citadelle souterraine

spacetourist

From outside Citadel is huge.Pay at office & board automated train inside complex past mannequins & voice over by guide.Unique must see experience.For all agesshows WW1 life.

Zebra_4456789

This tour is about 30 minutes long. You sit in an automated car that takes you through some of the tunnels, where the car stops and a presentation is made. You listen via an audio headset. The tour makes about six stops and you learn of the life inside the tunnels during WWI. I thought it was OK and felt the small museum could have more items on display. Allowing folks to walk through part of it with some additional displays would be nice and go a long way to showing how life was inside these tunnels. Photography is not allowed while on the tour. You have to buy a ticket for a specific time at the main desk inside the citadel. You may need to wait for 20 minutes before you scheduled tour.

Rock_Power2014

The Citadelle is a grim reminder of mans inhumanity to man... A well presented exhibit of the horrors of war... It's not comfortable and for the claustrophobic not recommended but I was moved to tears. A sobering experience that gung-ho types should see for themselves.

SarahG602

Despite a couple of poor reviews, we thought it to be very worth the money and not Disney-esque at all. We were the only two on the electric buggy with the dialogue being given in English. The whole experience was excellent. The final part where you see and hear explained how the choice of the unknown soldier was made is very interesting. On a negative note the toilets outside are pretty much to be desired, but maybe as they are outside the entrance they are more public conveniences rather than part of the Citadelle. Plenty of free parking outside.

VeganABZ

When we visited the Citadelle it wasn't very busy and I had seen some poor reviews but I thought this was quite good, you are taken around in an automatic car and subjected to some dramatised scenes projected onto screens and translated into your language through headphones. It is a different experience to the other forts etc in the near vicinity but we found it quite enjoyable.It is nice and cool inside which is a welcome break if its too hot outside, parking is available, otherwise its a 10 minute walk from the town centre.

DougSanDiego

Eight Euros for a thirty minute "amusement" ride. The automatic vehicle even shook when there was the sound of artillery which reminded me of being at Disneyland. Tacky and disrespectful. Don't waste your money. The contrast with the Battlefield sites could not have been more stark. Just go there and leave this site off of your list of places to visit.

harryh96

Lots of effort has gone into the tours. Very informative. Grimy toilets. Veryyy busy, we were faced with an hour and a half wait.

tecrob

The citadelle in verdun was definitely worth a visit especially in the centenary year of the first world war. There has obviously been a lot of work gone in to the exhibition where you are taken, by little car, through the story of those who went through those years in the fort. I did feel that the story was told in a rather sanitized way and did not do justice to the horrors of that time. The tour was available in English and other languages through headphones although the sound was very difficult to hear through the poor design and the volume of the French narration over the loud speakers. Considering the importance of the attraction and the amount of visitors the toilets were woefully inadequate with only two cubicles in a fairly rough state.I would still recommend this attraction as somewhere everyone should visit but it could still do better

halo2me

A fair interpretation of Verduns WWI History, however at times a little simplified without a chance to really explore and reflect in depth. The whole trip is in a moving cart which you have no control over, which means you go at the pace of the cart rather than your own pace. Some very moving aspects, particularly the piece about the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.

BlackpoolBrian

Its poor.We needed to book tickets for this 'ride' and return later in the day. We should have saved our money and time and done something.... anything else instead.Sorry Citadelle Souterraine.

JeepMom05

One of the most fascinating tours we've taken! Call by phone to get reservations in advance! Each tour only accommodates 9 people on a small, remotely operated tram car (like a Disneyland ride, but somber!) Also be sure to ask for a headset with translation, as the entire tour is in French. Unfortunately, the young woman who checked us in did not mention this or ask if we would like a headset, so we could only get the gist of what was being explained during the tour. Never-the-less, just going way back into the tunnels and seeing how people lived underground, both military and townspeople, was incredible. Warning: it stays a consistent 50-55'F and a bit damp inside, so by the end of the tour we were quite chilly, as were dressed for the 85-90'F outside. Would go back to show this amazing place and its history to family!

22alessandrar

I wonder how the French authorities could give permission to turn a historical site into a cheap and embarrassing fairground. How could they disrespect the memory of those who fought and died for liberty with such a distorted and ridiculous version of WWI? How could they spoil such a beautiful site and make permanent damage in order to please idiotic tourists? I could not believe it. If I had wanted to go to Disneyland I wouldn't have come to Verdun. Don t go there, save your money and time and visit the forts and the battlefields just outside Verdun if you really want to experience and understand the events of WWI.

AliceP297

Certainly brilliant if you have children, though a great place to visit even if you don't. The ride-through brings to life as many aspects of WWI life as is possible. While it only takes about 30 minutes, it gives a feel for what the soldiers at the time must have experienced (without the terrible smells). Very sobering and the last walk-through area allows a small viewing of what the underground tunnels were really like. Would recommend

Chronosus

This place truly is historic, serving as command center during battle of Verdun. But for itself it isn't that interesting, mostly large empty halls.... So they decided to make a ride out of it. Holograms are cool even if they're not that impressive, english narration is hard to understand and the story it's trying to sell is over dramatic but dull. It doesn't really tell you anything about real life and problems, or any facts. In other words, you get absolutely nothing from it.If you want to see something impressive and learn something in the process go to Fort Douamont and Memorial of Verdun. Avoid this at all costs... btw, it's REALLY cold in there.

dominiquel611

La Citadelle, I am still "dreaming" about my visit, it is an absolute must to go and take the tour, you will see how the "poilus" were dealing, living, you just came out a different person