# Day trip to Bastogne from Brussels: War Museum, Mardasson, Bois Jacques and War Rooms

The battle museum in the morning, the Mardasson memorial next door, the foxholes of the Bois Jacques, lunch in the centre and McAuliffe's cellar in the afternoon, all with one ticket.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/bastogne/itineraries/war-museum-and-mardasson-by-car · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 07:45 · Salida: 2 h by car (E411 to Namur and N4 via Marche-en-Famenne)
- 09:45 · Bastogne War Museum (€28 with Bois Jacques and War Rooms · book the slot; parking €7.50)
  - 5 min on foot
- 12:15 · Mardasson Memorial (free; there may be areas closed for works)
  - 11 min by car, 4,5 km
- 12:45 · Foxholes of the Bois Jacques (free parking · 360° videos on the app)
  - 13 min by car, 7,7 km
- 13:45 · Wagon Léo (place McAuliffe · restaurant Tuesday to Sunday, 11:45–15:00) · Wagon Léo, €€
  - 3 min by car, 1,3 km
- 15:30 · Bastogne War Rooms (rue de La Roche 38D · with the same ticket)
- 16:45 · Vuelta (in Brussels around 19:00)

In December 1944, Bastogne was surrounded by the German army and was defended by the 101st Airborne Division and other American units until Patton's army arrived. Today it is the best place in the Ardennes to understand that battle, and from Brussels it can be done in a day by car: about two hours by motorway. A single €28 ticket covers the museum, the foxholes of the Bois Jacques and the War Rooms, so the day organises itself: museum in the morning, forest at midday, lunch in the centre and the headquarters in the afternoon.

## The day, hour by hour

7:45 · Drive to Bastogne. E411 to Namur and the N4 south through Marche-en-Famenne. The museum has a 200-space car park at €7.50.

9:45 · Bastogne War Museum. Two and a half hours with an audioguide, which tells the battle through four characters: an American soldier, a German lieutenant, a child and a Bastogne schoolteacher. Book the slot online in season and in December.

12:15 · The Mardasson memorial. Next to the museum, the great stone star with the names of the states of the Union. Free. It is undergoing renovation works and there may be areas closed.

12:45 · Bois Jacques. 4 km away, near Foy: the foxholes of Easy Company are still in the forest. Half an hour with the 360° videos of the museum's app. Free parking.

13:45 · Lunch at Wagon Léo. On the place McAuliffe, next to the Sherman tank. The restaurant, with bistro cooking and seasonal dishes, is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:45 to 15:00 and has a half-price menu and half portions for children.

15:30 · Bastogne War Rooms. The cellar of the headquarters where General McAuliffe answered "NUTS!" to the German ultimatum, reconstructed with scenery. One hour, with the same ticket.

16:45 · Return. About two hours to Brussels.

## Is it for me?

If you are interested in the Second World War, or travel with teenagers who are studying it, yes. With small children it is a long museum day; for them the Barracks works better, with its vehicles, and an afternoon on the river at La Roche.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
It is the practical way: about two hours along the E411 and the N4. Between the museum, the Bois Jacques and the War Rooms there are only a few minutes by car.

### Without a car
IC train to Libramont and TEC bus 6 to Bastogne. See the plan by train, which concentrates on the town and leaves out the Bois Jacques.

## Consejos

### Buy the combined ticket online
It secures your museum slot and is valid for six months for whatever you don't see that day.

### Bring footwear for the forest
In the Bois Jacques the paths are dirt and do not suit a pushchair.

### Check the day's hours
The museum changes its hours with the season; check its calendar.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much is a ticket to the Bastogne War Museum?
€28 for adults and €15.50 for ages 6 to 18; it includes the Bois Jacques and the War Rooms.

### Can you see Bastogne in a day from Brussels?
Yes, by car: about two hours each way and about six hours there.

### Where do you eat?
At Wagon Léo, on the place McAuliffe, Tuesday to Sunday, or at the Bistrot de la Paix, inside the museum.

### Is it open on Monday?
The museum follows its calendar, but the Wagon Léo restaurant and the Barracks are closed on Mondays.