re: Belgium / France / Luxembourg World War Trip - August

Following. Will be in Belgium in March '27. Wife (no pics) wants to visit Bruge and Ghent. Maybe a day or so in Brussels, where we'd arrive. Was hoping to get some battlefield tours in. Ypres looks logical.

WW1 Sites

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Ypres looks logical.

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Just be aware that there are multiple sites in Ypres, not just the main site. I had the opportunity to visit the trench they drained for about 90 days. They had to let it refill to preserve it.

Hit Verdun, etc. Look at the landscape where they are currently farming, it still isn't flat and uniform.

Arnhem. Hurtgen Forest. There are sites in industrial parks that are 3x5 meters wide in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, driving in the area is just exciting. Nor autobahn exciting, but just fun once you get off the main motorways. Don't sleep on gas stations on the freeways, they can have some great chow.

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Thanks. I think for our travels Verdun is out of the way any suggestions otherwise?

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The Battle of the Somme sights in northern France are not too far from Ypres/Western Belgium. There's a museum in Albert. Arras has the Carrier Wellington underground tunnel complex and preserved trenches at Vimy Ridge memorial. Also some battlefield memorials, like Thiepval, strewn around the area. Lille is a transportation hub and could serve as a base for exploring the area but it's not particularly charming. Amiens is an old cathedral city with more to offer from a tourist perspective.

In Flander's Field Museum in Ypres is amazingly well done. Definitely recommend a visit.

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Belgium — Ardennes
Bastogne War Museum — the definitive Battle of the Bulge museum, following four real characters through the December 1944 encirclement

Mardasson Memorial — star-shaped monument to 76,890 American soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in the Battle of the Bulge

Bois Jacques Foxholes, Foy — the actual foxholes dug by Easy Company, 101st Airborne (Band of Brothers) in December 1944

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Have been to these. The museum and Foxholes were my favorite of the three. The Mardasson is a huge star shaped concrete structure that you can view different battle sites, etc.

I found it a very easy country to drive around in. My trip to Belgium was a bucket list check off as my family came from Meldert and Miskom. It was cool to visit those towns and still see my family name here and there.

We stayed at Villa Hestia B&B and it was fantastic.
Villa Hestia

As mentioned, be prepared for the chocolate and expect to learn that 'frites' (french fries) were not invented by the French, but actually in Belgium.

Our unit did a staff ride through the Metz area. Our guide took us on a cool walk that the troops did starting from Croix Saint Clement trail through the village of Ancy Dornot down the main street, the street has several placards recalling the engineering unit who fought off fire from the Germans across the river.

Another day we did a trip to Fort Saint Blaise, which is essentially ruins in the woods, but you were able to explore it and take a short hike. It was just outside the town of Augny.

LINK are you doing the sgt york walking trail?