Spend a Weekend

Travelling from Britain and with the time difference to consider, you are likely to arrive in Ypres quite late on Friday, but do try and make the Last Post at 8pm at the Menin Gate, for a moving introduction to the city.

Move on to dinner at one of the cafe restaurants on the Grote Markt, minutes away from the Menin Gate. The styling of Regina is more modern (Grote Markt 45), while that of Gasthof 't Zweerd is more traditional (Grote Markt 2), but both serve up delicious Flemish food. Sit by a window or out on the terrace in summer to fully enjoy the beauty of the stunning square.

One of the best hotels in town is the four-star Ariane, but there are plenty of other options, including several B&Bs run by British people who have made Ypres their home. If you drive to Ypres, you might even consider staying in the countryside; Kasteelhof 't Hooghe is typically English with its black and white mock Tudor panelling and is very much a part of the history of the area - the lake in the gardens was created from a bomb crater!

On Saturday morning, start with visits to Saint Martin's Cathedral and the In Flanders Field Museum, which will provide a vivid account of the Great War. Emerge straight into the Grote Markt to browse the Saturday morning market, where stall holders sell local produce and household goods.

Walking south-west from the Grote Markt, pass through the old Vismarkt en route to Pacific Eiland, a restaurant on an island in the moat, for a peaceful spot of lunch. It's also the perfect launching pad for a walk along the ramparts, from the 17th century Belle Gate to the Menin Gate in the east of the city. En route, keep an eye out for two late 14th century towers, the Ramparts Military Cemetery and the medieval Lille Gate, with the gatekeeper's home next door. From the Lille Gate, you might like to take a detour to the Stedelijk Museum, housed in a former Alms House, which has a fine collection of pieces detailing the history of Ypres.

As you wander back to your hotel, remember that less than 100 years ago, Ypres was reduced to rubble by war. It's amazing that not only has the city been so well restored, but that it also has such a positive, dignified air to it.

On Sunday morning, if you're up to it and the weather is fine, do part of the 80km cycle tour of the trenches outside Ypres (bikes can be rented between March and November from www.jeugdstadion.be, with maps available from the tourist office); if not, a number of private organisations offer daily minibus trips with English-speaking guides (www.ieper.be for more details). The Passendale Memorial Museum and Tyne Cot Cemetery should not be missed. Visits to the trenches are particular poignant during the bitterness of winter, when conditions for the young soldiers were at their worst. On returning to the centre of town, St George's Memorial Church makes a fitting end to the day.

After a visit to the battlefields, it almost seems flippant to suggest it, but if you are in Ypres with children, then a 3km detour out of the city to Bellewaerde Park, both a theme park and an animal farm, will lift the spirits on Sunday afternoon before returning home.