Coverage · France
Arras
Arras is a city that was almost entirely destroyed in World War I and then rebuilt, stone by stone, to look exactly as it had before. Beneath its famous Flemish Baroque squares lies a 20-kilometer network of chalk tunnels where 24,000 soldiers once sheltered before battle. The reconstruction is so faithful that the UNESCO-listed belfry and grand squares feel genuinely medieval, not like a replica.
24+ researched places in the app
Places researched in this city
A selection of the 24 places we've researched in this city. The full set is in the Parroo app.
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Grand'Place of Arras
Baldwin V of Flanders was reportedly born here in a tent in 1004, making this square older than most European capitals. Today its 155 Flemish Baroque facades and 345 columns frame a market square that has hosted jousting tournaments, medieval troubadours, and major music festivals.
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Belfry of Arras
Construction began in 1463 and took nearly a century to complete, interrupted by wars and epidemics. Destroyed in 1914 and rebuilt with reinforced concrete by 1931, this UNESCO-listed 75-meter tower still rings its carillon of 37 bells over the city.
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Wellington Quarry
On April 9, 1917 at 5:30 a.m., 24,000 British soldiers poured out of these tunnels 20 meters underground in a surprise attack that opened the Battle of Arras. The New Zealand Tunnelling Company had expanded a medieval chalk quarry into an underground city, and you can walk through it today.
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Canadian National Vimy Memorial
Walter Seymour Allward spent 11 years designing this memorial, which was unveiled in 1936 on land permanently granted to Canada by France. Its twin pylons of Croatian limestone stand up to 30 meters high and carry the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers with no known graves.
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Citadel of Arras
Vauban built this pentagonal fortress for Louis XIV between 1668 and 1672, yet it was never once besieged, earning its nickname "la belle inutile" (the beautiful useless). Now a UNESCO World Heritage site spanning 72 hectares, it hosts concerts rather than cannons.
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Au Bleu d'Arras
In 1770 two sisters named Delemer started decorating porcelain using local cobalt, creating a blue unlike anything from Paris or Limoges. The shop on Place des Héros is both a working studio and a small museum where you can watch the technique demonstrated live.
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The Robespierre House
Before he became the face of the Terror, Maximilien Robespierre lived quietly in this 1730 townhouse from 1787 to 1789, practicing law and defending a scientist who wanted to install a lightning rod. He left for Versailles in April 1789, and the rest is history.
Good to know
- How many places does Parroo cover in Arras?
- 24 researched places, from the Grand'Place and the Wellington Quarry to lesser-known spots like Au Bleu d'Arras. Each one has a short summary, a full article, and a ~3-minute audio story.
- Is there an audio guide?
- Yes. Every place has a ~3-minute audio story, written from the perspective of a guide standing next to you and produced with premium narration, not the article read aloud.
- Which languages is Arras available in?
- German, English, and French. Pick whichever you'd rather read or listen in.
- Do I need to book anything or be online?
- No booking, no signup. It's a self-guided walk you start whenever you like. You do need a connection for now to stream the audio and load articles; offline support is something we're still building.
Open this city in Parroo
Get the full articles, audio stories, and map for this city in the Parroo app. One payment per geography. Yours to keep.
Updated: 2026-05-29