Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Around the Verdun Battleields
The most interesting battlefield sights all lie along an easy eight-mile stretch of road from
the town of Verdun. To lace these sights together, you have four choices:
By Car:
CheapcarrentalisavailableablockstraightoutoftheCentralTrainStation
at
AS Location
(about €44/day with 100 km/60 miles included—that's plenty, Mon-Fri
8:30-12:00&14:00-18:00,noofficehoursSat-Sunbutprebookedrentalspossible,22Rue
Louis Maury, tel. 03 29 86 58 58,
fj.location@sfr.fr
)
.
By Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus:
Open Tours offers a handy hop-on, hop-off open-roof
tour bus that circulates around the key sights (except on Mondays). There are five depar-
tures per day from the TI, allowing you 1-2 hours at each monument before the next bus
arrives. Sparse commentary is provided (€10, mid-April-Nov 11 Tue-Sun, departure times
in 2013 were 9:15, 10:45, 13:15, 14:15 and 16:15,
www.open-tours-lorraine.fr
)
.
By Taxi:
For about €45 round-trip, taxis can drop a carload at one sight and pick up
at another (walk between sights). Ask to be dropped at Fort de Douaumont and picked up
three or so hours later at l'Ossuaire de Douaumont; it's 1.3 level miles from the one sight
to the other (figure 40 minutes on foot). Taxis normally meet trains at the station; other-
wise they park at the TI (taxi mobile 06 07 02 24 16 or 06 80 08 10 09). It's easiest to
arrange a taxi with the help of the TI, though you can save the walk from the train station
to the TI if you arrange to be picked up at the station in advance.
By Private Guide:
It's possible to hire a private guide to join you in your car for a
tour. Try Ingrid Ferrand (mobile 06 79 45 30 98,
ingrid.ferrand@wannado.fr
)
or Florence
Lamousse (tel. 03 29 85 21 83), who are good, English-speaking guides (€50/hour, €340/
day). Or you can have the TI arrange a guide for you—see “Tourist Information,” earlier.
▲▲▲
Battleields of Verdun
Verdun's battlefields are littered with monuments and ruined forts. For most travelers, a
half-day is enough, though historians could spend days here. We'll concentrate on the two
mostimportantsights,l'OssuairedeDouaumontandFortdeDouaumont,andasmattering
of smaller sights you'll see en route to these. I've included basic driving directions.
