Colmar to Verdun to Reims

You can stop in St. Avold on way to Verdun to see the US cemetary there. I believe it is the largest one in Europe for our servicemen. Very moving.

The Musee Unterlinden in Colmar is very nice. It reopened last year after a major renovation. We found it rather confusing to follow the numbered exhibits on the map but I would still recommend. The Iisenheim Altarpiece is beautiful and the audio guide is very informative. You can listen to descriptions of each panel and if you want to go deeper you can click and hear more. There are also exhibits about Alsatian life and history. This museum is closed on Tuesdays.

The Musee de la Reddition (Museum of the Surrender) in Reims is very interesting as well. Exhibits about the end of WWII and the room where the actual surrender documents were signed. We went mid morning last September and were virtually the only visitors. It is well worth an hour or so and was just a few minutes walk from the town center. This museum is also closed on Tuesdays. We were there on a Saturday and there was a small morning market.

Hi,

If you want to see another US memorial from WW1, stop at Chateau-Thierry (same route) where US Marines and Army troops were injected in the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918. The Bois de Belleau is nearby, where the Marines were committed. In the town itself there are the Anglo-French Military Cemetery and the US 3rd Inf. Div. Memorial...can't miss it.

Great that you are motorised! You can even see the Napoleon Museum in Brienne au Chateau,where he went to military school and where he first tangled with the invading Allies at the end of Jan. .1814. It's not far from Troyes...all east of Paris en route to Verdun in Lorraine.

Laon north-west of Reims is a nice walled city with a gothic cathedral on a hill top.

If you drive along Strassbourg and Metz to Verdun “Ouvrage du Hackenberg” is worth a visit.

And along the A4 from Reims to Paris in Meaux “Musée de la Grande Guerre”.

Merci to all of you for the terrific ideas! I'm sure that members of our group will want to see many of your rec ommendations regarding WWI., and the Musee Unterlinden sounds great too.

Hi,

If you are interested in seeing the German cemeteries, they are between Verdun and Metz along the road side. I saw them in 1984 but we couldn't stop then because we had to get to Metz before 22:00 hrs. You'll recognise the German war graves from WW1 or 1870 by the black crosses.

Thank you, all of you. I have lots to discuss with my fellow travelers. So glad we are seeing this part of France. Have been to Provence and Paris area and Dordorgne, southwest France, etc. Seeing this corner will be a new and exciting experience, especially for a history major like myself and another traveler. Again, Merci

I second a visit to the Musee de la Reddition in Reims. I took 3 tours, Martel and Tattinger in Reims and Mercier in Epernay. Tattinger was the most expensive for tastings, but to be fair, the pour their high-end wines. Martel was the most generous. The 3 tours were very different - Mercier is the most fun - and are more about the history of the area and the founders of each house. I didn't find much repetition at all. Take a jacket and scarf. The caves are chilly and damp. If you don't want to drive (and drink!!), take the train from Reims to Epernay. Walk from the center to Mercier and go past the champagne houses of every name you know and a lot you don't. Epernay is where they all are now, but it's more business-oriented. Reims has the old caves that are now for tours, very few are in use. Martel and Tattinger are very close to each other and just a couple minutes' walk to the Basilica, which is as lovely as the Cathedral.

If you are in Reims on the weekend, start at the TI (there's one at the train station, another at the Cathedral) where you can get maps and they will help you book tours. Reims gets a lot of weekend visitors, so you should try to book tours when you get there. I was there at the end of April and it wasn't hard to book tours on Sunday morning for that afternoon. On Monday I went to Epernay and there was hardly anyone around. Mercier's tours are first-come, first-served. There were about 10 people on the tour at midday on Monday.

You can drink champagne by the glass everywhere, but the tastings are all at the caves with the tours. Buy a bottle (or 2?) for your last night at CDG☺

As you say you are a history major, so getting insight plays an important role visiting Verdun and other places related to WWI. For that reason to my opinion the museum in Meaux is not to miss, actually I would start there before visiting Verdun if possible. It explains from a French perspective the built up of the political and military tensions between France and Germany after the war of 1870 and actually the reason why Germany attacked France in the beginning of WWI. For this reason you can even think about a visit to Sedan some 80km north of Verdun as in 1870 Napoleon III was defeated and even captured there. Among other reasons like the proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles it had a huge inpact on the relationship between the two nations and makes it more easy to understand the fierce fights during WWI.

Chani,
Thanks for the details about the champagne tasting and the hint about the bus between Reims and Epernay, and the appreciation for the cathedral and town. I'll plan our full day there around your input.
Will,
I had considered Meaux on our way from Reims to CDG, spending the night before our flight there. Alas, our flight time cuts everything too close to stay there, but I definitely plan to do some sightseeing in Meaux on the way to our CDG hotel. Your post reinforces my desire to stop there, if only for an afternoon to see just one or two things. We want to turn in our cars that night to save time the next morning.

All the help I get from the forum has been great!

Merci