Which train should I get from Brussels to Ypres?

bockyholi

I was told by a tour guide I will need to get a train from Brussels to Ypres around 7:00am to catch the tour i'm scheduled on..

Stupid question but what train should I catch? I had a look at a few rail sites and can't find one going to Ypres!

Hotel is right beside Brussels-Midi station

Is it possible to book this before hand and get a print out of my reservation?

Thank you!

schemingbohemia

bockyholi wrote: »

I was told by a tour guide I will need to get a train from Brussels to Ypres around 7:00am to catch the tour i'm scheduled on..

Stupid question but what train should I catch? I had a look at a few rail sites and can't find one going to Ypres!

Hotel is right beside Brussels-Midi station

Is it possible to book this before hand and get a print out of my reservation?

Thank you!

It's ieper check www.belgianrail.be for details. Seems to be train at 726 from brussels centrale. Think you can buy at station no problem, won't be busy.

ProudDUB

OP, what websites are you using?

I used the one below to help me plan train travel in Belgium recently.

http://www.belgianrail.be/jp/sncb-nmbs-routeplanner/query.exe/en

I don't know what dates you are traveling on, but I used Jan 16 as a random date. It threw me up trains stopping at Ypres departing Brussels Zuid/Midi at 5 mins and 41 min past every hour.

bockyholi

Thanks I never knew about that site!

I'll be travelling on Feb 23rd

I'm travelling with a strict enough group so purchasing tickets before hand seems to be better! Did you book and print of reservation of ticket before you went? How easy was everything at station.. Language etc.

Sorry I haven't been out of country before so just want some peace of mind

ProudDUB

I didn't book and print off tickets ahead of time. I did every thing at the station on the day of travel. It was all very easy. I found that the over head signage at train stations wasn't the Mae West, but once I was actually at station ticket desks, speaking to a real live human being, every thing was great. Every one spoke perfect English, and was perfectly helpful. They all had the rather bored, seen it all, heard it all demeanour of most train station employees world wide, but once they can answer my questions in ways that I can easily understand, I don't really care how happy or fulfilled they are in their jobs ! :rolleyes:

Brussels Midi is a really big station. It has over 20 platforms. There will be a lot for your party to see/do/experience/buy/wander off to, so keep a close eye on your group. It can be easy to get lost in the shuffle if you don't. Other than that, I found traveling in Belgium by train to be an absolute breeze. Trains are clean & frequent, time tables run on schedule, and if you are going to historical, money making, tourist hot spots such as Ypres, you really shouldn't have a lot to worry about. Best of luck to ye !

As schemingbohemia pointed out, the Dutch name for Ypres is Ieper - this is the name you'll see on the station platform when you get there. When I lived in Belgium, I met a LOT of tourists who'd come unstuck because they hadn't realised that the French names and the Dutch names for cities are often completely different!

Micky Dolenz

You can buy tickets on line and either print them off or get them via ticket machine at the bigger stations. Gare centrale etc.

Enjoy Ypres, lovely town with a modern high tech WW I museum. That region has strong Irish connections. If you pass through small towns in the area, keep an eye out for harps and shamrock symbols in the brickwork of homes.

ProudDUB

Pippa Middleton's Arse wrote: »

That region has strong Irish connections. If you pass through small towns in the area, keep an eye out for harps and shamrock symbols in the brickwork of homes.

That's really interesting. Why is that?

Micky Dolenz

ProudDUB wrote: »

That's really interesting. Why is that?

The (Irish) 16th division coupled with the (Ulster) 36th division fought in the area in world war one and lost tens of thousands of men in a bid to liberate that part of Flanders.


Good read here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_Ireland_Peace_Park

Ypres was basically the battle ground for WWI after the French counter attacked the invading Germans and drove them out of France and back into Belgium.

Armies from all sides dug in around Ypres, French to the South, Germans to the North and East. With the Common wealth armies (Inc Irish volunteers for home rule) to the west. Holding and protecting the port towns before making their advances.

This is the area the trenches were. If you are interested you should google the battles of Ypres.

Went on a Miltary tour of the area last year and it is quite sobering.