A general Web site about the area is However, several others give an excellent overview of the battles. Signs warn of the still-real danger of unexploded ordnance and against entering open bunkers. Most sites can be explored on foot and are along marked roads. Info: Nearly everything at the battlefields is translated into English. More than 16,000 German and French soldiers are interned under markets in the Douaumont Ossuary, near the area in Verdun, France, where 120,000 Americans died and French and German troops. Most have menus in English, German and French, although several are French only. Battlefields are open during daylight hours.įood: There are two small cafes in the battlefield area, but the town of Verdun has several restaurants. and close for lunch between noon and 2 p.m. Times: Opening and closing times vary, but most sites open at 8 a.m., close at 5 p.m. Self-guided tours of the tower at the Douaumont Ossuary and a slide show of the battles is 3 euros. Self-guided tours, with information in English, of Fort Douaumont are 3 euros. Budget about 20 euros each way for tolls on the French autoroute, and remember Army and Air Force Exchange Service fuel coupons are not valid in France, so try to fill up before leaving Germany.Ĭosts: Touring the battlefields and cemeteries is free. You will find house barges docked along the shore, and narrow cobblestone streets leading to small restaurants, shops and chocolate stores.ĭirections: Verdun, France, is about three hours’ drive from Frankfurt, Würzburg or Stuttgart, and about two hours from Kaiserslautern. Bayonet Trench, where an artillery blast killed dozens of French soldiers by burying them, standing, in their trench positions.ĭo not be deterred by the American-style shopping mall, McDonald’s restaurant and other garish shops in the Verdun suburbs from exploring the actual city of Verdun, which lies along a river.Visitors can climb to the top of the monument and also view a slide show of the battles. The tourist office has a decent guidebook in English for about 10 euros that should satisfy most people, although definitely not the serious military historian. These stop during late fall and winter, although there are several private companies that can function as chauffeur and guide.īut that kind of tour is unnecessary. There are regular bus tours of the grounds. The French initially had used the fort to protect the region but quickly retreated when German troops advanced. The office will provide a free map, in French, that hits the high points, such as Fort Douaumont, the focus of much of the battle. There are several ways to tour the battlefields.įirst, stop off at the tourist information office in downtown Verdun. They can climb over and around the key forts and walk between the seemingly never-ending rows of tombstones. Visitors can walk over the preserved fields and into the trenches. There are small admission charges to some of the sites, but most of the area is accessible for free. The battlefields are easy to find along a roughly 15-mile stretch of well-marked road outside the town of Verdun.
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