The Meuse is one of the 10 departments of the new Grand Est region. I must admit that I had never really been to this part of France, so, as always, I was very enthusiastic about the idea of visiting a region I didn’t know very well.
The department takes its name from the mischievous river that meanders through it from south to north, acting in a way as its backbone. For your information, the Meuse is one of the largest rivers in Europe, stretching over 950 km long. It crosses France, but also Belgium and the Netherlands, before flowing into the North Sea.
This corner of France is located in the heart of the former Lorraine region, which maintains a very strong identity within the territory, based on what I saw and understood while there. The Meuse is also a rural and agricultural department with fields as far as the eye can see, stretching out lengthwise from north to south.
Another important point, which can be found everywhere in the Meuse, is that it is a department that suffered greatly during the First World War, also known as the Great War, particularly with the Battle of Verdun (which I discuss further down in the article). One must remember that the entire Meuse region was on the front line at that time, which makes it a martyred and disfigured department.
In fact, the Meuse today possesses the richest “Great War” heritage in the world, with a strong historical, archaeological, and memorial legacy.
As you will see, it is also a very foodie-focused department with wonderful locally made products and very interesting, often ancient, know-how. I am thinking in particular of the Mirabelle plum, which is truly the Queen of Lorraine. You will find it mixed into just about every product in the department—it’s really impressive! It is undeniably the iconic fruit of Lorraine.
Regarding gastronomy, it is also a territory that experienced a rich industrial past in the brewing industry in the mid-19th century. Today, the Meuse boasts 6 microbreweries, a beer museum, and also an Ipoustéguy Center. Furthermore, the Meuse also produces wine in a region called the Côtes de Meuse.
Below you will find a map with our itinerary for visiting the Meuse department if you would like to potentially follow the same one as us.
Practical Information For our part, we chose to travel by car from Paris Travel time from Paris: approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes Meuse Tourism 28 Rue des Romains 55000 Bar-Le-Duc
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Step 1: Bar-le-Duc and the Barrois
The first step of our journey to visit the Meuse led us to the pretty town of Bar-Le-Duc, located in the heart of the Champagne Lorraine. It is also the prefecture of the Meuse department and the former capital of the Duchy of Lorraine.
The town developed in the mid-10th century when Duke Frédéric of Ardennes had a fortified castle built on a rocky spur overlooking the Ornain Valley. This element would give rise to what is known as the “Ville Haute” (Upper Town) district in the 12th century. Today, this area of the city retains many testimonies of Renaissance architecture. You can admire the beautiful constructions made of Savonnières stone, used in traditional buildings but also in the beautiful Renaissance residences of Bar-le-Duc.
The city later experienced significant growth in the 16th and 17th centuries, growing from 3,000 to 10,000 inhabitants during a period of prosperity and peace.
During your walk in the Upper Town, I particularly recommend visiting the Saint-Etienne Church, a Gothic-style building that houses an impressive sculpture, the Transi or Skeleton, a masterpiece by Ligier Richier (a great Lorraine artist of the Renaissance) which represents a cadaver.
Later, the Lower Town would develop in turn, around the Notre-Dame district and the Saulx river.
The tip: To guide you in discovering the city, you can follow the two walking paths (1 hour or 2 hours) created by the city of Bar-Le-Duc through explanatory panels scattered throughout the city. A map proposing these paths is also available for free at the Tourist Office.
More info: Bar-Le-Duc Tourist Office 7 Rue Jeanne d’Arc 55000 Bar-Le-Duc Guided tour of the city with Karine Péridon, tour guide The tip: the free app "Bar-le-Duc, cité Renaissance" to follow a walk in the historical part of the city
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Visit Maison Dutriez – À la Lorraine
In Champagne Lorraine, the redcurrant is an important institution! Maison Dutriez perpetuates an ancestral manufacturing method for goose-feather-seeded redcurrant jam, and this technique has not changed since the beginning of the 14th century. The nickname for this product, made exclusively in Bar-le-Duc, is none other than the “Bar Caviar”!
