The site of WW1's longest battle in 1916, this small French town has preserved its military fortifications and memorials. The Meuse River flows through its medieval center.
Verdun, in northeastern France, tells the story of World War I through its battlefields and memorials. You can walk through the cold corridors of Fort Douaumont, climb the tower of Douaumont Ossuary for views across former battlefields, or explore the underground tunnels of the 17th-century Citadel. The city is also known for its dragées - sugar-coated almonds that local confectioners have made since 1200.
Getting to Verdun
Verdun lies on both banks of the Meuse River in northeastern France. Take a train from Paris with a connection in Jarny, or drive on the A4 autoroute that connects Paris to Strasbourg. The drive from Metz takes about an hour through rural landscapes.
Museums and Historic Buildings
The Verdun Memorial Museum displays German and French WWI artifacts in parallel exhibits. The 12th-century Verdun Cathedral has an ornate entrance called the Lion Door with intricate stone carvings on its tympanum. At the Princerie Museum, set in a former official's residence, you'll find regional artworks dating back to medieval times. The Subterranean Citadel contains four kilometers of tunnels where soldiers took shelter during WWI - you can now tour these passages with a guide.
WWI Battlefield Sites
The Douaumont Ossuary contains the remains of 130,000 unidentified soldiers from both French and German forces, with its tower overlooking 13,000 crosses. Visit the Bayonet Trench to learn about French soldiers who were buried alive during an attack - their bayonets remained visible above ground until after the war. Fort Douaumont, the largest of Verdun's 38 fortifications, has two miles of corridors where soldiers lived during the battle. The temperature inside stays around 7°C (45°F) year-round.
Natural Areas and the Zone Rouge
The Zone Rouge spans 42,000 acres around Verdun and remains off-limits due to unexploded WWI ordnance. This restricted area has become a wildlife haven where wild boar and deer move among shell craters and old trenches. You can explore the surrounding forests on marked hiking paths and bike trails that wind through what was once battlefield terrain.
Local Specialties
Verdun's dragées are sugar-coated almonds that have been a local specialty since 1200. These confections were once served at French royal baptisms, and today you can buy them from several confectioneries in the city center.
