Armistice Day at the Chemin des Dames: a day of remembrance I have planned for you, from the Dragon's Cave to the chaplains' stories

At a glance

Scroll sideways →

The memorial walk: the chaplains' stories

For what the organiser calls the 108th anniversary of the Armistice, the Caverne du Dragon devotes its 11 November walk to a rarely told figure of the Great War: the military chaplain. The title of the tour is a quotation: "La main de l'Éternel serait-elle trop courte ?" ("Is the Lord's hand too short?").

The museum recalls that every army of 1914-1918 called on chaplains, "soldiers without weapons, officers without troops". They were Protestant ministers, rabbis and Catholic priests, and they stayed with the soldiers until their very last moments. The guided tour invites you to walk in their footsteps, on this major site of remembrance.

This angle touched me. We know the generals, we know the ordinary soldiers; the men who held the hands of the dying are spoken of far less.

What has been announced:

• When? Wednesday 11 November 2026 at 13:30.
• Where? Meeting point at the Caverne du Dragon, then by private car between the sites.
• How long? 2 hours.
• How much? €9 per adult, free for under-7s. The official price list states that the Chemin des Dames themed-tour rate applies from age 7.
• How to book? By phone on +33 3 23 25 14 18 or by email at caverne@aisne.fr.

The organiser has not published the exact route or the sites visited.

Add to calendar

The Caverne du Dragon on 11 November

Worth knowing, especially if you are travelling from afar: the museum's price list announces free tours on the remembrance days of 16 April and 11 November. On other days, the guided tour costs €10 (€6 or €2 at reduced rates, subject to conditions).

• Opening hours: from 1 April to 15 November 2026, the visitor centre is open from 10:00 to 18:00. It is closed on Mondays; 11 November 2026 falls on a Wednesday.
• The tour: guided only, 1 hour 15 minutes, groups of up to 49 people, 14 metres underground. The museum announces departures every 30 to 45 minutes between 10:00 and 16:30; the day's slots are on the online ticket office, and booking is recommended.
• If you don't speak French: an audioguide is included in the guided tour ticket, and the tour is still led by a guide. Check the available languages with the reception desk (+33 3 23 25 14 18).
• On site: free parking, toilets (3 of them accessible), a wheelchair lent free of charge and blankets for the descent, subject to availability. Pushchairs can go through the tunnels.
• Animals: not allowed in the visitor centre or the cave, except assistance dogs.

A practical tip: bring a jumper, even if you think you will not need it. It is 12 °C inside the cave, and blankets are lent subject to availability.

All the practical details are also on the Caverne du Dragon page.

Planning your day on the Chemin des Dames

The day can be organised simply: the free cave tour in the morning, the walk in the afternoon.

• Morning: tour of the Caverne du Dragon (1 hour 15 minutes); book a slot that leaves you time for lunch before 13:30.
• Midday: the museum says you may picnic on the lawns around the visitor centre, respecting the site, and that the Chemin des Dames has many picnic areas.
• 13:30: the memorial walk sets off.
• Late afternoon: the Abbaye de Vauclair, open free of charge from sunrise to sunset.

The Pays de Laon tourist office (page updated on 13/10/2026) suggests four stops for a half-day by car along this ridge of some thirty kilometres: the Caverne du Dragon, the Plateau de Californie and its observation tower near Craonne, Vieux Craonne and its arboretum, and the Abbaye de Vauclair. It also notes that the Pavillon de Vauclair stays open for the occasion before closing for the season on the evening of 11 November. The Pavillon's hours for that day have not been published: ask the Communauté de communes du Chemin des Dames on +33 3 23 22 69 72.

If you are looking for an ancestor: the Chemin des Dames virtual memorial, created by the Aisne Department with the support of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Volksbund (the British and German bodies in charge of war graves), lets you search online for a soldier of any nationality who fell on the Chemin des Dames.

A little further on, towards Soissons, the Fort de Condé has its last day of the season on 11 November: open from 9:30 to 17:30, €7 per adult, €5 for ages 8 to 17, free for under-8s and for holders of the French veteran's card (carte du combattant), according to the fort's website. Pets are welcome.

Ceremonies and other Remembrance events in the Aisne

11 November is the day of "commemoration of victory and peace, anniversary of the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and tribute to all those who died for France", recalls the Aisne prefecture. A ministerial message is read out at the ceremonies. The prefecture and the four sub-prefectures will be closed all day.

Ceremonies take place at each town's war memorial. Times vary from one village to the next: the town hall (mairie) has the final word.

• Soissons: the town announces a ceremony at the cemetery at 10:15, then a procession on foot with young athletes to place Fernand-Marquigny, where the ceremony continues at 11:00, before the Monument des Anglais. Open to all. Information: +33 3 23 74 37 87.
• Saint-Quentin: guided tour of the French national cemetery and the German cemetery, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023, at 14:30. €6, €3 reduced, free for under-18s. Tickets from the tourist office: +33 3 23 67 05 00.
• Laon: "Dans les pas de Suzanne Noël" (in the footsteps of Suzanne Noël), a free walk from the cathedral square that ends at the Saint-Just cemetery. Event page. No official source has published the start time yet.
• Craonne and the Chemin des Dames villages: the 2026 programme of local ceremonies has not been published online yet: each town hall gives the time.

In the days before, the Aisne Department holds the first "Grands Jours de la Mémoire" from 3 to 11 November 2026, around its World Heritage sites. On the Chemin des Dames, two free events on Saturday 7 November:

• 10:30, Cerny-en-Laonnois: the memorial chapel presented by local historian Guy Marival, then the French and German cemeteries with a Caverne du Dragon guide. 1 hour 30 minutes, booking recommended on +33 3 23 25 14 18. Event page.
• 14:00, Cote 108 at Berry-au-Bac: tour of the mine crater, meeting at the Caverne du Dragon then by private car, booking required on +33 3 23 25 14 18. Event page.

My checklist

• Where? Caverne du Dragon, Chemin des Dames, RD 18 CD, 02160 Oulches-la-Vallée-Foulon.
• When? Wednesday 11 November 2026. Walk at 13:30; museum open from 10:00 to 18:00.
• How much? Walk €9 (free for under-7s); cave tour free that day.
• Booking? Required for the walk, recommended for the cave: +33 3 23 25 14 18, caverne@aisne.fr.
• Car? Essential for the walk, which continues by private car.
• If it rains? The cave is underground, at 12 °C. Nothing is specified for the walk: bring something to keep you dry and warm.

One more note in the margin

I will update this page as soon as the Chemin des Dames villages publish their ceremonies. Before you set off, a call to +33 3 23 25 14 18 will spare you any unwelcome surprise. And if this day makes you want to stay longer, more ideas are here: this weekend in the Aisne.

Book your place on the walk, bring a jumper, and take the time to remember.

The questions I am already being asked

Tata Nadège, for NLocale. Updated 2 November 2026.