Whether the redcurrants are red or white, they are seeded by hand using a goose feather (it is very impressive to see). This technique consists of removing the seeds while preserving the flesh of the fruit, which is then placed in boiling sugar syrup. It therefore requires a lot of skill to perform this gesture perfectly while being quick.
Maison Dutriez has existed since 1879, and it was bought by the family business A La Lorraine in 1974. Today, you can visit the boutique to buy their products made according to the rules of art, obviously, but also to attend individual or group guided tours (by reservation) to discover all the secrets of making “Bar Caviar”.
Price for 3-jam gift box, red, white, and rosé + 1 candle: 55 €
At Dutriez, Company A la Lorraine 32 Rue de l’étoile 55000 Bar-Le-Duc open from Monday to Friday from 9:30 AM to 12 PM and from 2 PM to 6:30 PM / Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM and from 2 PM to 5 PM For guided tours (film + demonstration + tasting) call the Meuse Grand Sud Tourist Office at 03 29 79 11 13 (5 €/person) Duration: approximately 30 minutes Free parking provided in the courtyard
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Where to have lunch in Bar-le-Duc? Restaurant Côté Cépages
This restaurant with generous cuisine is also a wine cellar (with about 500 references of wines, champagne, and spirits), a wine bar, and a delicatessen. Our lunch there went very well, but I was not thrilled with the dessert, however…
I also regretted that there was no local wine to taste by the glass during the meal (between €4.50 and €7.90 for the other wine-by-the-glass options), which I found truly unfortunate.
Restaurant Côté Cépages 18 Rue Bar la ville 55000 Bar-Le-Duc Prices: menu from 14 € / Côté Cépages menu at 34 € The tip: on the chalkboard, starter + main + dessert at 22 € / starter + main or main + dessert or starter + dessert at 18 €
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Visit the Barrois Museum
This museum is housed in the former castle of the Dukes of Bar and Lorraine dating from the 16th century, which already gives it interest, if only for the setting that houses these beautiful collections.
Around the museum, one can also enjoy a very beautiful environment with the museum’s French-style garden, which has beautiful boxwood beds as well as yew trees and a very beautiful fountain called “The Nymph of the Café des Oiseaux”.
The museum’s collections are very varied and also reflect local history and heritage: weapons, paintings (very beautiful 19th-century paintings), sculptures (beautiful collection of Lorraine sculptures), and an evocation of a cabinet of curiosities surrounding extra-European ethnographic objects. The archaeological section also brings together collections from the ancient site of Nasium (Naix-aux-Forges) and the Barrois region.
The Barrois Museum also had the good fortune to benefit from a very large number of state deposits since the 19th century, which complement its collections.
My advice: in front of the museum, you can discover the Belvédère des Grangettes which will allow you to have a beautiful panorama over the city.
Barrois Museum Esplanade du Château Bar-le-Duc open from Wednesday to Sunday from 2 PM to 6 PM July-August open every day from 2 PM to 6 PM Prices: 4 € / free for under-18s, job seekers, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month
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Where to stay in the surroundings of Bar-le-Duc? Gîte Côté Green
This high-end gîte is located at the golf course (18 holes) of Combles-en-Barrois, which is about a 10-minute drive from Bar-le-Duc. And it is run by a truly charming couple. It is also located in a 16th-century castle that was completely renovated very recently by the owners.
The gîte offers 6 rooms in total with a total capacity of 15 people, and each one pays tribute to a city or country with a major golf course somewhere in the world. Our room was called Spérone, in tribute to the famous 80-hectare golf course located in the municipality of Bonifacio in Corsica.
We really loved this very nice place, especially since we were lucky enough to be alone during our stay at the gîte, and we really enjoyed it!
