Champagne

Why go

Champagne is the only place on earth that can put the name on the bottle, and seeing how it is made, in miles of chalk cellars beneath Reims and Épernay, is one of the great easy trips from Paris. Since 2015 the hillsides, houses and cellars of Champagne have been a UNESCO World Heritage site.

There is more here than bubbles. Reims Cathedral, where French kings were crowned for 800 years, is one of the finest Gothic buildings in Europe. In a red-brick schoolhouse in Reims, General Eisenhower's headquarters accepted Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945. And the rolling vineyards of the Montagne de Reims and the Marne valley are dotted with villages where small family growers will pour you their own wine in their own kitchen-side tasting rooms.

It is also one of the easiest regions to visit without a car. Reims is 45 minutes from Paris, and the big houses are within walking distance or a short taxi ride of the stations.

Reims

The champagne houses in Reims are spread out. Taittinger, Ruinart, Pommery and Veuve Clicquot sit close together around the Saint-Nicaise hill in the southeast of the city, about a 30-minute walk or 10-minute taxi from the cathedral. Mumm is closer to the center, near the station.

Épernay and the Avenue de Champagne

Épernay, about 18 miles (30 km) south of Reims, is the small-town capital of champagne. Its main street, the Avenue de Champagne, is lined for about two-thirds of a mile (1 km) with the grand 19th-century mansions of the great houses, and beneath it run an estimated 60 miles (100 km) of cellars holding millions of bottles. Walk it from the town center past Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger and the Hôtel de Ville gardens. Many houses and smaller producers on the avenue have tasting bars open without a tour booking. The Musée du Vin de Champagne et d'Archéologie régionale, in the Château Perrier on the avenue, tells the story of the wine.

The de Castellane house, with its tall tower near the station, and Mercier, at the top of the avenue, both offer tours. Mercier is popular with families because you tour the cellars in a small electric train.

Big houses vs grower producers

The big houses (maisons) such as Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger buy most of their grapes from thousands of growers and blend them for a consistent house style. Their tours are polished: a film or history introduction, a walk through vaulted chalk cellars (some are Roman-era quarries), then a tasting of one to three wines. They are the best introduction and the easiest to book.

Grower champagnes (look for RM, récoltant-manipulant, on the label) are made by families from their own vineyards. Visiting one is more personal: often the winemaker shows you the press house and the cellars, and you taste in the family tasting room for little or nothing if you buy a few bottles. Prices for the bottles are often half of what a big house charges. Most need an appointment by email or phone; some villages, such as Hautvillers, Aÿ, Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, have several that welcome walk-ins on summer weekends.

2026 tour prices at the big houses

These are the main entry-level tours per adult as listed on each house's booking site in October 2026. Premium tours with older vintages or food pairing cost much more. Champagne is served only to adults, but many houses welcome children on tours at a reduced price; Mercier charges €12 for ages 10 to 17 and nothing for under-10s.

Hautvillers and the Montagne de Reims

Troyes and the Côte des Bar

Troyes, about 1 hr 30 min from Paris Est by regional train, is a well-kept secret: a medieval center of half-timbered houses laid out in the shape of a champagne cork, with streets so narrow that the upper floors almost touch. It has a cathedral and several Gothic churches with superb glass, the Cité du Vitrail (a stained-glass museum), and the Maison de l'Outil, a museum of thousands of craftsmen's hand tools. Troyes is also known for factory outlet shopping on the edge of town. South of the city, the Côte des Bar in the Aube département grows mostly Pinot Noir; the village of Les Riceys makes champagne and a rare rosé still wine. Troyes is about 1 hr 30 min by car from Épernay, so treat it as its own stop.

World War I and II sites

Champagne was on or near the Western Front for most of World War I, and Reims was shelled for four years. Champagne houses sheltered schools, hospitals and thousands of civilians in their cellars during the bombardment.

• Fort de la Pompelle, just east of Reims, a fort that held throughout the war, now a museum of the front.
• Sommepy American Monument (Blanc Mont), northeast of Châlons, an ABMC tower commemorating about 70,000 Americans who fought in the Champagne region in 1918, including the US 2nd Division and Marines at Blanc Mont Ridge. You can climb it for views over the old battlefield.
• Navarin Farm monument and ossuary, near Souain, the French memorial to the armies that fought in Champagne, with an ossuary in its crypt.
• Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Belleau Wood, just west of Champagne in the Aisne (about 1 hr from Reims), where US Marines fought in June 1918, and the Château-Thierry American Monument on its hill above the Marne. See our American heritage trail for these and the Oise-Aisne cemetery.
• Musée de la Reddition in Reims, for the end of World War II (see above).

Suggested itineraries

One day from Paris (no car)

1. Day 1

   Reims

   Take a morning TGV from Paris Est to Reims (46 minutes on the fastest trains). See the cathedral (the Palais du Tau next door is closed until 2027), have lunch near the Place du Forum, then walk or taxi to a booked afternoon cellar tour at Taittinger, Pommery, Veuve Clicquot or Ruinart. Stop at the Musée de la Reddition near the station before an evening train back.

