Bordeaux, Burgundy, The Rhine Valley – France and wine go together like peanut butter and jelly. Don’t tell them I said that – I doubt they approve of a humble PB&J. Seriously though, the history of and reverence for winemaking, and champagne-making, runs deep in France.
If you are looking to get to know this effervescent section of France then you’ve come to the right place. While champagne itself can sometimes feel bougie or out of reach, the champagne region is actually pretty accessible. The atmosphere is light and rather casual, even amongst some of the world’s most expensive and high-tone bottles.
We will walk through where to stay, where to try the best blends, and how to plan out your trip to France’s Champagne Region. Let’s get going.
What is Champagne: The (Quick) History of Bubbly
The French have been producing grown-up grape juice since the 6th century and today produce 7 to 8 billion bottles every year. Over the early centuries of winemaking in this part of the world, it was monks that would hone and preserve the skills and knowledge around winemaking and specifically champagne. Benedictine monks are thought to have invented champagne, or at least the practice of the second fermentation that produces the bubbles. Contrary to popular belief, it was not Dom Perignon who invented champagne, although he played an important role in fine-tuning the process of champagne-making. Even that cute quote “Come quickly, I am tasting the stars” that is often attributed to Mr. Dom, was likely invented in the 19th century. Fun story though!
Later on in this bubbly history, we would have Madame Clicquot (Veuve Clicquot) to thank for several process improvements to champagne making that are still used today in cellars across France and the world. The “riddling” process of turning bottles by hand to remove the fermentation residue was invented by the Madame as well as the first-ever rose blend! What a woman. If you pay a visit to the Veuve Clicquot facility you can even see the barrel that contained the first-ever vintage of champagne. As a devout lover of all things sparkling, that was pretty effin cool to see in person.
One of the most important moments in champagne history was the creation of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) in 1941. The CIVC is an organization made up of all the players in the champagne game; the growers, coops, and merchants. This group strictly regulates and protects the quality, sale, and production of french champagne. One of their most important roles is to protect the name of champagne itself. Only sparkling wine that was both made in this region and meets the criteria for the terroir can use the name ‘champagne’ (they will sue the pants off of you if you try). Terroir is a term to generally mean the environment in which the wine was made; the soil, the variety, etc.
The creation of the CIVC would allow for champagne to remain a high quality, highly sought after wine product. Every time you buy a bottle marked “champagne” you know its quality is going to be consistent and top-notch. What will vary from champagne-to-champagne is taste. For the taste, that is really dealer’s choice. One of my favorite things I have learned in all my champagne tours is that there is no single champagne that is necessarily the best. If it has met the – very strict – guidelines to be label champagne, you can bet it’s good. Fancy wine is fancy wine. When you hear someone talk about minerality and brut versus extra brut, just know that the one that you like is the best one.
How To Get There: Getting To Reim and Epernay
After that brief and completely incomplete history of champagne hopefully, I’ve sold you on a visit. If I haven’t yet, then skip down to the paragraph titled “Avenue du Champagne”. First things first on planning your trip, you need to get there.
You have several choices of places to stay in the Champagne Region, but by far the two most popular are the towns of Reims and Épernay. To reach either is pretty easy. You will need to first get yourself to Paris. I recommend doing this by air because swimming and walking might take too long.
FROM PARIS BY CAR: Having a car in Champagne could prove useful so maybe plan to pick up a rental in Paris and hop on the A4 straight out to Reims. The drive will take less than two hours. If you are staying in Épernay then you’ll jump off the highway just before Reims and head east.
Reims has some public transportation but in general, expect to either walk, drive yourself, or have a tour guide take you around.
FROM PARIS BY TRAIN: Our preferred mode of transportation in Europe is almost always by train. Getting to either Reims or Épernay is as easy as sitting down.
SNCF operates a route (TGV) from Paris Est direct to Reims several times per day. The ride is about 45 minutes long and tickets run about $25 USD to $45 USD for first class, depending on the time of day.
SNCF operates direct routes (TER) from Paris Est to Épernay several times a day as well. This train ride will take about 1h:15m and cost about $40 for first class. There are also routes with connections for both destinations so if you are flexible you can likely just show up and snag whatever is heading out next.
If you’re a planner (same), then grab your spot ahead of time online at RailEurope.com or on the SNCF website.
Epernay vs. Reims: What’s The Difference?
At this point in the post, you might be wondering what the deal is between Epernay and Reims? What are they like? Which one is better? Where should I stay? We’ve been to the champagne region twice and have stayed in both cities. Let’s layout a few differences and what you can expect from both places.
REIMS: By far the more contemporary feeling of the two. Reims played a major role in WWI and sustained serious damage from the war. In fact, if you want more on Reims’ history check out our post on that. Because of this, though, much of the city was rebuilt after WWI so the old world feeling is more or less gone. What stands in its place is a beautifully laid out, very walkable, town with more modern buildings and great infrastructure with the streetcars and buses. From the train station, you can easily walk into town or take the streetcar to wherever you’re staying.
