# Over the Top Tours Guide en Ypres Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/companies/over-the-top-tours A local Ypres company running daily minibus tours of the Salient battlefields, morning and afternoon, from its bookshop next to the Menin Gate. ## Who they are Over the Top Tours is a small Ypres (Ieper, in Dutch) company founded by a local guide, Andre, who began taking visitors to the battlefields of the Ypres Salient and ended up opening a military history bookshop on the Meensestraat, a few steps from the Menin Gate. The website does not give the year of foundation; it says the company began about ten years before its introduction was written. All the activity revolves around the First World War: Commonwealth cemeteries, preserved trenches, mine craters and monuments of the countries that fought in Flanders. ## What tours they run The core is two daily tours in an air-conditioned minibus, leaving from the bookshop. The morning one, from 9:30 to 13:30, covers the northern sector: Essex Farm, Langemark, Passchendaele, Tyne Cot and Hill 62. The afternoon one, from 14:00 to 17:30, goes south: Messines, Hill 60, the Irish Peace Park and Ploegsteert. Each costs €40 per person and can be combined with the other to see the whole Salient in a day. Besides Ypres, the website advertises trips to the Somme and Vimy Ridge, in France, and themed routes: the Irish Tour, the Australians of 1918 and Fromelles. It also works with coach companies and groups, and offers an interactive map of the places it visits. ## How to book and pay The system is simple and a bit old-fashioned. First you write by email to confirm there is a place on the tour and day chosen. With the confirmation, you fill in the payment form on its website, which leads to PayPal: you can pay with a PayPal account or with Visa and Mastercard, without having to open an account, with a 3.5 per cent surcharge for the card. You pay a €15 deposit per person to secure the place and the rest on arrival. Several people can be entered on the same form. The website does not publish cancellation conditions, children's prices or the maximum group size; as the vehicle is a minibus, groups are small. If you have questions, the quickest is to phone +32 57 42 43 20. ## Language and tips The tours are in English: they do not advertise tours in Spanish, so it helps to have a level that lets you follow historical explanations. Arrive a little early at the bookshop, which also sells maps, guides and books about the war. Wear comfortable shoes, because at several stops you walk through cemeteries and fields that get muddy in the rain. ## What they run - [Guided minibus tour of the Ypres Salient](https://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/ypres/things-to-do/ypres-salient-tour), in Ypres (Ieper). Morning tour of the northern sector: Essex Farm, Langemark, Passchendaele, Tyne Cot and Hill 62. Desde 40 € per person. 4 h. Daily, from 9:30 to 13:30. Leaves from its bookshop next to the Menin Gate; 8-seat minibus; in English. Afternoon tour of the southern sector: Messines, mine craters, Hill 60, Irish Peace Park and Ploegsteert. Desde 40 € per person. 3 h 30. Daily, from 14:00 to 17:30. Site of the Christmas truce; same departure point Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change. ## Practical details - Address: Meensestraat 41, 8900 Ieper - Phone: +32 57 42 43 20 - Languages: English - Meeting point: Over the Top Tours bookshop, next to the Menin Gate, Meensestraat 41, 8900 Ieper - Details checked on 12 November 2026. ## Contact - Web: https://www.overthetoptours.be/ - Coordenadas: 50.852, 2.8905 ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Where do the tours start? At the bookshop on the Meensestraat, next to the Menin Gate. ### How much do they cost? €40 per person each; you book with a €15 deposit and pay the rest on arrival. ### Are there tours in Spanish? They are not advertised: the tours are in English.