parent or guardian aged over 18 years old.
You can check weather averages at here.

Accommodation

You will stay for three or four nights at the 3-star Novotel Ypres. This excellent hotel is located in the heart of historic town of Ypres, only a couple of minutes-walk from the Menin Gate Memorial, where the 'Last Post' is sounded every evening. The hotel is a firm favourite within Leger’s Battlefields programme and makes the ideal base for exploring the rich military heritage of the area. All the comfortably furnished bedrooms are en-suite with television, telephone and air-conditioning. The hotel has a small bar area and restaurant.


 

Belgium

Novotel Ypres Centrum

Novotel Ypres Centrum

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Novotel Ypres Centrum

This excellent hotel is located in the heart of historic town of Ypres, only a couple of minutes' walk from the Menin Gate Memorial, where the 'Last Post' is sounded every evening. The hotel is a firm favourite within Leger’s Battlefields programme and makes the ideal base for exploring the rich military heritage of the area. All the comfortably furnished bedrooms are en-suite with T.V., telephone and air-conditioning. The hotel has a small bar area and restaurant.

  • English Speaking Staff
  • Guest Lounge
  • Bar
  • Restaurant
  • WiFi Available
  • TV
  • Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
  • Hairdryer
  • Bath and/or Shower
  • Telephone

Frequently asked questions about accommodation

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.

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Travel Information

Frequently asked questions about 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.

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 coaches 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 coaches to and from the U.K. port may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air or TGV 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.
We operate a passenger interchange at the Channel port. Transfer coaches, including taxis, minibuses, Megabus and National Express operate to and from the U.K. port. You will join your main tour coach at the port.
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.

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Call our reservations team on:
01709 787 463

To book this tour, just give our friendly team a call on 01709 787 463 or book online at www.leger.co.uk