Chemin de Fer Historique de la Voie Sacrée
Steam tourist train “La Suzanne” in Bar-le-Duc, on the Voie Sacrée, with an exhibition in an Adrian hut at the terminus.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The locomotive “La Suzanne” is a small steam engine delivered in 1890 to the Revigny-sur-Ornain depot and put into service in 1891 on the Meuse’s metre-gauge network, nicknamed the Varinot. Requisitioned from 1914 to supply the front, it escaped destruction when the network was dismantled in 1936. After a stay in the Baie de Somme, it was brought back to Bar-le-Duc in 1981.
A job-integration project launched in 1991–1992 restored it over roughly sixteen years. It was listed as a historic monument in 1992 and inaugurated in its 1890 livery on November 5, 2008. The Chemin de Fer Historique de la Voie Sacrée association, founded in 2009 and run by volunteers, has reinstalled a metre-gauge track on 4.2 km of the former route, through the Massonges forest.
The line has been in operation since July 2022. The train leaves from the foot of the Fédération district in Bar-le-Duc, crosses gorges, a wetland and forest, and reaches its terminus at Saint-Christophe, where an Adrian hut evokes the Great War. Volunteers welcome visitors in costumes from 1900 and comment on the journey.
Highlights
- “La Suzanne” steam locomotive, listed as a historic monument
- 8.4 km round-trip train ride (about 1 hour 30 minutes)
- Adrian hut with an exhibition at the terminus
- Volunteers in costumes from 1900
- Vélorail in summer
Permanent exhibition
- Exposition dans la baraque Adrian – At the end of the line, a reconstructed Adrian hut evoking the Great War houses an exhibition.
- Operated by
- Association Chemin de Fer Historique de la Voie Sacrée (CFHVS)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €13 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €8Free for ages 0 to 4; €8 for ages 4 to 14 (age limits as published by the association). |
| Families | €35Family ticket: 2 adults and 2 children aged 4 to 14. |
| Vélorail for 5 people (4 adults maximum), single rate | €12On Wednesdays in July and August. |
Tickets are available online, from the tourist office, or on site on Sundays, subject to availability. Card payment is accepted on site. Visitors presenting a ticket from the partner sites Connaissance de la Meuse or Les Vieux Métiers d’Azannes pay €10 instead of €13.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The station and the train are accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €35 · Family ticket: 2 adults and 2 children aged 4 to 14. |
A train ride for the whole family, with a family ticket. Five-seat vélorail for families or groups of friends (at least one adult per vélorail).
Getting there & parking
By car
Free parking
Free, secure parking at the station.
The station of the Chemin de Fer Historique de la Voie Sacrée is at 29, chemin du Varinot, in Bar-le-Duc. Bar-le-Duc is 30 minutes from Saint-Dizier, 50 minutes from Verdun and 1 hour 30 minutes from Paris by TGV.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Snack bar and souvenir shop at the station. The website pages do not mention Wi-Fi.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Photography | Photography is permitted. |
| Good to know | On-board commentary by volunteer guides on the history of the Meuse and of the First World War. Animals are admitted on board and must be kept on a leash. Please do not wear synthetic-fiber clothing on the train. |
