I went to Belgium with a couple of friends and the plan was to visit Bastogne and sightsee. The primary reason was to visit the Bastogne War Museum! Being a history buff, this was a win-win! The story of the battle is told from the Allied, German and Civilian perspectives. Parking is free, you pay at the entrance and you are given a communication pack that you wear around you neck, about the same weight as a camera. It has headphones, you tell the staff member handing them out which language you prefer to hear. I suggest wearing one. There are no other options to hear what is being said during the tour. You can take pictures of all of the exhibits, they request that pictures taken inside the exhibit theaters, to turn off your flash. The flow is designed to keep the sightseers moving. There are plenty of photo ops. After seeing the indoor portion of the museum you are guided outside. The centerpiece is the Mardasson Memorial. You can see it from the road. It is in the shape of a star. All 50 states and every unit that fought in the war are inscribed on the memorial. You can walk around at ground level, view the crypt and then you can take the stairs to the top and walk around on top and look at the surrounding area. There are 5 points on the star, each point has a plaque with a map showing the direction and which units (German/Allied) were fighting each other. Very detailed maps molded on each point. Another cool sight is the 30ft tall "Victory Kiss" statue. If you find yourself in Bastogne, and are a history buff. Pay a visit to this museum. The cost of admission is $14 Euro, or $17.05 USD. Cash, credit or debit cards are all accepted forms of payment. Kids under 6 and Senior Citizens get an admission discount. read more

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A visit to the Bastogne War Museum actually includes admission to 3 locations. I will review each separately. I recommend visiting each of the 3 sites in my order of listing below. The Bastogne War Museum is where you should start and buy your adult ticket for 28€. The Yelp location is accurate. It's located just outside of town. The only parking option is a pay lot for 7.50€ for the day next to the museum. Once inside you are given a free audio guide in your language that is very helpful. Use it. This is a very good museum that chronicles all of WW2 not just the Battle of the Bulge. One unique aspect of this museum are 4 video sequences paired each with a life like set that adds realism to the video presentation. I would budget 2.5 hours to visit here which also includes time at the outdoor Mardasson Memorial (separate Yelp review). The facility also has an onsite cafe if you get hungry. I rated this location a 4 and enjoyed my visit. It was better than I expected. The Bois Jacques battlefield is about a 5 minute drive away from the War Museum where you are given tickets for the Bois Jacques battlefield and the War Rooms. At Bois Jacques, this facility is unmanned. It has a free parking lot and you use your ticket from the Museum to scan a QR code at the gate of the battlefield to gain entrance. Bois Jacques is an actual battle site depicted in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. This is an outdoor visitation so weather plays a factor regarding your visit. Budget 30 minutes for here. I rated this site a 4 also. The Bastogne War Rooms is the third location that your Museum ticket gains you admission into. It is located less than a 10 minute drive from the museum and also has a free parking lot available. It is located very near another good museum called Bastogne Barracks (separate Yelp review) which is NOT affiliated with the War Museum. The War Rooms disappointed me. I found it boring and somewhat difficult to understand and poorly organized. If you attend I would budget 1 hour. Honestly, I would skip it and is why I gave it a 2 score. read more

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If you are going to do a tour you must hire Peter Vansteenkiste who can be reached on facebook and is the most knowledgeable and interesting guidance have ever used. He is funny and extremely accommodating. He has a new car and picks you up and does not study the clock. We went to this among other locations and followed the Band of Brothers tour list and were awed by the detail and facts he provided. I can't offer a higher recommendation read more

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The ability to walk through history ought not be missed and the Bastogne area in general, and the museum in particular, are must visit sites. Museum guests are told of the battle through the experiences of four people there and the personal stories bring the battle to life. The displays are engaging and artifacts on display are very interesting. read more

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An absolute must see! Everything about this museum experience is just amazing. The info, the layout and their two off campus sites are world class. Eighty years after this epic event I fear most have forgotten the battle or the reasons. read more

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Excellent museum! There was a lot to it. I liked the audio guide that went with it. The memorial is under construction but it looks like it will very nice once it's done. If you like WWII history this is definitely a must! read more

