Beer & Battlefields
4 days from £419pp.
Visit: Beer and Battlefields, Battlefields
Visit: Kazematten Brewery, Belgium
Visit: Brasserie Thirlez, Battlefields
About the Tour
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!
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
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your tour either online, or by telephone ( 01709 787 463 ), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can:
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Your Itinerary
Day 1
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.
Day 2
Poperinghe; Hop Museum & St. Bernardus Brewery
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
Day 3
Trenches of Death & Hooge; De Plukker Brewery & Hooge
Hooge Museum
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
Day 4
Return home
- Included meals: Breakfast
Your Excursions
Included Excursions & Visits
- Battlefield visits as described
- Brewery visits as described
Optional Excursions & Visits
- Entrance fees to museums & places of interest (extra cost)
Notes
* Please note for 2018 we will be not visiting De Plukker Brewery on day 3.
** Please note on Day 3 on the 15th September 2017 departure the De Plukker Brewery, Poperinge is unavailable so we will now visit De Dolle Brewery, Diksmuide as a replacement.
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.
Travel Insurance from £27.00 (4 days). Single Room Supplement from £109.00 (4 days), £135.00 (5 days).
Day 1
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.
Day 2
Poperinghe; Hop Museum & St. Bernardus Brewery
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
Day 3
Trenches of Death & Hooge
Hooge Museum
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. 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
Day 4
Retreat To Dunkirk; Brasserie Thiriez
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
Day 5
Return home.
- Included meals: Breakfast
Your Excursions
Included Excursions & Visits
- Battlefield visits as described
- Brewery visits as described
Optional Excursions & Visits
- Entrance fees to museums & places of interest (extra cost)
Notes
* Please note for 2018 we will be not visiting De Plukker Brewery on day 3.
** Please note on Day 3 on the 15th September 2017 departure the De Plukker Brewery, Poperinge is unavailable so we will now visit De Dolle Brewery, Diksmuide as a replacement.
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.
Travel Insurance from £27.00 (4 days). Single Room Supplement from £109.00 (4 days), £135.00 (5 days).
Frequently asked questions about our tours
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.
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
- Lift
- 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.
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.
Travel Information
- Travel Options
- Extra Services
Executive coach
Find out more
Silver Service coach
Find out moreExecutive coach
Our executive coaches feature air-conditioning, drinks machine, onboard toilet and reclining seat.
Silver Service
On most of our holidays you can upgrade to Silver Service, luxury coach travel, for comfort and style across Europe.
Relax and have a chat in the spacious rear lounge.
Servery on board offering a range of refreshments.
Enjoy the perfect temperature onboard with climate control.
Stay overnight near Dover
Find out moreWhy not go the night before your holiday for a relaxing start? You can park for FREE for up to nine days at the Holiday Inn Ashford North and enjoy an overnight stay with English breakfast from just £38 per person. This offer is subject to availability and based on two sharing a twin/double room on a B&B basis. We’ll then collect you from the hotel on the day of departure and return you there at the end of your holiday.
To book this package, please call the hotel on 01233 713333, quoting ‘Leger Holidays’ and your booking reference. If your holiday is longer than nine days you can pay for additional days’ parking. Ask one of our friendly reservations team for more details when you book your holiday.
Single supplements and terms and conditions apply.
Join coach at Interchange
Find out moreOn most holidays if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines.
Excludes holidays to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
Looking for your local joining point? Enter your post code below
*Please note pickups are subject to availability.
Frequently asked questions about travel options
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. This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. 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 £17pp (9 days duration and over). Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on transfer journeys to/from the interchange. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.
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.
Transfer coaches are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure. The route taken depends on where paassengers 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.
OR
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