Champagne is a region in northeastern France. It is world-famous for its sparkling wine. Visiting Champagne offers a mix of history, culture, and wine. Knowing what to expect can make your trip smoother. This guide covers everything you need before you go.
How to Get to Champagne: Travel Tips for Visitors
The main city in Champagne is Reims. It is easily reachable by train from Paris. The high-speed TGV takes about 45 minutes. Another city to consider is Épernay. It is smaller but central to many vineyards. Driving is also an option. Roads are well-maintained. GPS is helpful, as rural roads can be confusing. The nearest international airport is in Paris. From there, trains or rental cars are necessary. Some small regional airports serve domestic flights.
Best Time to Visit Champagne, France
The harvest season is from September to October. This is when vineyards are busiest. Visiting during harvest gives insight into production. Spring and early summer offer mild weather and fewer crowds. Winter can be quiet. Some wineries close for maintenance.
Language Tips for Your Visit to Champagne
French is the official language. English is often spoken in larger wineries. Learning basic French phrases is helpful. Simple greetings and thank you go a long way.
Planning a Tour of Champagne
Planning a tour of Champagne usually includes vineyards, cellars, and tasting rooms, and tours can be private or group-based, so booking in advance is recommended as popular wineries can fill up quickly.
Types of tours include winery tours, which focus on production methods and tasting; guided tours, which include multiple vineyards and historical sites; self-guided tours, which give flexibility to explore at your own pace with maps and apps to help navigate; and luxury tours, which feature private tastings and meals.
What to Expect on a Champagne Tour
Most Champagne tours begin with a walk through the vineyards, where guides explain grape varieties and growing methods, before moving into the cellars where the wine is aged in underground caves under carefully controlled temperature and humidity. Visitors learn about fermentation, blending, and aging processes, with tours typically concluding in a tasting session that offers small pours to compare different styles.
During tastings, it’s best to hold the glass by the stem, observe the color and bubbles, smell the aroma before sipping, and take small tastes to notice acidity, fruitiness, and finish, without worrying about sounding like an expert, but instead focusing on personal impressions.
Top Towns to Visit in Champagne, France
- Reims: Known for its cathedral and major houses. Historical sites include the Reims Cathedral and Palais du Tau.
- Épernay: Home to the Avenue de Champagne. Many prestigious houses line this street.
- Troyes: Offers medieval architecture and smaller champagne producers.
- Hautvillers: Small village famous as the home of Dom Pérignon.
Best Wine Houses for Champagne France Wine Tours
- Moët & Chandon: Offers extensive tours and tastings.
- Veuve Clicquot: Known for history and prestige.
- Ruinart: Offers boutique experiences in cellars.
Smaller producers often offer more intimate and personalized tastings, creating a genuine connection with the region’s traditions. For hidden gems and memorable experiences, consider exploring Winera and the other highlights mentioned above.
Budgeting Your Visit to Champagne, France
Tours in Champagne range from 20€ to over 100€ per person, with tastings usually included, though premium bottles may incur extra charges; wine purchases are optional but common, and international visitors can often arrange shipping. Accommodation options vary from hotels and guesthouses to rural stays, with Reims offering city amenities, Épernay providing central proximity to vineyards, and countryside lodgings delivering scenic views and quiet, booking in advance is especially recommended during harvest season.
Food and dining are also integral to the experience, as Champagne pairs beautifully with regional cuisine such as seafood, cheeses, and pâtés, with restaurants often offering set menus featuring wine pairings; lunch is typically served between 12:00 and 14:00, while dinner usually begins around 19:00.
Navigating Champagne Like a Pro
Getting around Champagne often involves driving on scenic but sometimes narrow roads, while trains connect major cities though not all villages, taxis and ride-sharing services may be limited, and bike tours offer a slower-paced option in certain areas. Visitors are encouraged to be polite and patient, as producers value respectful guests, and photography may be restricted in cellars; tastings should be enjoyed slowly to fully appreciate the flavors.
