What to see in Ypres ?

Ypres carries a history that its rebuilt stones tell better than any book. Ninety per cent destroyed during the First World War, the town was reconstructed identically in the 1920s, giving it a strange duality: medieval architecture authentic in form, yet only a century old in substance. The Grote Markt and Cloth Halls draw the eye, but it is the Menin Gate, each evening at 8pm, that reveals the town's true character.

Allow two full days, ideally in spring or September to avoid the tour coaches that clog the centre in summer. Ypres is best explored on foot or by bicycle, the surrounding battlefields easily accessible as a day trip. Avoid limiting your visit to the museums in the centre: the military cemeteries scattered across the Flemish countryside, such as Tyne Cot, are worth the journey and remain surprisingly uncrowded.