To eat in the evening, there is absolutely everything on-site to prepare something or to reheat meals. Indeed, the gîte has an equipped kitchen accessible to guests with a coffee machine, kettle with teas and herbal teas, fridge, stove, oven, microwave…
For our part, we had a small gourmet meal basket filled with some specialties from the region: Lorraine pâtés and Lorraine quiches, Perlé de Cerise sour cherry wine for the aperitif, cakes from a local bakery…
The perks: a great wellness area with gym equipment, a sauna, and a jacuzzi (which we enjoyed a lot!) all accessible for free to gîte guests.
Gîte Côté Green 36 Rue Basse 55000 Combles-en-Barrois Prices: from 100 € per night for 2 people / 560 € per week
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Step 2: Commercy / Saint-Mihiel / Côtes de Meuse
During this 2nd stage of the stay, we headed further east of the department towards the Commercy region and then we went back up a bit to the north to arrive in what is called the Heart of Lorraine.
This was also the opportunity to take an excursion into the Côtes de Meuse that I was telling you about in the introduction, with its landscapes of orchards and vineyards at the foot of the hills, punctuated by small, typical villages.
Practical Information: from Gîte Côté Green (Combles-en-Barrois), count about 45 minutes by car to get to Commercy.
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The Boîte à Madeleines in Commercy
This family factory that has existed for 18 years specializes in the production of madeleines. Everything is sold and made on site. The madeleines are made every day without flavorings or preservatives and from noble products. For the story, Commercy is actually the place of origin of this cake because they say it was invented at the end of the 18th century by a chambermaid named Madeleine who worked at the castle of Commercy.
Once produced, the madeleines keep for about 4 weeks. We find this flagship product in several forms: classic madeleine, filled with a Mirabelle plum (obviously), covered with chocolate, with sugar grains…
On-site, there is also a delicatessen that sells local products if you want to do some shopping, and a tasting lounge where you can sit down to drink a hot drink accompanied by a delicious madeleine. Those fresh out of the oven are obviously my favorites, so soft!
The venue finally offers tours where one can witness behind a glass window the different stages of madeleine production: from the batter to the packaging. It is really interesting, and if you are passing by at the right time, I highly recommend following the tour; you will not regret it.
La Boite à Madeleines ZAE La Louvière 55200 Commercy Open 7/7 all year from 8 AM to 12 PM and from 2 PM to 7 PM Free tour of production every day from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM except Monday and Sunday morning 4.60 € for the 30-minute tour + tasting of 2 madeleines and a hot drink
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Visit the House of Truffles and Trufficulture
This place is particularly exciting if you want to learn more about truffles and their cultivation through the art of trufficulture (truffle farming). In a former Lorraine farm, one can discover on 450 m2 an exhibition that proposes a journey into the world of the truffle.
Indeed, you should know that in the Meuse, there are about 200 truffle growers who “cave” (a technical term that means “dig up”) 2 tons of truffles per year, mainly autumn truffles, a treasure of Lorraine.
In addition to this, this house regularly offers group guided tours of the house but also of the experimental truffle farm located right next door, accompanied by Django, the truffle dog. It’s the opportunity to discover the symbiosis that unites trees and truffles, but also to understand the annual cycle of the truffle or even some truffle selection criteria: “canifé” truffle (knife cut to see the inside), firmness of the truffle to the touch, the scent…
This 7-hectare truffle farm belongs to the municipality of Boncourt-sur-Meuse and it was planted in 1989 by a private individual. Today, the truffle farm is mainly composed of hazel trees, even if it is currently recommended to mix the diversity of trees as much as possible because it is visibly very beneficial for the development of truffles. Nowadays, natural sites are quite rare because they are also disappearing due to non-professional digging.
The truffle farm also works in close collaboration with the INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) with whom it does a lot of experimentation.
The little extra: the place offers a truffle market every Saturday morning from October to December from 10 AM to 12 PM (price of truffles at the time of our visit: 500 € per kilo in mid-November, whereas they sell for around 350 € to 1500 € per kilo depending on the time of the year); during the harvest season, meals based on truffles are also organized (39 € per person).
