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There are annual commemorations here in June each year. At the top of the steps is a 90 foot tall column on which stands the figure of a knight, and a pair of Russian field guns flank the column. The monument was inaugurated on the 23rd of June 1929.

Small fountains play in the street leading up to it, and in the middle of the steps which lead up to it. In Verdun itself is the imposing Victory Monument, set into the town walls. Links to these are given in each section below, where a summary of some of the most important sites are listed. There is so much to see in the area that the details are covered on several pages which remain in the original World War One Battlefields website format. It is also a popular area for mountain biking, if you are fit enough (some areas are very steep). It can be very muddy, so good walking boots are essential. There are also route plans for the walks available at the Memorial, and these show points of interest on the way round. They are marked on the special IGN map listed above.

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The area is great to walk around, and there are a series of marked walks in the forested area of the battlefields which can be easily followed. However, it is still possible on those days to access Douaumont village, which is very near to the restricted area. It is worth noting that the area to the north of Douaumont is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays, as it is a military firing range. The special map is worth purchasing, as it is marked with areas and sites of interest to the battlefield visitor. The area is also covered by the ordinary IGN Serie Bleue maps 3212O, which covers an area slightly further east than the special map. This is sheet 3112ET, Forets de Verdun et du Mort-Homme. In terms of maps there is an excellent 1:25,000 special map published by IGN which covers the major part of the Verdun battlefields. Another book, Fort Douaumont again by Christina Holstein and published by Pen & Sword covers Douaumont in detail, but also has a suggested itinerary for the northern part of the battlefield, including the fascinating Camp Marguerre. This is Walking in the Footsteps of the Fallen, and it contains a number of walking routes to visit areas within the forests around Verdun, where the remains of trenches, pillboxes, and the scars of the fighting are still visible. If you only have one day then this would be a good option.Ī recent publication (2019) by Christina Holstein is an excellent addition for a longer visit to the Verdun area. This, as is the norm with their guides, is in the form of a car trip around the battlefields, visiting many sites of interest.

In terms of guidebooks, the Holts cover Verdun in their Battlefield Guide to the Western Front South. Two good accounts of the battles are Alistair Horne’s The Price of Glory and Ian Ousby’s The Road to Verdun. There are fewer books (in English) dealing with Verdun than the Somme or Flanders – as you might expect. Choice of restaurants and where to eat are more limited here however, unless you wish to drive. On the south-east outskirts, about a mile and a half from the town centre, are the medium priced ibis hotel and the low-cost Formule One, for the latter rooms are not en-suite.

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Some central hotels offer parking, free or paid. However, parking in the centre of Verdun can be a problem when staying in the town centre. For example, in the centre of the town is the upmarket Les Jardins du Mess, which also has a good restaurant, and there are places to eat out in the town centre.

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Verdun itself has several hotels to choose from, plus other types of accommodation. The A4 Motorway runs to the south of Verdun, and you can exit to the west and then drive on the Voie Sacrée towards the town itself. In both cases, you can make the vast majority of the trip on motorways, although you will pay about €30-35 in tolls.

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