Reims offers plenty of great dining options at different price points as well as a large supermarket right in town. We found an excellent Airbnb just across from the cathedral for just over $50 USD per night! Reims is our preferred town mostly because it’s easy to get around and has the Notre Dame de Reims Cathedral which we love.
If you are a history buff or are traveling with one, you’ve got to spend a day exploring the historical sites of Reims. You’ll find literal Roman ruins right in the city center! You could make an entire day out of historical sightseeing, which we did and highly recommend.
ÉPERNAY: The Capital of Champagne. Really, that’s what they call themselves! Home to the magnificent L’Avenue du Champagne where you can float from Maison to Maison sipping blends from just about every major producer in the region. More on that later though.
Épernay remains a much more old-world type of atmosphere. Unlike Reims, it’s older buildings have survived the centuries and the city has a totally different layout and character. The streets are windier and the buildings have a patina to them, but we like that!
Épernay, too, has a great food scene for a town of its size and the restaurants and cafes always seemed to be buzzing. If you are tired of French food we highly recommend a meal at Heera Restaurant. This place serves up some serious Indian cuisine and they will make it spicy (like real spicy, not European spicy) if you ask (which can be very hard to come by in France)! No hate, no shade, but Europeans seem to think black pepper is spicy. I digress.
We found accommodation in Épernay to be a bit more pricey for whatever reason. Our Airbnb was on the other side of the river, technically in the neighboring town of Magenta. While it was on budget at $45 USD per night, we had to walk a bit each day to get into town. We didn’t mind in the end but you might prefer something more central.
Whichever you choose you’re going to want to get out into the vineyards regardless so read on for info on guided tours!
Best Champagne Tours in Epernay and France
While you very well could explore the region independently, a small group tour is a great way to learn all about champagne and the makers producing some of the best bubbles in the world. For us, having someone arrange the entire day – and safely drive you around – was the best way to make the most of a relatively quick visit.
We have twice now booked with France Intense Bubbles Tours and had excellent experiences both times. We’ve done the tour based in Reims and the one based in Épernay (although both begin at the Reims train station). This isn’t an ad, although if they wanted to trade us for some free champs, we’re down. We really do love their tour experience.
The way their tour works is you meet at the train station at 9 AM and hop in a very comfortable minivan. The group is maybe half a dozen or so (although it was only three people, ourselves included, last time!) so you really get a chance to get to know everyone over the day. You walk through town and learn about its history and visit three champagne houses throughout the day. My favorite part is the lunch and champagne pairing. The atmosphere is light and engaging and the food was excellent every time, they even accommodated us vegetarians, quite well.
The tour ends back at the station around 5 PM, so it truly is a full day. You will get to explore the underground cellars and see champagne making in action. Our suggestion is to go in September when harvesting is happening. While you can’t know exactly what two weeks it will happen, if you do catch a harvest, you’re in for a treat. Walking through the vineyards as the grapes are going to the press was very special. I love the idea that those little grapes are going to be sipped over a celebration sometime in 5-10+ years.
Check out the Champagne Booking website for a list of all the maisons (champagne houses) in the area that offer tours and tastings.
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Avenue du Champagne: A (Bougie) Day Drinker’s Paradise
If you just want to spend your days in beautiful tasting rooms and don’t much care for the history or process of champagne making then the Avenue du Champagne is for you. In Épernay, you will find a literal avenue lined with stately mansions representing everyone from Perrier Jouet to Moët et Chandon to Pol Roger and Mercier. Situated along the river and the railroad track, this location became ideal for cellars and tasting rooms as the champagne industry grew in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Today these grandiose buildings even house a hotel or two where you can sleep meters away from your favorite bottles. A stay at the Moët et Chandon hotel is on my to-do list one of these days. Most of the maisons offer tasting flights with a quick spiel on the notes and production process but some, like Moët, have a full-on museum and guided tour. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the Dom Perignon statue outside Moët and give him a “santé” and you saunter by, on your way to another tasting!
We made a day out of the Avenue Du Champagne and highly recommend the experience. You can take everything at your own pace, easily stopping for lunch or snacks when needed. You will still be able to learn plenty about what blends you prefer and how the bubbly magic happens. I actually think you’ll have a better chance of noticing the differences from brand-to-brand by tasting them back to back this way. Remember to pace yourselves, and drink plenty of water.
This aubourg de la Folie (“crazy suburb”) as it has been called, is the perfect place for the bougie day drinker or independent explorer. Make your own tasting menu and enjoy it. Santé!
What better way to get to know a new destination than through booze? It makes everything a little more fun and a lot more delicious. Be sure to drink responsibly. I hope this post was helpful in planning your next trip to France. If you enjoyed this content and want to support us in creating more like it, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel.
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