Some truffle preparation tips:
- It is possible to freeze a truffle purchased in a glass jar (for a maximum of 1 year)
- The truffle goes well with simple dishes and must be mixed with a fatty substance
Maison des truffes et de la trufficulture Rue du 1er septembre 1944, 55200 Boncourt-Sur-Meuse Open from May to June and from September to Christmas on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 PM to 6 PM Open in July and August every day except Monday The tip: free visit to the exhibition space + movie screening
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Where to eat? Hôtel-Restaurant du Lac de Madine
This 3-star hotel is located in the heart of the Lorraine Regional Natural Park and next to Lac de Madine, which is the largest lake in Lorraine. It also offers a restaurant in a chic and cozy setting with traditional seasonal cuisine enhanced with local products.
To taste: as a starter, the fricassee of porcini mushrooms from our forests (13 €); as a vegetarian dish, goat cheese ravioli with truffles (22 €), or on the meat side, the guinea fowl fillet with Meuse truffles (28 €); for dessert, you absolutely must taste the house specialty, the frozen Mirabelle soufflé (8 €) which is presented whole before a slice is cut for you.
This was also the opportunity to taste some Meuse wines (possibility to have wines by the glass), in particular from Domaine de Coustille.
Hôtel-Restaurant du Lac de Madine 22 Rue Charles de Gaulle 55210 Heudicourt-sous-les-Côtes Escapade menu at 34 € with starter + main + dessert The tip: lunch formula from Tuesday to Friday at 17 € with 1 Dish of the Day + 1 glass of Wine or 1/2 mineral water + 1 coffee
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Where to buy Meuse wine? GAEC de l’Aumonière
Here is a small address to buy directly from the winegrower, Mr. Blanpied, some local productions. The local wines are Pays des Côtes de Meuse wines with a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) on part of the Meuse department, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of a trip to the region to discover them.
This small producer owns 5.5 hectares of vineyards, with mainly a grape variety typical of the region, Auxerrois, as well as Pinot Gris.
To buy: a bottle of crémant (traditional method) (6 €); a bottle of Auxerrois white (5 €); a bottle of Mirabelle liqueur (12 €).
GAEC de l'Aumonière
11 Rue Arnay Leduc 55210 Viéville-sous-les-Côtes
Tasting and direct sale every day except Tuesday (I advise you to call before to make sure it's open) / Sale only on site
Tel: 03 29 89 38 67 / 06 89 65 92 08_
Where to buy local Meuse products? Jardin de Lorraine
This cooperative shop offers, about a 20-minute drive from Saint-Mihiel, a nice selection of local products from the Côtes de Meuse with no less than forty producers represented. It’s the perfect address to bring back some gourmet souvenirs from your stay in the Meuse.
I recommend that you especially take a look at the beers, because the Meuse has been a land of brewing for a long time.
Jardin de Lorraine 32 Rue de la Mirabelle 55210 Billy-sous-les-Côtes Open every day from July 15 to September 15 and from December 1 to 24 and closed on Thursdays and Sundays the rest of the year
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Chocolaterie Sereivan’s
This chocolate factory, which now has about thirty employees, opened its doors in April 2019 in Saint-Mihiel, following the success of the Mageot bakery, which makes the Rochers and Croquets of Saint-Mihiel and belongs to the same owners.
Furthermore, if you are passing through the area, the town of Saint-Mihiel is also nicknamed “The Little Florence of Lorraine” and is apparently worth a detour for its architecture and for the Renaissance works by the sculptor Ligier Richier that it houses.
At the chocolate factory, everything is homemade in an artisanal way, and the coffee is even roasted on site. All colorings are natural, and the establishment also manufactures its own praline for the chocolates (yum, yum). It is therefore a great gourmet stop if you want to buy some treats.
For sale at the boutique: biscuits, chocolates, candies, marshmallows, praline, coffee…
The place is also a tea room and coffee shop, and one can just sit at one of the establishment’s tables to enjoy a hot drink and some delicacies.
The tip: One can attend free demonstrations of candy making or other things every day the shop is open at 4:30 PM (it’s quite impressive to see and also very interesting).
