School WW1 Battlefield Tour to Ypres and the Somme

A combined trip to Ypres and the Somme will allow your students to experience the living conditions in the trenches for themselves.

By putting themselves in the soldiers’ shoes on the battlefields of the Ypres Salient and the Somme, they’ll better understand the destructive power, waste and futility of war.

The events of the 1916 Battle of the Somme will be brought to life for them as you follow the Circuit of Remembrance, taking part in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. Other highlights include the interactive In Flanders Fields museum, the British Dugout Experience and the German trench system at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Travel from UK

Afternoon

Passchendaele Museum - Trench Experience and Tyne Cot Cemetery

Evening

Evening meal and ten pin bowling

Day 2

Morning

1916 Somme Museum in Albert

Afternoon

Lochnagar Crater, Newfoundland Park, Thiepval Memorial, Vimy Ridge

Evening

Evening meal and Last Post Ceremony

Day 3

Morning

In Flanders Fields Museum and Essex Farm

Evening

Travel back to England

2 nights' half-board accommodation
Access to the Vamoos app to download all tour-related travel documents
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance including I.P.T.
Detailed information pack
Free itinerary planning service
Free staff place ratio 1:8
Motorway tolls and taxes
Return executive coach travel
Return ferry or Eurotunnel crossings
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

The changing nature of warfare
Life in the trenches
Developments in British warfare
Life in wartime Britain
Challenges of German nationalism
Germany: democracy and dictatorship
Germany and West Germany

GCSE

Developments in British warfare
Conflict and tension: WW1
The Western Front
Life in wartime Britain

Key Stage 3

Challenges for Europe and the wider world, 1901

Primary

British history beyond 1066

Accommodation

Hotel Menin Gate

This former textile factory provides a brilliant base for groups visiting the battlefields and is located 100m away from the Market Square in Ypres town centre. Students will be accommodated in multi-bedded rooms, and staff in twins or singles (supplement may apply). All rooms are en-suite, and with a group size of 35 or more, you will have sole occupancy of the premises. Breakfast is served on site, and evening meals are taken at a nice restaurant in the town centre just two minutes' walk away. Packed lunches are available on request. Facilities include a PA intercom system, recreational room with TV, pool table, pinball machines, table football, free WiFi throughout, a large garden, and a staff room with minibar and digital TV.

Munchenhof Hotel

This school group hotel consists of 2 purpose-built annexes. Facilities include free WiFi in the reception area, pool tables, table tennis, TV lounge, football pitch, table football and a basketball court. All bedrooms are en-suite. The hotel has a self-service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and evening meals. There is a swipe card system to gain entry to floors, rooms and lifts for extra security.

Poppies d'Albert

Poppies d'Albert is a purpose built hotel, catering exclusively for school groups. It is located in the historic town of Albert, in the very heart of the battlefields of the Somme. Students are accommodated in multi-bedded rooms all of which have an en-suite shower, toilet and washbasin. Breakfast is served at the hotel, and the evening meal in a local restaurant.Each floor has a games room with a pool table and a drinks machine. There is also a staff lounge on each floor with computers, free internet access and a minibar. A room is available for group activities. Next to the hotel are a football pitch and a swimming pool, both of which can be used by the hotel's guests.

Educational Activities

Essex Farm

John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' remains, to this day, one of the most memorable war poems ever written. It is

In Flanders Fields Museum

This interactive museum mixes artefacts with documentary film, audio-visual presentations and contemporary artwork to vividly portray the horror and brutality

Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

Commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, this museum contains fascinating exhibitions and interactive experiences of life in the trenches.

Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel

On the first day of the battle of the Somme, eight hundred men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over

Somme 1916 Museum

From the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, the people of Albert, like many in the region, got used to hiding

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

The slaughter on the Somme wiped out a generation, and continues to cast a shadow on Britain’s popular consciousness. This

Tyne Cot British Cemetery

Take your students to the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, and let them reflect on the sheer number of lives lost.

Vimy Ridge

In April 1917, Canadian soldiers wrested control of the escarpment here in a brief but bloody battle. A striking monument,

Hooge Crater Museum

On the site where some of the fiercest battles were fought is the 'Hooge Crater' Museum 1914-1918, one of the

Cultural Activities

Bellewaerde Park

Bellewaerde Park is Belgium’s oldest theme park. Built around an ancient castle, this theme park is located only 75 minutes

Leonidas Chocolate Shop

Situated in the main square in Ypres, Leonidas Chocolate Shop is a popular choice for some light relief and delicious Belgian chocolates.

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.