The Clairière de l'Armistice and Mont du Tremble

Starting point and access: Compiègne railway station.
- TER - Lines departing from Paris-Nord, Amiens, Saint-Quentin and Maubeuge.
Take the Compiègne exit on the side of platform 2 (if you arrive on another platform, take the underground passage).

In the Compiègne National Forest, signposts are located at the main crossroads.

Without signposts

(S/E) When you leave the station, cross the car park straight ahead. At the end, you will find a pedestrian crossing on the right to cross the Quai de la République. Follow it to the right. At the traffic lights, turn left and cross the Pont Louis XIV bridge over the Oise river.

(1) On the other side, turn left onto Cours Guynemer, taking the paved path for cyclists and pedestrians that runs parallel to it. Continue straight ahead and pass two sets of traffic lights. Ignore a one-way street on the right and continue along Allée Georges et Bernard Woimant. Pass a small car park on the left and you will come to a roundabout.

(2) Go around the roundabout on the left and take the second exit (Rue de Soissons on the map), towards Reims and Soissons. Continue straight ahead and, after about 500 metres, at the approach to a crossroads, turn right to cross Rue de Soisson and then Avenue du Président Clemenceau at the pedestrian crossings. Then turn left and take a side road parallel to the avenue, then a paved path and finally a car park.

(3) At the two red and white gates, turn right and go through a small barrier. Then turn left and pass between a football stadium on the left and an equestrian centre on the right. Enter the forest where the tarmac gives way to a wide path. Continue straight ahead along Avenue du Mail until you reach Carrefour du Point du Jour (a beautiful cedar tree dating from 1810).

(4) Then turn left onto a path that runs between a stone bench on the left and the cedar tree on the right. Ignore the path that branches off to the left (plot no. 16-21). This leads to another path, which you should follow to the right until you reach Carrefour de la Croix du Saint-Signe.

(5) Then turn left onto Route de Granville. Cross a small road and continue on the path opposite. At Carrefour Élisabeth, continue straight on Route de Granville.

(6) At the end, cross the D130 carefully. On the other side, follow a path on the left that runs parallel to the road. Ignore another path on the right and turn right onto the main path. Ignore another path on the right and walk along a disused railway line on your left. On the right-hand side, you can see the Étang du Buissonnet through the branches.

(7) At a fork (not shown on the IGN map), turn right and descend to quickly reach the tip of the pond. Then turn left, ignore a path on the right and make a short descent followed by an equally short climb.

(8) At a three-way junction, turn left. At the next three-way junction, keep left. Wind your way along, approaching the railway line once again. This will bring you to a T-junction.

(9) Turn left and ignore a path on the right. Cross the railway line (even though it is disused, you should still look left and right before crossing). Continue along the path opposite.

(10) Cross the N31 with caution (busy road). Continue along the path opposite and walk alongside a fence on your left. Pass under a power line and continue straight ahead. Cross a small road and continue along a tarmac path shared by cyclists and pedestrians.

(11) At a T-junction, follow a path on the right, between the Aisne river on the left and a fenced pond on the right. Walk along the river, which is sometimes hidden by branches, and note the beautiful houses on the opposite bank.

(12) At the road bridge, you have two options:
- Continue straight ahead on a narrow path that requires some care and pass under the bridge. Return to the main path, which you should follow to the left, at (13).
- As shown on the map, turn right onto the main path.

Red and white markings

Cross the D546 carefully and continue along a path that veers to the left.

(13) Ignore a path coming from the left (the one from the other option above) and keep to the right with the path. Walk along the Aisne on your left and, on your right, a meadow and then the forest.

(14) At a fork, turn right and enter the forest. Turn right along the path and you will reach a crossroads.

No markings

(15) Follow a very open tarmac path for cyclists and pedestrians on the right (Route du Maréchal Foch on the map). At the car park, turn left into Allée Général Estienne. At the end, turn left and you will reach the Clairière de l'Armistice.

(16) Walk around it in either direction. Here, the route goes clockwise (starting on the left). First, see the statue of Marshal Foch, then the location of the German plenipotentiaries' carriage. Return to the centre to see a large slab and its inscription. Then turn left, head for the entrance to the Armistice Memorial Museum and visit the Garden of Remembrance. With your back to the museum entrance, veer slightly to the left to reach the location of the Allied forces' carriage.

(16) Leave the clearing via a wide gravel path towards a prominent monument. At the edge of the D546, turn sharply left onto a small road marked "sauf service" (no entry except for service vehicles). Continue straight ahead, ignoring a few side roads.

(17) Cross the N31 again, taking care, and continue straight ahead. At the signpost that appears immediately, go straight ahead on a good path. Cross the railway line again and continue uphill to Carrefour Lucifer.

(18) Take the second road on the right, the Route tournante du Mont du Tremble. Climb gently and ignore a track on the left (uninteresting shortcut).