Chocolaterie Sereivan’s
9 Place Jacques Bailleux 55300 Saint-Mihiel
Open from Wednesday to Sunday from 9 AM to 12:30 PM and from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Prices: hot chocolate on-site 2 € / coffee between 1.50 € and 2 € / latte 2.20 €_
Where to stay? Le Château des Monthairons
This 4-star hotel is housed in a magnificent castle built in the mid-19th century and belongs today to the Thouvenin and Pierrat family. It is surrounded by a superb 17-hectare park, planted with trees of numerous varieties and bordered by a meander of the Meuse on the east side of the property. It is a true haven of peace where it is pleasant to walk in any season!
The history of the castle itself is quite interesting, since it was built on the site of the former seigneurial residence of the De La Cour family, who had owned this land since 1685. In 1902, the castle and park were sold to Monsieur Le Baron de Chadenet, ennobled by Napoleon III for having strongly supported him.
Subsequently, it was in 1985 that the Thouvenin family bought the castle to turn it into a charming hotel of character in order to magnify its beautiful stones laden with history.
Our Room No. 24
I liked this room located in one of the corners of the castle with its small turrets and its beautiful view of the park (a rather pleasant view in the morning upon waking up). In total, the Château des Monthairons offers 25 rooms, including 5 duplexes and 2 apartments.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served buffet-style on the ground floor of the castle with good homemade products.
The hotel restaurant
We started our evening on-site by having a small aperitif in the castle’s library. On the menu: the house cocktail with Mirabelle plum cream (what else!?) and dry white wine from the Meuse (8 €).
We continued with a romantic dinner in the beautiful dining room of the restaurant. We chose the “Meuse la vallée” menu at 65 € which proposes mainly local products and specialties.
We accompanied it with the “wine by the glass” package for 20 € per person, which proposes to accompany the meal with three glasses of wines from the region. We just regretted that two of the glasses of red wine were actually the same, which I found unfortunate. It would have been interesting to taste two different red wines in my opinion.
Dishes: plate of 2 Château duck foie gras; duck fillet with Mirabelle plum verjuice; fresh goat cheese from Vaux-les-Plameix; Brie de Meuse; frozen parfait with Verdun sugared almonds and quenelle of chocolate mousse.
Wines tasted: Pinot Gris late harvest D. Montgrignon; Pinot Noir from the Côtes de Meuse Domaine de Muzy Liénard.
For info, the flavor menu at 49 € also proposes dishes that use products from the Meuse (such as the Charmois beer or the Brie de Meuse). We also took this menu as a second choice, in order to taste as many different things as possible. We always try to have different dishes at the restaurant with the favorite photographer because we are extremely curious by nature (and luckily we like to share our dishes).
The Spa Area
An undeniable plus of the hotel! This spa was personalized with ceramic works by a Meuse artist from the Atelier Pier’art, mixing Art Nouveau of the Nancy School and Raku, a technique of coloring pieces while preserving the raw and mineral character of the clay.
This nature and spa space has at the entrance an area with lockers for storing your things, a shower, and a restroom, as well as a sauna and a jacuzzi (where we spent quite a bit of time).
Château des Monthairons 26 Route de Verdun 55320 Les Monthairons In high season: hotel open every day from Easter to mid-November, restaurant closed on Monday and Tuesday for lunch In low season: hotel and restaurant open from mid-November to Easter and closed from Sunday evening to Tuesday noon inclusive Room rates: from 115 € for 2 people Discovery Package with dinner + bottle of Champagne + 1 night from 375 € on weekends and 310 € on weekdays The tip: discount on room rates in low season (-25% on weekdays and -15% on weekends)
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Step 3: Verdun
We went to Verdun for the final stage of this getaway to visit the Meuse, directly leaving from the Château des Monthairons, and for your information, it takes about 20 minutes by car to get there.
Verdun is the sub-prefecture of the department, even though it is actually the most populous city in the Meuse, and for your information, the city only became French in 1552. Before the Great War, Verdun was also said to be the city of 40 bell towers (which is obviously no longer the case today).
