Compiègne Your trip planner
All the vital statistics and further info
Way to go We used DFDS Seaways (https://ferry. dfdsseaways.co.uk) Calais. For car, caravan between and two Dover people and on ferries leaving 10am-1pm and travelling in October, the cost was around £370. Priority Boarding is £10 per vehicle and
the We Premier used both Lounge and enjoyed is £12 per the person. peace of
the Premier Lounge. Restaurants and Duty Free on these vessels are huge, so
the 90-minute journey seems to pass in a flash. Back on land, we followed the
A26 and A1. Tolls were involved. When to go Autumn is a beautiful time to visit France, with the trees taking on their golden
colours, but do check your campsite is open – many close at the end of October.
The Armistice Museum is open from
March to December. Château Pierrefonds is open all year, but check the website
to avoid closures for restoration work. Palais de Compiègne is open all year, but closes on Tuesdays! Food and drink n Le Bistrot Des Arts
Address 35 Cours Guynemer,
60200 Compiègne, France
Tel +33 3 44 20 10 10
This popular restaurant faces the river.
Try the three-course set menu, ¤20 n L’embarcadère
Chaussée Deflubé, 60350 Pierrefonds Tel +33 9 52 80 12 26
A lakeside brasserie with great views, open March to November
Find out more n Route Armistice de Soissons, Museum 60200 Compiègne
Tel +33 3 44 85 14 18
Web www.musee-armistice-14-18.fr
Open Daily, 10am-6pm
Deals with both World Wars, but images
of WWI deliver the true horror of conflict
n Palais de Compiègne Place du Général de Gaulle,
60200 Compiègne, France
Tel +33 3 44 38 47 00
Web www.palaisdecompiegne.fr
Three museums occupy this imperial palace.
The gardens are vast, but worth a look, and
there is a tearoom. Do note the palace and tearoom are closed on Tuesdays.
n Château Pierrefonds
Rue Viollet-le-duc, 60350 Pierrefonds
Tel +33 3 44 42 72 72
Web www.chateau-pierrefonds.fr
This stunning building (that looks as though
it should really be in the Loire Valley) is
packed with fascinating details wherever you turn – crocodile storm drains, anyone?
– and monumental sculpture
n Thiepval Visitor Centre,
Museum and Memorial
8 Rue de l’ancre, 80300 Thiepval
Tel +33 (0) 3 22 74 60 47
Web www.historial.org
Open Daily 9.30am to 6pm from 1 March to 31 October (9.30am to 5pm for the rest of the year). Closed mid-december to
mid-january. Free admission to visitor centre and memorial (all year). Museum entry is ¤6 for adults, ¤3 for children
n The National Archives: First World War Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU
Tel 020 8876 3444
Web www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ first-world-war n Imperial War Museum
Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ
Tel 020 7416 5000
Web www.iwm.org.uk/history/5-things-youneed-to-know-about-the-first-world-war n First World War Centenary Web www.1914.org Our outfit Claudia towed our Coachman VIP 570 (below) with our Volvo V90 Cross Country Where we stayed n Camping Les Araucarias 870 Rue du Général Leclerc
60170 Carlepont
Tel +03 44 75 27 39
Web http://camping-les-araucarias.com
Open 1 April-31 October
Charges (pitch+2+hook-up) ¤16
This two-star site is located 20 minutes
north-east of the Glade of the Armistice, 30 minutes from Compiègne, 1.5 hours
from the centre of Paris, 45 minutes from Parc Astérix, and 85km from Disneyland. So there’s plenty in the area for the
whole family. There are also walking and cycling trails in the nearby forests.
The site is set in a former woodland
nursery, which included araucarias – an evergreen conifer that originated
in Chile and from which the site takes
its name – redwoods and larch, so there’s plenty of shade. Some of the pitches are a little small and are sloping, so levelling ramps are
required. You will also need a hook-up adaptor for the 2-pin mains hook-up. The washblock facilities are clean, but basic
– you’ll need your own toilet roll, soap and towel – but there is
a laundry. And for the children, there’s a playground.
You can
order fresh bread for the next
morning, or stroll to
the nearest boulangerie (15 minutes away). PC