Yellow markings (faded)

(19) At the T-junction, follow a path to the left. Climb up a winding path through a beautiful forest with several remarkable beech trees. Twice, ignore a path on the left that descends steeply.

(20) At the top, at a fork, turn right. Leave the ruins of a small building on your left and begin the descent, again in a spiral.

(21) At the signpost, descend to the right along a steep path (be careful not to miss this turn).

No markings

At the lower junction, turn left onto Route Tournante (ignore the markings that continue straight ahead) and descend gently.

Yellow markings (old)

At a three-way junction, turn right and you will immediately reach the Carrefour du Mont du Tremble.

No markings

(22) Take the second path on the right, Route Bellicard, towards Carrefour du Putois and continue straight ahead until you reach a tarmac road.

(23) Cross the road carefully. On the other side (signpost on the left), there are three paths: take the middle one towards Carrefour du Renard. Continue straight ahead and you will reach the crossroads (tarmac forest road).

(24) Continue straight ahead on a path that is closed to vehicles "except those with permission". At the first junction, continue straight ahead on a footpath and walk alongside the fenced-off buildings on your left. At the next two junctions, continue straight ahead.

Red and white markings

(25) You will come to a wide path. Follow it to the right and walk along a large lawn on your left (Allée des Beaux Monts). Continue straight ahead with the Imperial Palace in full view.

No markings

(26) At the park gate, when the GR® turns left, continue straight ahead. Go through a metal gate (elevation 43) and enter the Petit Parc. Immediately follow a stabilised path to the left. At the fork that appears quickly, turn right and, at the next fork, keep left. At the next two crossroads, go straight ahead. At the fork that appears immediately, turn left. Pass at the foot of a statue of Diana and you will immediately come to a crossroads.

(27) Continue straight ahead. Walk along a tree-lined path on your left and stay on the path. Ignore a path on the right and then one on the left and you will come to an intersection (flower beds and seasonal flowers).

(28) Turn right, walk past a statue of Ulysses and reach a viewpoint overlooking the Imperial Palace on the left. Retrace your steps.

(28) Continue straight ahead and exit the park. Cross the old moat and follow a wide paved path to the right. At the crossroads, turn left, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the right. Cross the car park opposite the main entrance to the Imperial Palace. Between the two halves of the car park, turn left onto a cobbled street. At the fork, take Rue Henri de Seroux on the left and arrive at the chevet of Saint-Jacques Church. Walk along the church on your right.

(29) At the corner of the church, turn right and cross the square. Then first turn left then right to follow Rue Magenta and then Rue Jean Legendre. When the latter turns left, continue straight ahead to arrive at the foot of the Town Hall (belfry, equestrian statue of Louis XII).

(30) If you wish, take a detour to the left to see the statue of Joan of Arc up close and then return to the foot of the Town Hall.

(30) Continue, leaving the Town Hall on your right, and turn into Rue Solférino. Keep going straight ahead. At the end, cross Cours Guynemer at the pedestrian crossing on the right.

(1) Cross the Pont Louis XIV bridge again to cross the Oise river. On the other side, follow Quai de la République to the right. After about 200 metres, turn left to cross the quay at the pedestrian crossing, cross the car park and head for Compiègne station (S/E).

Train timetables: consult the SNCF website.

For motorists:
There are (at least) two parking options:
- Station car park (S/E).
- Guynemer car park, along the street of the same name (1).

Hiking boots are required. In the event of flooding of the Aisne, the route between (11) and (15) may be flooded (check for information).

No water sources identified along the route. Bars, restaurants and shops in Compiègne, between (28) and (1) and near the station (S/E).

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description). To follow the route with the Visorando app, download both the IGN and OSM maps, as the most reliable one varies along the route. N.B. Several paths shown on the IGN or OSM map are no longer passable or have disappeared (for example, the Route du Maréchal Joffre near the Clairière de l'Armistice (16)), which means you will have to use more tarmac roads than you would like.

Hike completed by the author on 17 May 2025.

Historical context:
The armistice of 11 November 1918, which brought the First World War to an end, was signed in a railway carriage set up in the Rethondes clearing, in the Compiègne Forest, in the presence of German ministers and military officials and representatives of the Allied forces commanded by General Foch. It was in this very carriage, in the same spot, that the armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed between France and Germany. The carriage was subsequently taken to Germany, and the monument commemorating the victory over the German Empire in the First World War was destroyed (today, only the site remains, along with a reproduction of the inscription that was engraved on its base). The carriage on display at the Armistice Museum is a replica of the original, which has since disappeared.

Armistice Museum (16). Opening hours: 10.00–18.00. Admission (May 2025): €8 per adult, €6 per child.

In Compiègne, between (28) and (1):
- Imperial Palace (1755–1788).
- Saint-Jacques Church (13th–16th centuries).
- Town Hall, in the Flamboyant Gothic style, with a belfry and an equestrian statue of Louis XII.
- A statue of Joan of Arc has been erected in the Town Hall square. It was in Compiègne, on 23 May 1430, that she was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English.