Verdun is obviously sadly famous since the famous battle of 1916 which lasted 300 days (from February to December 1916), killed more than 500,000 people, and saw more than 60 million shells fall upon it… Figures that make one shudder…
Furthermore, this battle, where Europeans, Africans, and Americans fought in the Meuse, is considered the mother of all major battles of the 20th century.
We did not necessarily take a tour of the city focused on this dark period of history, but I think that, like what I did in 2018 in Normandy around the Second World War landings, I would love to return to Verdun to do tours more focused on this theme.
It should also be noted that Verdun has many other unknown historical aspects to discover, such as the majestic Notre-Dame Cathedral which dates from the 10th century and is built on the model of the great Rhenish basilicas. Do not hesitate to also discover its 14th and 15th-century cloister and its Romanesque-style crypt.
Another interesting monument: the 17th-century underground Citadel built by Vauban. The latter was also reused by the French army during the Great War.
Finally, I also really liked the beautiful Tour de la Chaussée from the 13th century (see photos below), which allows us to enter the city by crossing Verdun’s main bridge.
In the end, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Verdun was also a city where it is very pleasant to stroll along the river, along the Quai de Londres, or in the small alleys of the old town.
I also advise you to take a tour in the Rue Mazel, the main shopping street of the city, and to climb the 73 steps of the Victory monument to discover the crypt housing the guestbooks of the Verdun combatants.
Grand Verdun Tourist Office Place de la Nation 55100 Verdun
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Where to eat in Verdun? Restaurant Chez Mamie
This nice restaurant located in Verdun is a good address where one eats just like at grandma’s (as the name suggests), to rediscover the pleasure of flavors from yesteryear.
To taste: the series of shell pasta with every sauce, extremely nostalgic for the address (between 10 € and 14.50 €); as a main dish, the homemade French veal paupiettes with local Blue Feet mushrooms left me with a very good memory; for dessert, the Paris Verdun (7.50 €) was rather nice, but I advise you to share it.
Restaurant Chez Mamie
59 avenue de la 42ème Division 55100 Verdun
Prices: formula starter + main or main + dessert at 22.50 € / menu at 26.50 € with starter + main + cheese + dessert_
Visit the Dragées Braquier Factory
The Dragées Braquier factory has been manufacturing the city’s specialty since 1783 and perpetuates its artisanal production even today. By going there, you can discover the factory shop that sells the brand’s sugared almond productions. But the factory also proposes other sweets such as the Obus Braquier (quite impressive to see exploding on video during the factory tour), Choc’Amandes, Léontines…
The origin of sugared almonds really comes from the city of Verdun, since it was an apothecary of the city who created in 1220 this candy, which is the oldest in France, while looking for a way to facilitate the preservation and transport of almonds. Initially, the almond was sought after above all for its curative and digestive properties and also because, at the time, they said it promoted fertility. It is for all these reasons that it finds its place on French tables at all family events, and particularly at weddings.
Finally, and it is a rather important point of this short presentation, one can discover the manufacturing processes and the workshops of the factory through a free and independent tour with an audio-guide. And then to finish, one can obviously do some shopping in the factory store that I was telling you about just above, which concludes the route.
Dragées Braquier
50 rue du Fort de Vaux 55100 Verdun
The tip: factory tours free with audio-guide from Monday to Sunday from 9 AM to 12 PM and from 2 PM to 7 PM_
Thanks to the Meuse department, to Meuse Tourism, Bar-le-Duc, Saint-Mihiel Coeur de Lorraine, Grand Verdun and Dieue-sur-Meuse Val-de-Meuse for this invitation to visit their department.
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to visit the Meuse, and if you also have your own good addresses and tips for this destination, do not hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Find all my articles on the Grand-Est region below:
⇒ All my articles on the Grand-Est
MY ARTICLES ON THE GRAND EST
⇒ The Aube
⇒ The Meuse
⇒ The Marne
⇒ The Haute-Marne
⇒ The Moselle
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
