Brussels ↔ Ypres
Attend the Last Post at the Menin Gate and be back in Brussels the same evening: a driver for families, school groups and delegations. Fixed price shown.
Ypres with a private driver
At 20:00 every evening of the year, traffic comes to a halt under the Menin Gate and the buglers of the Last Post Association sound the Last Post in tribute to the Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the Ypres Salient. The walls of the memorial bear more than fifty-four thousand names of the missing who have no known grave. For many, this short ceremony is the very reason for the journey: a family looking for a great-grandfather's name, a school class completing a remembrance project, a delegation coming to lay a wreath. The ceremony is free, open to all and requires no booking; the only thing asked of those present is silence.
Allow about an hour and a half from Brussels: the E40 to Ghent, then the E17 towards Kortrijk and the A19 to the edge of the town. Leaving in mid-afternoon gives you time for dinner on the Grote Markt, opposite the Cloth Hall rebuilt after the war, before walking to the Menin Gate along the Menenstraat. Once the last notes have sounded and the crowd has dispersed, your driver meets you at the spot agreed beforehand, and the night drive brings you back to Brabant or Brussels late in the evening, with no train times to keep to and no change at Kortrijk.
If your group wishes to lay a wreath, this must be arranged in advance with the Last Post Association, which also handles requests from choirs, bands and pipers. As for transport, a Van is enough for up to seven people and a Van Business for up to six; beyond that, a school class or delegation is priced on quotation. Many extend their stay by a night to visit the In Flanders Fields Museum, housed in the Cloth Hall, the next day. To go on to explore the military cemeteries and former front lines, our Flanders Fields day trip, in the Day trips section, picks up from there.
- Departure timed for the 20:00 ceremony, with time for dinner on the Grote Markt before walking to the Menin Gate.
- Meeting point agreed in advance near the memorial, so that you can leave as soon as the ceremony ends and the crowd disperses.
- Night-time return to Brussels or to a hotel near Brussels Airport for families travelling from abroad.
- Seven-seat Van or six-seat Van Business for an extended family, a small delegation or those laying a wreath.
- Longer stay possible, with the Flanders Fields day trip the next day, devoted to the cemeteries and front-line sites.
Brussels – Ypres: your questions
Do I need to book to attend the Last Post at the Menin Gate?+
No: the ceremony is public and free, and takes place every evening, whatever the weather. Only active participation, such as laying a wreath, needs to be arranged in advance with the organising association. On busy evenings, arrive a little before 20:00 to find a place on the pavements set aside for the public, then remain silent until the end, without applauding.
What time should I leave Brussels so as not to miss the ceremony?+
The drive takes about an hour and a half without traffic, but the Brussels Ring and the approaches to Ghent get busy in the late afternoon on weekdays. To enjoy a leisurely dinner on the Grote Markt before the ceremony, leaving at around 16:30 gives you a comfortable margin. If you are only coming for the ceremony itself, leaving at around 17:30 is usually enough; the driver adjusts according to the traffic on the day.
Do you transport school groups on a remembrance project?+
Yes. A Van takes up to seven people, teacher included, with their bags for a night away. For a whole class, several coordinated vehicles can be arranged on quotation, with a single point of contact for the outward journey, the return and any journeys the following day. If the group is bringing a wreath, let us know when you book: room is kept for it in the boot and the drop-off point is chosen to limit the distance you have to carry it.
Our ancestor is named on the Menin Gate: can you help us plan the day?+
On the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, the search engine shows the memorial panel on which each missing soldier's name is engraved: note it down before you leave so that you can find it quickly under the arch. The driver is not a guide, but our concierge service arranges everything else through a single point of contact: departure timed for the ceremony, a night in Ypres if you wish, journeys the following day and the return to Brussels or the airport.
A ride to Ypres?
Book online, by phone or on WhatsApp — fixed price confirmed before departure.