Would it be appropriate to say Verdun is like Gettysburg but much larger? We did Gettysburg on bikes and I see that this is an option but I cannot get a sense of the distance. The first time we visited Gettysburg we did by car but i disliked the constant getting in and out of car to read memorials. Are there different locations where one would spend more than a few minutes? I am planning a full day but I feel that might not do it justice. I have viewed the website but it does not answer my questions. We like to take guided tours but the only reference is to a guide getting on your bus. Any thoughts? And, thank you.
Posted by
Fredericksburg, VA
241 posts
Ellen: It has been a few years since we visited Verdun but I seem to recall that having a car was beneficial. The battlefield site(s) are along an eight to ten mile stretch that is well marked. I don't recall a lot of stops to read memorial plaques--there are several locations where you park and enter a museum, memorial, or ossuary. We spent about two hours in the museum and about one and one-half hours at the other sites. Although most, if not all of the sites, are well described, if you have a strong interest in Verdun, I would recommend using a guide. The Rick Steves France guidebook has a section on Verdun which describes the area and has some recommended guides. And, there are several interesting U.S.-associated WWI battlefields and cemetery/memorials in the general area that you might want to visit. Good luck with your trip,
~Darrel
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
574 posts
I went to Verdun a few years ago and was "on foot" without a car and managed. Like you said, it is spread out and I seem to recall there being some sort of shuttle service, but I could be mistaken. I know I took a public bus from town out to the main site. From there it's possible I did the rest on foot but seem to recall there was a shuttle. There are a few places to spend time. There is a museum where the bus dropped me off. There is also a large memorial and a series of trenches you can walk through as well as an underground fox hole network. I spent the whole day there and really enjoyed it. Hope you have a good trip.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7204 posts
From the memorial/museum it’s less than two miles to the ossuary and another couple miles to Fort Douaumont. There are a number of other places in the same area that would be east to ride to. The area itself is rolling hills. Sites such as the Herméville Canon are 12 miles from the museum and out in the woods. It would be more difficult to ride to.
When we visited last year we didn’t go into Fort Douaumont because we had visited Maginot Line Fort Schoenenbourg earlier in the trip. Near Fort Douaumont we also stopped at the Trench of Bayonets. It was a disappointment to us and I’m sure there are more interesting sites to see.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
1547 posts
I have spent 6-7 days, so far, this year on the battlefields around Verdun. The actual lines are miles long, you can't possibly see them all in a week. Every small town has a memorial, and in some places you'll also run across ones for the 1870-1871 war, as well as for WWII. And there are also memorials at other places, crossroads, fields, etc. Some are huge; Montfaucon, or the State of Pennsylvania Monunument for example, others are small, like the US 1st Division plinth, or the SGT York marker.
The Verdun Memorial Museum is very good, with displays clearly marked in French, German, and English. From there you can walk out to a couple of the forts. I would also recommend a visit to the Butte de Vauquois, where you can see how they literally blew up the entire ridgeline while fighting yards apart for years.
For some really good, self guided, tours of the area, focusing on the USA's participation, get the books by Maarten Otte on the Meuse-Argonne. They have great maps and can give you a good idea of the size of the battle.
A lot of folks visit the Douamont Ossuary, but I think the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is much more worthwhile to visit. Especially if when you realize there's another like field over in the Belleau Woods, and another at St Avold. The Battlefield Monuments Commission keep these places up, and they are stark reminders of the numbers who didn't go home. There are French and German cemeteries throughout the region, but nothing like these. (Until just recently the German places were neglected, as the French wouldn't allow them to come in and repair them.)
Posted by
OP
Darmouth, MA, USA
377 posts
Thank you so much for all of this useful information.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA
4 posts
My husband, mom and I just returned from a two week trip in France. One of our stops was Verdun. My husband is very interested in WW1 and has visited Verdun before. I knew much less of the history and hadn’t visited Verdun yet. We hired Cecil Graf [email protected] a private tour guide by car. He is an educator. He has taught English and history. He was born and raised in Paris but now lives about an hour from Verdun. His tour was awesome. He has different suggested agendas but was also open to customizing the tour for us. Given that my husband had visited certain places already but I hadn’t he put together an itinerary that worked for both of us. He was super knowledgeable, had lots of anecdotes and stories that brought the history alive. We visited the Fort Douaumont, Ossuary, American cemetery, American monument and the site of the Battle of Vauquois (split hill). He picked us up and returned us to our flat. He was very affordable. He can take up to 4 people. I highly recommend Cecil’s tours if you are interested in learning more about WW1 and seeing the Verdun battlefields. We had travelled to Verdun by train so didn’t have our own car. On my husband’s last visit he walked a ton to see the sights but as other posters have shared it is quite spread out so walking is limiting. Our day there was rainy so biking would have also been tough.