Visit Champagne France – all you need to know

What to do when visit Champagne France? I must admit that visiting the Champagne region is one thing that everyone should do once in a lifetime. If you live in Belgium or the Netherlands for example, there should be no excuses to drive there for a weekend. Even if you don’t drink alcohol or you don’t like champagne, there is much more to do there. The scenery and the small towns in the area are beautiful and it’s all full of history.

When to go

The best time to go would be spring and summer until October in order to enjoy the beautiful views of the vineyards in the region.

Where to stay when visit Champagne France

We chose Reims to stay in during our stay. We rented an AirBnb in the centre of the city. We thought that it would be best because it’s a more lively location and we were able to go to restaurants easily from there or to have breakfast in the morning, or just go shopping if we wanted to. We had the loveliest view of the old cathedral from our balcony where we could have breakfast or watch the sunset.

Another very popular option to stay is the town of Epernay, which is where a lot of the big champagne houses are situated with its Avenue of Champagne and underground champagne tunnels of over 100km in total. It’s a cute French town and you will also be close to the champagne houses to visit.

If you would spend a bit more money on accommodation, there are also some lovely chateaus too spend the night at outside of the city, such as Chateau de Sacy, but you will most likely need to have a car to reach them. There are also cheaper accommodations in the Champagne region, where you will be surrounded by small producers and beautiful sights.

What to do when visit Champagne France

We were in Champagne for 3 days in total, 2 of which we used for visiting Champagne houses and sightseeing around the area. We recommend to visit a few champagne houses during your stay. Definitely plan some time for the big names, as well as for smaller family brands.

During our first stay there, we visited House Mercier (in Epernay) and House Ruinart (in Reims). Our favourite was definitely Ruinart. It is considered the oldest Champagne House and it opened for visits only a few years ago. The Château is absolutely stunning! The tour is a bit more expensive than the rest of the houses (it costs € 70 per person) but it is worth it. You also have the option to book brunch there while enjoying more champagne or get some vintage bottles from their shop.

The historical cellars of Ruinart are part of the UNESCO heritage. The chalk quarries were dug up by the Romans. In the 18th century House Ruinart established their cellars in the quarries. Today you can visit these cellars, they are part of the tour.

Another favourite of ours is House Mercier which is the only house that has an underground train in the cellars. Well, it is only a small train for tourists but it’s very interesting to experience.

House Mercier is situated in Epernay. Since we were staying in Reims, we deicided to take the famous scenic between Reims and Epernay. 

This route is beautiful and you can stop at different small villages where you can find smaller producers and stunning view of the French countryside and the vineyards from where the grapes for champagne production come from.

Other things to do but champagne:

• Visit the centre of Reims. The cathedral in the centre of Reims, Notre-Dame de Reims. The present cathedral was built in the 13th century.

• A walk in the historical centre of Epernay (and having a drink in one of the Champagne house on Avenue de Champagne)

Tips

• Book in advance. Don’t expect that you can be spontaneous in Champagne. Most of the champagne houses work with reservations only. So, to avoid any surprises, book your visits in advance.
• Make sure you eat something! Champagne tasting is great but while visiting a champagne house, you usually get 2-3 glasses to taste, which can easily get you a bit tipsy.
• Book a place to spend the night. You can definitely visit Champagne only for one day, but it’s much much nicer to have a place to stay and have dinner after a long day of strolling around.
• Pack comfortable shoes. Walking around can be tiring and also you will probably walk around in cellars or vineyards. So make sure you are comfortable.
• Make enough space for the bottles that you will buy. Don’t forget that many houses have good prices or offer vintage champagne that it’s difficult to find in stores outside France. Don’t miss the opportunity to get at least one vintage bottle! 😊

Thank you for reading!