This fall we’ll be arriving at CDG and heading to Ypes.

We’re thinking of taking the train to Lille, staying overnight and picking up a car there. I’m wondering how easy it is to get out of town from the station.

Is it easier to train to Reims and start from there?

Driving out of Lille is easier that finding the rental car in the Lille-Europe car park.

Actuallly, the exit at the train station feeds directly onto the expressway, and that makes things much easier.

We drove from Lille to Ieper last May, and it was no big issue.
To navigate, you can download the free app "Here". To run this app in offline mode (i.e. no data service required), you need to download the maps for France and Belgium into the app before you leave home.
Otherwise, just follow signs in Lille to Tourcoing to get on A22. Follow A22/E17 into Belgium until you're almost in Kortrijk.
Change on E403 towards Brugge for a few kms until you reach the intersection with A19, with Ieper already signposted.
It's not the shortest route, and A22 between Lille and Tourcoing can be a bit busy.
But it's almost all motorways until you get to Ieper, so no chance to get lost.

If you need to drop off the car in Lille again, and you do not use any GPS device or app:
Lille is called Rijssel in Flemish. You may find the French name Lille on some road signs, but I would not count on it.
Also when driving from France across the border into Flanders/Belgium, place names will (not always but often) only be given in Flemish.
So no Ypres, but Ieper.

We took train to Lille, we were going to rent from there but it was expensive to park. We had no parking at our apartment. We ended up taking the train to Ypres and taking the best tour from www.2xplore.be Patrick was the best. He is a native, speaks perfect English, great van and showed us more in 6 hours than we would have seen on our own in two days. We ended up taking the train back to see the museum, the Menin Gate and the Christmas market on a Sunday. Lille has the second largest art museum in France. 7 euros and no lines. The food in Lille is wonderful btw. The Flemish stew is very good.

When I was little, the Flemish carbonnade was made from horsemeat, but now it is always beef. Basically it is extremely similar to boeuf bourguignon except that one uses brown beer instead of red wine for the stewing.

Thanks for all the info.

We’ll just stay one it two nights in Lille, then head to Ypes. Thanks kerouac.

cowboy, I’ve downloaded the app, we’ll be dropping the car somewhere else, still to be decided.

macross, I’ve bookmarked that site for the tour.

i know you can spend weeks in the area, but is three nights a good minimum for Ypres.

We’re carrying on to Arras to visit Vimy and the Beaumont Hamel memorial. Two nights sufficient there?

From there on to Honfleur and points west!

Heading back to Lille, the signs say Rijsel, not Rijssel. But depending on your car rental company, you can almost certainly take your car back to a different city for no extra charge. I always use Europcar and can leave the car just about anywhere. (Actually, I usually take trains to just about anywhere else in France, pick up a car, and drive back to Paris since I like to drive even when it make no sense.)

This photo report might give you a few ideas of places to visit in northern France: http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com...ies-pas-calais

kerouac, beautiful and very moving.

We go through Auto Europe, and have always ended up with Europecar.

So, what do you think of three nights in Ypres and maybe one in Arras.

Then on to Bayeaux.

All of the sites in this area are very close together. So if you have a car, there is no major reason to spend 3 nights in the same city -- except of course for the fact that it is nice to be able to return to the same hotel for a few nights and feel 'at home'. Just as a random suggestion, I might say to spend 2 nights in Ypres and 2 nights in Arras -- and not to miss the Louvre in Lens, which is a (small) marvel.

The Louvre in Lens | Any Port in a Storm

That sounds good. Just the right amount of time. Beaumont Hamel, I can't explain it in words but read up on the battles there and it might prepare you a bit. The wonderful Canadian students walk around and you can ask them questions. At the Canadian Memorial close to Ypres where they were gassed they brought in trees from Canada same as they did at Beaumont Hamel. I noticed that right away. Part of home was brought to them. Two nights at Ypres is good as you will get to see the service at Menin gate at 8pm. The cafe inside the museum is really not bad but there are some good places to eat and drink there. Belgium beer. We were thinking of renting the car in Lille and returning it the same day so we could skip the parking but the tour made my husband very happy. Some very nice shopping in Lille which surprised me.

Museum at Passchendaele
Essex Farm Cemetery
Tyne Cot
Talbot House in Poperinghe
Notre Dame de Lorette

Those are some of the sites we would like to visit.

Can it be done in the one full day in Ypres if we stay two nights. Would this be covered on one tour? I would rather spend one extra night than feel overwhelmed, can this be done comfortably in one full day, plus the day we arrive from Lille.

The Brooding Soldier Canadian Memorial. Go see that, won't take more than 20 minutes Patrick took us to Hill 62 which didn't look like much to the eye now but that was interesting. Just sheep keep the grass mowed. Nothing heavy allowed. We watched farmers plowing fields and harvesting huge cabbages and leeks. He said nature healed the fields but the bombs still come up when the ground freezes. I think you could do it. It wears you out spiritually. I cried at the Brooding soldier. They were gassed and the scientist that invented it was Jewish. His wife killed herself over it all. My husband would go look at more and I'd go stick my head in a shop for a break.

Fritz Haber. We learned about him in my Learning Unlimited lectures on the First World War.

Can we do all that I mentioned in one full day? Does your guy cover all these?

I expect to be wrung out.

We did a lot in 6 hours. It is a small area. I would email him and ask as your list is a bit different than ours. On your own starting in morning, you could do it all.

I guess I should throw in my Vimy Ridge report.

Vimy Ridge memorial | Any Port in a Storm

Great report kerouc, as always. I'd like to also go to Notre Dame de Lorette on the day we go to Vimy and Beaumont Hamel.

macross, do you mind listing where you went on your tour day? It might give me some ideas.