Poperinge is a charming, welcoming little town. It is within a few minutes drive of Ypres and all sites of the salient, the Messines Ridge, Ploegsteert Wood andthe Flemish Hills. Easily reached from UK, it is for many the first town they reach on crossing the border into Belgium. Don't neglect Pop as you go through to Ypres; it has its own Great War sites of first-class importance as well as some excellent accommodation and restaurants.

The magnificent town hall in Poperinge, a popular and lively spot behind Ypres, both now and during the Great War.

Basics

Poperinge is in Belgium. Note that this is not a French speaking area, although many people understand and use French, it is primarily Flemish speaking. Most people in the area speak English well, many fluently. The currency in use is the Euro. Credit cards are widely accepted.

Getting to Poperinge

By car from UK: Poperinge is an easy 90 km (just over 1 hour) drive from Calais. Route with map.
By car from airport: Ypres is 145 km (just over 1 hour 30 mins) drive from Brussels. Route with map.
By rail: Poperinge has a main railway station with trains direct from Brussels. Timetables.

What is there to see? Poperinge is more to be remembered as a place behind the lines than as a battlefield. It does however have a number of sites of tremendous interest to Great War battlefield tourists:

• Talbot House (Toc H or Everyman's Club) (Gasthuisstraat, town centre) Website
• L'Esperance and La Poupee (officers and soldiers haunts) (Grote Markt, town centre)
• Town hall cells (Grote Markt)
• Former Skindles (officers club) (Gasthuisstraat)
• Old and New Military Cemeteries (within short walk of town centre)
• Switch Road (built by army as a town bypass) (within short walk of town centre)
• Railway station (leave train departures) (within short walk of town centre)
• Many cemeteries, memorials and other sites within the area

Tourist essentials

1. The main tourist office is situated in the Town Hall on the main square (Grote Markt) (town centre)
2. Monday is closing day: most shops and facilities are closed, at least for the morning.
3. Eating and drinking: there are many restaurants, bars and cafes in town, most grouped around the central square.
4. Banks and ATMs (cash machines) : on Grote Markt.
5. Parking: main car park is on Grote Markt and there is plenty of on-street parking.
6. Supermarkets: several, plus smaller general stores, bakeries, etc in the town centre.

Accommodation

When booking any accommodation, buyer beware. The Long, Long Trail can not be held responsible for the availability, price or performance of any of the accommodation listed here. Obviously.

There is a wide selection of accommodation in the town and surrounding villages. Note, however, that accommodation can be rather full for 11 November. Book early.

My favourite? I would have said the Palace Hotel but the previous owners have moved and I have not been back since so do not know if things have changed. It certainly used to have the best beer bar in Pop. I have also stayed at Belfort and de Kring and both were fine; I have also heard good reports of the Amfora. As far as B&Bs go my favourite is 't Brouwershuis in Watou. It is further away from Ypres but is a very nice village and the B&B is next door to a brewery!.