Two days: Reims and Épernay

1. Day 1

   Reims

   As above, then sleep in Reims or continue by train to Épernay (about 25 minutes).

2. Day 2

   Épernay and the vineyards

   A morning tour at Moët & Chandon or Mercier, walk the Avenue de Champagne, then a half-day small-group or private vineyard tour to Hautvillers and two growers, or rent a car or e-bike. Evening train back to Paris (about 1 hr 15 min direct).

Three days with a car

1. Day 1

   Reims

   Cathedral, Saint-Remi basilica, the Surrender Museum and a cellar tour; dinner in Reims.

2. Day 2

   Montagne de Reims and Hautvillers

   Verzenay lighthouse, the Faux de Verzy, lunch in a village, then Hautvillers and a grower tasting. Sleep in Épernay or a vineyard B&B.

3. Day 3

   Épernay and the Côte des Blancs

   Avenue de Champagne in the morning, then growers in Cramant or Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Return to Paris, or drive about 1 hr 30 min to Troyes, or 1 hr 30 min to the Sommepy monument and on to Verdun in Lorraine.

Getting there and around

All trains leave from Paris Gare de l'Est. The fastest TGVs to Reims central station take 46 minutes, and SNCF lists about 16 trains a day, some of them slower regional trains. Some TGVs from CDG airport and from other cities stop instead at Champagne-Ardenne TGV station, about 3 miles (5 km) south of Reims and linked to the center by tram. Trains run direct from Paris Est to Épernay in as little as 1 hr 13 min (about 20 a day, many slower), and Reims to Épernay takes about 25 to 40 minutes. Troyes is about 1 hr 30 min on a direct train from Paris Est. Book on SNCF Connect; see our trains guide.

Without a car, you can walk to the big houses in both towns. For the vineyards, local companies run small-group and private tours from Reims and Épernay, and both tourist offices sell them. Electric bike rental in Épernay is a fun option for Hautvillers and the Marne valley, though the hills are real. Taxis must be booked in advance; there is no Uber outside Reims.

Where to base yourself

Reims has the most hotels and restaurants and the best train links. Épernay is smaller and closer to the vineyards. A vineyard B&B in a village gives you the most local experience if you have a car or driver. See where to stay.

Budget travelers can find simple chain hotels near the Reims station, and village chambres d'hôtes run by growers often cost under €100 (about $112) a night and include a tasting.

Food and drink

• Champagne: learn the words: brut nature and extra brut are the driest, brut is standard, demi-sec is sweet. Blanc de blancs is all Chardonnay; blanc de noirs is from black grapes. Our wine guide covers more.
• Biscuits roses de Reims: pink ladyfinger-like cookies made since the 1690s, traditionally dipped in champagne. The Fossier bakery has been making them since 1756.
• Coteaux champenois and rosé des Riceys: rare still wines of the region.
• Chaource and Langres: local cow's milk cheeses; Langres has a hollow top you can fill with marc de Champagne.
• Andouillette de Troyes: a chitterling sausage with a strong flavor. Order only if you are adventurous.
• Jambon de Reims: parsleyed ham in aspic.
• Ratafia: a sweet aperitif of grape juice and spirit.

Seasons and events

• Spring (April–June): vines bud and flower, mild weather, easy bookings.
• Summer (July–August): warm, sometimes hot, busy on weekends. Reims lights up its cathedral facade with a free summer projection show after dark (check the Reims tourist office for dates).
• Harvest (late August to September): exciting but busy; growers have less time for visitors.
• Autumn (October–November): golden vineyards, quieter tours.
• December: Reims has one of the larger Christmas markets in France, in the Place du Forum and around the cathedral, usually from late November to late December.
• Habits de Lumière: Épernay's festival of light, fireworks and champagne on the Avenue de Champagne, usually held in mid-December.
• Winter (January–March): cold, gray and quiet; some houses pause tours.

Harvest (vendanges) timing

All champagne grapes must be picked by hand, so the harvest is a big event. It usually starts in late August or early September and lasts about three weeks, with the start date for each village set by the champagne trade body based on ripeness. In hot years it has begun in mid-August. During harvest, villages fill with pickers, roads carry tractors, and many growers are too busy to receive visitors, though the big houses keep running tours. Some growers and tour companies offer harvest experiences where you can pick for a morning. If you want calm visits with growers, come in June or October instead.

Tips for Americans

• Book cellar tours in advance and arrive 10 minutes early; tours leave on time.
• Cellars are about 50–54°F (10–12°C) year-round and can be damp and slippery; bring a sweater and flat shoes.
• Many cellar tours involve 100 or more steps and are not wheelchair accessible. Ask when booking.
• Combine Champagne with Alsace and Lorraine to the east, or with Burgundy to the south via Troyes.
• For the American WWI sites, see our American heritage trail.

Related pages

• Day trips from Paris
• French wine guide and food
• Trains and driving
• American heritage trail
• Alsace and Lorraine, Northern France and Burgundy