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Small-Group WWI Day Trip from Paris: Verdun and Meuse-Argonne Battlefields
1 day
Small Group
Full Day
About this activity
You will be taken to the east to the region of Meuse to visit Verdun. When you arrive, you’ll see the profound marks that World War I left on the landscape.
Visit the Battlefield of Verdun to learn about the massive Battle of Verdun in 1916, now known as The Hell of Verdun. The human cost of this 300-day battle was horrendous, leaving hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead. Your guide will conjure stories about the battle to give you a real sense of what happened here.
Drive past the London Trench to see where British troops delivered supplies and medical help, and then arrive at the Ossuary of Douaumont, a memorial containing the remains of soldiers who died during the Battle of Verdun.
Then head to Fort Douaumont, the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 defensive forts protecting the city of Verdun. Your guide will explain how Fort Douaumont was taken over by German troops, shocking the French Army’s structure and setting the stage for the rest of the Battle of Verdun.
The most chilling place among the eerie landscape of Verdun is the Trench of Bayonets, which you’ll visit next. After the war, a line of a dozen bayonets was found protruding from the ground. Experts believe that a German artillery bombardment collapsed the trench, burying the French soldiers.
Leaving Verdun behind, head to the Argonne region for lunch (included) before visiting one of the sites where the infamous Meuse-Argonne Offensive took place in 1918. Discover the part of the battlefields where General Pershing's American Expeditionary Force got involved in the fighting. As you’ll learn, this offensive was a part of the final Allied offensive of WWI that stretched along the entire Western Front.
Nearby, visit the Romagne War Museum to learn about the American and German units that fought in the area around Romagne-sous-Montfaucon during the war. Most of the collection comes from within 2 miles (3 km) of the village, providing an fascinating, intimate up-close look at war’s remains. Afterwards, you can browse the small museum shop for battlefield relics and books.
Your last stop is the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, the largest US Cemetery in Europe with more than 14,000 graves. Located just east of the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, the cemetery contains the largest number of American military dead in Europe, most of whom lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
This tour is a sobering and moving experience, giving you a new, enlightened understanding of the plight of American, French and German troops during WWI. At the end of the day, hop back in the minivan and head back to Paris.
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Visit the Battlefield of Verdun to learn about the massive Battle of Verdun in 1916, now known as The Hell of Verdun. The human cost of this 300-day battle was horrendous, leaving hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead. Your guide will conjure stories about the battle to give you a real sense of what happened here.
Drive past the London Trench to see where British troops delivered supplies and medical help, and then arrive at the Ossuary of Douaumont, a memorial containing the remains of soldiers who died during the Battle of Verdun.
Then head to Fort Douaumont, the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 defensive forts protecting the city of Verdun. Your guide will explain how Fort Douaumont was taken over by German troops, shocking the French Army’s structure and setting the stage for the rest of the Battle of Verdun.
The most chilling place among the eerie landscape of Verdun is the Trench of Bayonets, which you’ll visit next. After the war, a line of a dozen bayonets was found protruding from the ground. Experts believe that a German artillery bombardment collapsed the trench, burying the French soldiers.
Leaving Verdun behind, head to the Argonne region for lunch (included) before visiting one of the sites where the infamous Meuse-Argonne Offensive took place in 1918. Discover the part of the battlefields where General Pershing's American Expeditionary Force got involved in the fighting. As you’ll learn, this offensive was a part of the final Allied offensive of WWI that stretched along the entire Western Front.
Nearby, visit the Romagne War Museum to learn about the American and German units that fought in the area around Romagne-sous-Montfaucon during the war. Most of the collection comes from within 2 miles (3 km) of the village, providing an fascinating, intimate up-close look at war’s remains. Afterwards, you can browse the small museum shop for battlefield relics and books.
Your last stop is the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, the largest US Cemetery in Europe with more than 14,000 graves. Located just east of the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, the cemetery contains the largest number of American military dead in Europe, most of whom lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
This tour is a sobering and moving experience, giving you a new, enlightened understanding of the plight of American, French and German troops during WWI. At the end of the day, hop back in the minivan and head back to Paris.
Included
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch (sandwich or salad, dessert and a drink)
- Entry/Admission - Verdun Battlefield
- Entry/Admission - American Cemetery
- Entry/Admission - Fort Douaumont
Not included
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities (not included)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
70%
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Richard did an outstanding job of pivoting our group around the various WWI places we had come to visit. Very informative and interesting. I would recommend this excursion, in particular Richard , for any upcoming trips.
Richard was an awesome tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and made this trip a lot of fun. He gave us a lot of great information about each stop on the tour. He even was able to look up and see where my husbands relative was buried from WWI.
Excellent day trip with our older teens. Younger teen is very interested in WW1 and our tour guide, Richard, did an great job filling us in on the history of Verdun and Meuse-Argonne. Stop in Reims for snacks/break on the way there and back. Lunch was very good too (met a friendly cat). Definitely will recommend this tour to anyone going to Paris.
Excellent tour. We were very lucky that it was a small seven person tour and we had a very knowledgeable tour guide. I would highly recommend this tour if you are at all interested in WW1 history.
The guide was phenomenal. The experience far exceeded my expectations. He networked with the duty museum to locate scene of my great uncle's death and the was tenacious in finding the site. This tour is much more extensive than advertised. It allows ample time at each site visited and even includes some sites not advertised. I highly recommend that Americans especially do this excellent tour!
Amazing and knowledgeable guide, with a thorough understanding of WWI history. Wonderful way to spend a day!
I would give this tour 10 stars! Small group is the best way to experience it. Nicola was a great guide and very knowledgeable. She took the time to help me find my great great uncle's grave and found more information on him for me. She went the extra mile for us when she returned items to our hotel we left on the van.
We had an incredible experience on this tour. First our tour guide Bertrand was highly engaging and extremely knowledgeable. He shared detailed insights about troop movements and where specific items on the battlefields occurred, as well as, background on this region and how it has been critical in European geo-political events. We visited several amazing places such as the former village of Fleury, the Fort of Douamont, the Douamont Ossuary, the French soldiers cemetery, the American soldiers cemetery, and the remains of the village of Montfaucon. I highly recommend this tour.
Fantastic tour and a great driver-guide. I would have liked to stop at a couple of the War Memorials that we only briefly stopped or slowed down to see. We had a group of 8, every seat in the van filled and a bit uncomfortable because of the tightness, but lunch was very nice at Meuse-Argonne area. Very nice proprietor and sweet little village. It would be great to offer this tour as a custom rather than group. I would have liked to spend more time in some areas. I would have given 5 stars, but my voucher said to call 48 hours in advance to arrange complimentary hotel pickup/dropoff and when I did, I was read of by a man who said Viator needs to correct their website because I get inundated with these calls and WE DO NOT provide this service, complimentary or not. Disappointing since it cost 25 Euros each way from my hotel to the Tourist Office, which does not open as early as the mandatory meeting time. Also, we had 3 people 15 minutes late that held up our departure. I was 45 minutes early, just to make sure we didn't get held up in traffic. Disappointing that we had to wait for people who didn't even apologize for their lack of promptness to the group.