Contact

Office de tourisme
Pavillon Japiot
1 bis Avenue du général Mangin
55100 VERDUN
Telephone : 03 29 84 55 55
Fax : 03 29 84 85 80
http://www.tourisme-verdun.fr

Tarifs: 53 € per person - based on a group of 40 people

Presentation :

Although better known for the events of the Great War, Verdun’s architecture reflects a heritage stretching back 3,000 years. In prehistoric times, Verdun was already a major junction; in the 9th century A.D. it was a “famous town”, where a well-known treaty known as the “Verdun Division” was signed in 843 A.D. The treaty divided Charlemagne’s empire between his three grandsons, creating the borders of Europe as we know it today. It also sealed the town’s fate.

Tour suggestion:
Scheduled arrival in Verdun at 9 a.m.: N.B.: The guide will take charge of the group as soon as it arrives in Verdun. Meet at the Tourist Office (Japiot Pavilion).
9 a.m.: Coach tour of the town
Verdun’s history did not begin in 1916. Set on a promontory overlooking the Meuse Valley, Verdun has its roots in days long gone and it has a particularly rich and diverse heritage. Located at the junction of a number of roads and waterways, the bishopric has been at the centre of territorial issues and major events throughout the ages i.e. battles, invasions and political, religious and diplomatic disputes. As a result of these episodes in its history, the town has a large number of heritage buildings e.g. the Chaussée Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Citadel, the Bishop’s Palace, the Victory monument etc. And Verdun has skilfully preserved and enhanced the many traces of its eventful past.
10.30 a.m.: Tour of Verdun’s Underground Citadel
The citadel contains a reconstruction that is the only one of its kind in Europe. From its strategic location, it illustrates the life of soldiers during the First World War. Visitors board automated carriages to travel through the 15 galleries showing what everyday life was like for soldiers fighting in the 1916 battle. They see the infirmary, meetings of the High Command, an illustration of trench warfare and the selection of the Unknown Soldier etc.
Noon: Lunch in one of the town’s restaurants (“Local Produce” menu).
2 p.m.: Cruise on the River Meuse (duration: 45 mins.) The Meuse was both a natural system of defence and a major waterway and it has played a considerable role in Verdun’s history for many centuries. The river and the many canals in the town and its marina make Verdun a real riverside town with a charm that is appreciated as much by the townspeople as by visitors. Step aboard the delightfully comfortable boat and get a unique view of Verdun’s heritage from the River Meuse.
3.30 p.m.: Tour of the “From War to Peace” exhibition in the World Centre for Peace
Housed in Verdun’s former bishop’s palace, the World Centre for Peace, Freedom and Human Rights was inaugurated in 1994. It was the result of a long period of Franco-German rapprochement marked, in particular, by the minutes of quiet contemplation by President François Mitterrand and Chancellor Helmut Kohl, hand in hand, at the Douaumont Ossuary. The purpose of the Centre is to be part of the determined, ongoing process that is necessary to defend and promote the cause of Peace.
5 p.m.: Guided tour of the Braquier factory (duration: 1 hour)
Did you know that Verdun is the sugared almond capital? The world-famous confectionery known as sugared almonds was invented in Verdun in 1220 by one of the town’s apothecaries who was looking for a way to make the almonds he sold easier to store and transport. Since 1871, the Maison Braquier has been perpetuating the age-old know-how involved in the small-scale manufacture of sugared almonds and this is a chance to tour the factory with a guide to see every stage of production. Visitors then see the museum and its extensive collection of archival material before going into the factory shop which sells all the company’s products.

The tour ends at approx. 6 p.m. Total distance: 25 kms. Total duration of tours: 7 hours.

Tariffs

based on a group of 40 people
Free: 2 (driver + courier).

This price includes :

- a guide,
- lunch,
- the above visits and tours and the cruise on the River Meuse.

Comments :

Validity: all year
The tourist products created by the Tourist Office are marketed by the PierrAline Voyages agency, which has been authorised by decision of the Prefect and licensed under No. LI-055-07-0001.