We’ve recently moved to Belgium for five weeks while Jay finishes up his final clinical placement, and we’re lucky enough to be staying with our Belgian friends while here. This past weekend (March 11th), we took an entire day to explore the Flanders Fields area of West Belgium, stopping first at the Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The Tyne Cot Cemetery is said to be the world’s largest Commonwealth cemetery and is the resting ground of nearly 12,000 soldiers. Those 12,000 soldiers come from many places across the globe, making the Tyne Cot Cemetery frequented by many tourists paying their respects to those who served.
While there are nearly 12,000 graves for soldiers, only 3,800 of those tombstones have names actually carved out. Take that in for a second… That means war wounds made nearly 70% of the soldiers unidentifiable. Still, just something we cannot even fathom. (Little did we know, that would be a reoccurring feeling throughout our entire trip in Flanders.)
Walking from the parking lot to the entrance of the cemetery really sets the mood for what’s about to be seen. Going through the visitor’s center where names and ages of fallen soldiers are read off with war memorabilia and old photos on display, to then walking the entire side of the graveyard before crossing over to the entrance really makes the vast number of burials in the area sink in.
But it’s not until walking up to the wall of the cemetery that the biggest wave of the unfathomable comes crashing down. Getting closer to the wall ahead, we realized it wasn’t just a wall surrounding the front of the cemetery, it’s a wall with nearly 35,000 missing soldier’s names engraved. 35,000.
Visiting Tyne Cot Cemetery and the area of Flanders Fields is a very moving experience. We suggest making a day out of visiting Flanders, and go along to see the other bits of history in the area (more posts on that coming soon). A big, massive thank you to Sarah and Jan for bringing us to the Tyne Cot Cemetery and showing us a piece of Belgium we’ll never forget.
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How To Get To The Tyne Cot Cemetery In Flanders Fields
Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial is located just outside the town of Ypres (Iepres).
It’s about an hour drive from both Bruges and Gent. If you don’t have your own car, you can take a bus from Ypres (Iepers) or Roeselare to Tyne Cot.
Just putting Tyne Cot Cemetery into your GPS can get you there, but if needed, the actual address is as follows.
Tyne Cot Cemetery Visitor’s Centre
Vijfwegestraat
8980 Zonnebeke
Tyne Cot Cemetery FAQs
When To Visit The Tyne Cot Cemetery
The visitor center is open every day from 10:00 – 18:00, though closed from December 1st through January 31st.
With a lot of the roads in the Flanders Fields area of Belgium (where the cemetery is) being country roads, we suggest not visiting the cemetery during winter weather.
How Much Does It Cost?
The visitor’s center and entrance to the cemetery are both free. So go in, stay as long as you like, check out the war memorabilia, and really get an understanding of this place!
What Else Is In The Area?
West Belgium is full of so much rich history and many cute towns and villages. It’s also home to a really nice Trappist Brewery, Westvletern.
Where To Stay When Visiting The Tyne Cot Cemetery
While Bruges is a huge hotspot for people visiting Belgium, our all-time favorite city in Belgium is Ghent. So we definitely recommend staying in Ghent! It’s only an hour drive away from Tyne Cot, making it close enough for a short day trip into Flanders Fields!
We always like to look for AirBnBs when we travel to be able to eat meals at the house before going out exploring. And, it gives you an insight into how the locals live!
Recommended Gear For Visiting Flanders Fields
Travel Backpack
We always travel with this backpack. It’s comfy, waterproof, and had padding to keep your camera and belongings safe while throwing it in and out of the car visiting places like this!
Camera Set Up
All photos in this post were taken with this camera using mainly this lens, and occasionally this one. You can check out a full list of our camera gear here.
Water Bottle
It’s actually safe to drink the water in Belgium, so just filling this water bottle each time you leave your accommodation will save you some cash! And the best part is, this bottle keeps liquids cold for 24 hours and hot for 6 hours – so your water will stay cold all day, or you could fill it with hot coffee or tea to go.