Bastogne War Museum - Museums Near Me - Bastogne, WLX

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Whether you have a relative who served in WWII, are a history buff, or just want to learn about our past, this Museum is an abundance of information. Its interactive, meaning you wear a headset as you walk through. You hear accounts of the war while you walk. It was over a three hour tour for me, but I like to read everything about our history. The tour begins right after WWI ends, showing how Hitler, Mussolini, and Nazis came to power. It ends after the Battle of the Bulge (which my uncle was in and taken prisoner of war; he eventually escaped), when Hitler realized it was over and offed himself. This is one of the best tours I've been on and I highly recommended it. read more

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After going on a guided tour of the local Battle of the Bulge sites with the excellent guide Henri Mignon we stopped in this museum for a couple hours to supplement our experience. This is a very good museum and the audio guide is an essential part. The three theater presentations were very creatively done. Overall this is a well laid out history museum covering WWII in this area. Don't miss the large memorial behind the museum. read more

You can choose between taking the head set that will walk you through the exhibit or you can walk through and read. Without the headset will not give you everything in its entirety or may not be able to understand in your specific language. The route through the exhibition is punctuated with interactive terminals designed for children. Enjoy something to eat and/or drink at the end of the tour along with shopping in the gift shop. read more

An English tour was available. It was more than bullets and tanks; the battle was made more personal.

Our group of 40ish visited on a Wednesday morning in late April. We arrived around 10am. It took a while to check us in and get our head sets. Also, we were all bunched at the start, so we had some trouble getting close enough to the sensors for our headsets to start. But once we spread out and got the hang of it, it was a great museum. There was more information than I could absorb in our 2 hour visit, but I'm the kind who reads every plaque and listens to every story. I enjoyed the interactive rooms with the different experience of sitting in the vignettes and being "surrounded" by the story. It was good to hear the differing viewpoints - the child, the civilian, the American soldier and the German soldier, as the situation wasn't good for anyone involved. Plan on taking quite a bit of time for the museum if you really want to appreciate it. read more

This museum is an awesome all around experience. I like that you can a headset for your language and basically enjoy a self paced self guided tour. When i go to Museums like this I like taking my time and really soaking in the exhibits. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to climb the spiral stairs to the top of the memorial located outside, the views are breathtaking. read more

This was one of the best history museums I've ever visited, if not the best. If you're even remotely in the region, visiting World War II sites, you must make the trek to Bastogne. You won't regret it. read more

Excellent museum! Well worth the 10€ adult entry! This is a must do when in the area. Free audio guide with ticket entry, many interactive displays, 3 excellent short films to include a 3D one! Very nice cafe/cafeteria for a coffee, coke or bite to eat. read more

We visited this newly (very newly...some construction was still going on) renovated museum on 7/7 and were incredibly impressed. My sons and husband are well versed in the history of this town during WWII and were very much looking forward to our visit. It was time well spent, and we would have paid much more than the very reasonable admission price. The museum is one of the most impressive little gems we've ever visited (and we have visited many museums!) The audio guides are quite clever and start to play a track in your chosen language as you approach an exhibit. You meet 4 people whom you learn about as you make your way through the museum, which is brilliant. There's a German soldier, an American soldier, a teacher, and a young boy whose family owns a bicycle shop. Each has an incredible story, and you grow very attached to them and feel great empathy for their situations. It's very moving, and I am feeling emotional even now as I write this several weeks later. You learn about much beyond the Battle of the Bulge. The gift shop was a draw for my teen and tween, who spent much of their travel money on 101st Airborne souvenirs. The staff was friendly and helpful and very welcoming to us. It was pouring rain on the day we visited, so we couldn't see as much of the grounds as we would have liked. There is an impressive outdoor monument and lots of walking that could be done on a nicer day. We'll be back, as we found Bastogne charming and would love to explore it more. read more

Imaginative. The museum uses theater-like settings with props and documentary film to present what it was like to be in Bastogne from the point of view of an American GI, a German soldier and Bastogne civilians. Very well done. A visit probably needs 90 minutes if you already know a lot about the battle and maybe 2.5 hours if you don't. read more