Verdun – A Photographic Tour of the Right Bank of the River Meuse

This photographic tour guide outlines how to get to and what to see at some of the key locations on the Verdun battlefield on the right bank of the Meuse. It is not meant to be a comprehensive guide of every memorial, cemetery or pillbox - I recognise that most people may only have a day or a weekend to explore the area. This guide details the locations that I consider offer the best combination of historical significance and things to see for the modern battlefield visitor.

To assist the tourist unfamiliar with the area I have included a map for each location. Here's an interactive map, showing all locations:

	Click and drag to move the map. Use the slider to zoom in/out.

It would be realistic to assume that the vast majority of British visitors will bring their own transport and I have primarily written the guide was this in mind. If the visitor has a more lengthy stay in mind, then cycling or walking the area are options and there are indeed some excellent signposted walking tours around this battlefield, one of which (Sentier de Froideterre) I have included within this guide. Walking can offer the visitor the chance to discover parts of the battlefield that might be easily missed in a car. From my experience, driving from site to site followed by walking each location is the best way to see as much of this sector as possible.

As with many other parts of the Western Front, Verdun was the scene of conflict throughout most years of the war. However, the area is most commonly associated with the great German offensive and the subsequent French counter-attacks of 1916 and it is this period on which I have concentrated and, indeed, to which most sites reference.

Unlike some First and Second World War battlefields the main action on the right bank of the Meuse was concentrated into a relatively small area. This allows the tourist to navigate the locations fairly quickly without the need for long periods between locations in the car. I have suggested a route, which makes the most sense chronologically, balanced against avoiding unnecessary backtracking and diversion. This starts on La Voie Sacrée from Bar-Le-Duc, the main French supply route during the fighting, passes through the city of Verdun itself and thence to the battlefield. The tour finishes at the ominous Ossuary Tower and National Cemetery.

All the locations could conceivably at a stretch (i.e. out at 7am, back at 7pm) be seen during the course of a two-night stay in Verdun. However, to get the most from your visit, the author would recommend a much slower pace spread across a three-night stay with the locations split as follows:

Day 1 – Entry into Verdun (Locations 1 and 2)
Day 2 – The battle up to the fall of Fort Douaumont (Locations 3-8)
Day 3 – The summer fighting (Locations 9-12)

You'll be able to see a lot more and won't be distracted thinking about racing off to the next location. For a chronological history of where each location fits into the story of the fighting that took place here in 1916, please click on the relevant links to Verdun – A Brief History.

Locations

1. La Voie Sacrée
2. Verdun and the Victory Monument
3. Faubourg Pavé Cemetery
4. Colonel Driant's Command Post
5. Beaumont-du-Verdunois
6. Fort Douaumont
7. Douaumont Village
8. Tranchée des Bayonettes
9. Fort Vaux
10. Fleury and the Memorial Museum
11. A Walk along the Côte de Froideterre (Sentier de Froideterre)
12. The Ossuary and National Cemetery