SuzChicago

We will be in Paris for a week next summer and both DH and I are history buffs. We are wondering if it is possible to get to a WWI battlefield site as a day trip from Paris. We'd be open to doing it on our own or taking a guided tour. We'd appreciate any insight on possibilities and logistics.

Ann1

Possible, yes. There are tours from Paris. You can also drive or take the train 2 hours there and back, but in one day you wouldn't be able to really see everything from Ste. Eglise to the War Memorial museum in Caen to each of the beaches to Arromanches. You would only get a brief visit.

If this is the only time you will have to ever see it, it's worth it. If you will return to the area sometime, it deserves more time. I wish every American could afford to go there at least once in their life. It's something every American should experience.

iris1745

Hi Suz; You can find all the cemeteries in Europe on this site. http://abmc.gov/ and just outside of Paris a WW1 cemetery. http://abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/su.php Richard

nfldbeothuk

I did a day trip to the Newfoundland Memorial Park site in 2007. It was an important part of my trip to Paris, but I was not looking for an American site (I'm Canadian), and the Somme, where I went, is quite accessible from Paris. The site (known as Beaumont-Hamel) is today one of the few WWI battlefields where the trenches remain, and the stages of the battle can be geographically visualized. For a history-lover, it was a terrific experience.

I took a train from the Gare du Nord to Amiens, then changed for the small town of Albert. It was quite simple, and the Canadian government has tour guides in the park. I had done some online research, and asked questions of some very helpful experts on here.

If you look over possible sites, I'm sure someone here probably has info on American battle sites in France, and could advise you on the practicality of a visit. Since large parts of northern France are WWI battlefield sites, you probably need to specify whether you indeed are looking for a site where Americans fought (that would obviously narrow the possibilities considerably).

Here's the thread where I posted my original question; it has some general info on WWI battlefields in France.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...from-paris.cfm

SuzChicago

Thanks so much to all of you for this info and links! Quite frankly, I don't feel the need for it to be an American site as the carnage was shared between all nationalities. The Beaumont- Hamel battlefield sounds incredible. I will also check out the Paris cemetery.

seafox

Rent a car and drive to Verdun for the day.

ParisAmsterdam

You probably realize this but there is an excellent museum at les Invalides with WWI
and WWII exhibits.

http://www.invalides.org/pages/nvx_2gm.html

You might also be interested in the Clemenceau Museum... we were there in June this year as I have been interested in 'le Tigre' for years but was always in Paris in August when the museum is closed...

http://musee-clemenceau.fr/en/index.html

It's small but I found it fascinating to be in the apartment where the man lived and it's been unchanged since the day he died. Evidently not that many others are interested as we were the only people there and the staff seemed genuinely pleased to have visitors.

Rob

avalon

Ypres might also be a good choice. The Flanders Fields Museum is exceptional and you can pick up a small bus tour from there. Staying for Last Post might make it too late getting back to Paris but it is a truly moving experience

avalon

The Beaumont-Hamel And The Canadian guides are excellent. The Celmenceau aas mentioned above is close to Trocadero and is small so it wouldn't cut into your Paris time that much

AnselmAdorne

A day trip to a Great War battlefield ... I think there are quite a few possibilities:

- As nfldbeothuk mentioned above, you can visit the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel by public transportation.

- Another poster here made a day trip to both Beaumont-Hamel and the Vimy Memorial by taking the train to Amiens and then renting a car for the day. You can read about it in Canada_V's 3:09 pm post on June 29, 2009:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...iting-vimy.cfm

- seafox suggests Verdun. As an alternative to renting a car in Paris and driving all the way to Verdun, you could take the TGV to Reims and rent a car there. It would be a long day, but you would see one of the bloodiest battlefields in France. You might also be able to see the American cemetery at Meuse-Argonne, which is profoundly moving. (Well, all Great War cemeteries are profoundly moving, but the one at Meuse-Argonne had a particular impact on me.)

In addition to the trip reports by nfldbeothuk and Canada_V, I wrote one about Verdun and another about the segment of the Western Front that ran southeastwards from Ypres down to the Somme. They might give you a sense of what you will see and feel, and both reports link to photos. You can read them here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ern-france.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-picardy.cfm

Anselm

pat

Just in case you are interested, Neflix has a video called The Hallowed Grounds, about this very subject. It was put out by PBS.

iris1745

Good suggestion Pat. Suz; You can watch The Hallowed Grounds on the Cemetery web site. Also includes other 'very' interesting videos. http://abmc.gov Richard

surfmom

I'm glad to see that Anselm posted. His trip reports are some of my favorites. I would have pointed you there, but he has already done so!

bigtyke

I visited an outdoor museum in Reims. All I remember now is the excellent presentation of life in the trenches.