I am going to be in Paris from Dec 22-Dec 31. We have been to the Normandy area and really enjoyed ourselves. I was wondering what the WWI battlesight is like in Verdun. Is it worth the trip? Can you do it has a day trip by train? By car?
Or would another day trip be better? We have been to Versailles.
The town of Verdun-sur-Meuse is about 3hr15min from Paris by train. This is the one-way time station to station only, getting to the Paris station, waiting for the train, and getting to/from the scene of the battle from the Verdun train station would make for a very long day. You would also have to figure out how to get to the various battlefields after you get to the Verdun train station. Best done by car and as part of an overnight trip. I have hotels in Verdun, if you need them let me know.
If you decide to do this trip, I'd like to recommend Sebastian Faulks' book Birdsong. It's a wonderful story about WW I by a wonderful writer.
Pam
You really do need a car to see all of Verdun, there is a lot to see and it is spread out. You will easily spend the whole day there.
Well worth the trip!
We did this last year and it was daunting, but great. Most of the big sites are around Verdun, and you can probably find tours out of Verdun. We spent two weeks doing this, but WWI is my husband's hobby and he wanted to see everything.
I don't think you can do it in a day, but there is now a TGV from Paris to Reims. You would need a car from Reims to Verdun.
Also, there are lots of sites outside the battlefields--Forts, the Lost Battalion, memorials, Sargent York, etc.
I would not recommend it as a day trip, and a car would be required in my opinion. It's a fair amount of driving on small roads. Make sure you visit Fort Fermont. It's maintained by a volunteer organization and features an underground "train ride" in an ammunition trolley between the main fort and one of the outlying artillery emplacement turrets. Also, one of the few German 88 artillery guns left in the world is on display.
