Battlefield tours in Belgium with a certified private guide
Battlefield tours in Belgium cover two wars within a few hours’ drive. In the west lies Flanders Fields — Ypres, Passchendaele, the Menin Gate — where the front barely moved for four years. In the east lie the Ardennes and Bastogne, where the Battle of the Bulge was fought in the winter of 1944. Many visitors do not realise the two are close enough to see on a single trip.
Every tour here is private and built around what you want to see.
Who guides your battlefield tour
My name is Peter Vansteenkiste. I was born and raised in Flanders and have been guiding visitors through these battlefields since 2014, mainly travellers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
I served as First Sergeant in the Belgian Army Airborne, 1st Para Battalion. After leaving active service I trained formally for the work: a three-and-a-half year certification as a Battlefield Tour Guide for the First and Second World Wars through Syntra West, followed by a two-year qualification as a Certified European Tour Guide.
I am an official and permitted guide at the Battle of the Bulge sites in Bastogne, at the Wellington Museum in Waterloo, and in the city of Bruges for walking tours. I am a member of the International Association of Tour Managers and of Tour Guides Flanders. The qualifications are set out in full on the page about hiring a private battlefield guide.
I guide in English, Dutch, French and German.
Every battlefield tour is private
There are no fixed routes and no group departures. You tell me what matters to you — particular sites, a family connection, a period, or simply the pace you want to travel at — and the itinerary is built around that.
Transport is included and arranged by me. I own an eight-seat minibus and a fifteen-seat midbus, and for larger parties I organise coaches up to fifty seats with licensed professional drivers. Pickup is from your hotel, the airport, a train station or the harbour. What each vehicle means in practice is described under small group battlefield tours.
Flanders Fields and Ypres Salient tours
The Ypres Salient holds Passchendaele, Tyne Cot, Hill 60, Essex Farm and the Menin Gate, where the Last Post is sounded every evening at eight o’clock. Both the Commonwealth and the German cemeteries can be included in a day.
If you are travelling to find one particular name, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission holds the records for every Commonwealth burial and memorial in Belgium and its database is free to search at cwgc.org. Send me what you find and the route can be built around it — that is the subject of the page on battlefield tours for veterans and their families.
Battle of the Bulge and Ardennes tours
Bastogne, the Mardasson Memorial and Bastogne Barracks sit at the centre of the Battle of the Bulge, alongside the ground held by the 101st Airborne through December 1944. Several routes are possible depending on which part of the battle you want to follow.
Battlefield tours beyond Belgium
Dunkirk lies about an hour from Ypres. Operation Market Garden at Arnhem, the D-Day beaches in Normandy, and Vimy Ridge and the Somme are all reachable as day tours from here. Waterloo is also available, as are city tours of Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Dinant.
For an aerial view there are Frontflights by aeroplane or helicopter over Flanders Fields, Bastogne and Dunkirk, with live commentary and pilot intercom access.
How a battlefield tour is arranged
Tell me your dates, how many of you are travelling, and what you would like the day to cover. You receive a clear quote in advance with no hidden fees, and the itinerary before you travel. Payment is due before the tour starts. The full basis for pricing is on the page about battlefield tour prices.
Battlefield tours in Belgium — common questions
Do I need to know the history beforehand?
No. The tour is pitched to the group, whether you have read widely on a division or know only that a relative served.
Can Flanders Fields and Bastogne be combined in one trip?
They can be visited on the same trip but not comfortably in the same day, as they are roughly three hours apart. Most visitors give each a full day.
Which languages are tours guided in?
English, Dutch, French and German.
Can a specific grave or memorial name be located?
Yes, if the details are sent in advance. The full name, regiment or unit and date of death are the most useful starting points.
Is there a minimum group size?
No. Tours run for parties of any size, from two people up to a fifty-seat coach.