The region is generally safe, but cellars can have slippery surfaces, roads may be winding, and strict local driving laws prohibit drinking and driving.
Weather varies, with mild to warm summers, cold and damp winters, and rain possible year-round, making layered clothing and comfortable shoes essential for exploring vineyards and underground caves.
Champagne France Wine Tours: Local Events & Festivals
The Champagne region offers a dynamic calendar of wine-related events, especially during the harvest season. One of the largest celebrations is the Fête de la Champagne in Épernay, typically held in late September. This festival features themed parades, live music, champagne tastings, and a lively festive atmosphere that draws visitors from all over the world.
Another highlight is the Reims Grape Harvest Festival, celebrated in early October. This event beautifully combines tradition and modernity, with champagne tasting workshops, guided tours of Reims’ famous cellars, local produce markets, and captivating light shows that bring the city’s streets to life.
Throughout the year, smaller events such as La Fête du Champagne and other regional wine fairs offer enthusiasts opportunities to explore the richness of Champagne. These festivals often include workshops and tastings, allowing visitors to connect with the culture and heritage of the region, creating truly memorable experiences for all who attend.
Photography Tips for Your Visit to Champagne
Cellars offer dramatic lighting. Vineyards are best photographed in the morning or late afternoon. Respect winery rules on flash photography. Scenic villages provide great street photography opportunities.
Sustainable Tourism
Some wineries use organic or biodynamic methods. Look for certifications if sustainability matters. Respect local environments. Avoid littering in vineyards.
Accessibility Tips for Your Champagne France Wine Tours
Not all vineyards are wheelchair accessible. Cellars often have stairs or uneven floors. Check accessibility options when booking.
Winera’s Ultimate Champagne Experiences 🍇🥂
Curated by experts, Winera’s Champagne experiences offer a selection of unique and memorable activities in the heart of Champagne, France. Each experience is designed to provide insight into the region’s winemaking heritage, local gastronomy, and iconic traditions. All of these experiences can be booked in just a few clicks through Winera, making it easy to enjoy an exceptional journey through Champagne.
Champagne Cuillier - Champagne and Food Pairing
Where: Champagne, France - Cuillier-De Sloovere Estate
Distance from Reims: Approximately 30 minutes by car
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Highlights:
- Tasting of 2 sparkling wines
- Guided tour of the dining cellar
- Wine and food pairing with a daily menu: starter, main course, dessert
- Learn about the estate’s winemaking practices and biodiversity initiatives
Price: Adults €45 | Children €35
What to Expect:
Champagne Cuillier invites you to a refined gastronomic experience at La Cave à Manger, their family-run restaurant. Guests enjoy a daily menu made with fresh, local, and homemade products, perfectly paired with two exceptional sparkling wines from the estate.
The experience includes a guided tour of the dining cellar and estate, where visitors learn about the Cuillier-De Sloovere family’s heritage, their commitment to biodiversity, and their balance of modern techniques with ancestral winemaking practices. Tours are suitable for both private and public groups and designed to provide a personal and authentic encounter with Champagne culture.
Domaine Julien Chopin - Enological Lunch
Where: Champagne, France - Domaine Julien Chopin
Distance from Reims: Approximately 25 minutes by car
Duration: 2 hours
Highlights:
- Tasting of 3 wines: sparkling and Ratafia Champenois
- 4-course enological lunch with expert wine pairings
- Guided tour and explanation of food and wine pairing principles
Price: Adults €68
What to Expect:
Domaine Julien Chopin invites you to enjoy a charming enological meal designed to reveal the art of pairing food with Champagne and Ratafia Champenois. Guests are served a thoughtfully curated 4-course menu, each dish harmoniously paired with wines from the estate.
The experience also includes a guided explanation by the winery staff, where you will learn about the estate’s winemaking methods, the specific qualities of each Champagne and Ratafia, and how to balance flavors between wine and food.
Tours are suitable for both private and public groups, offering an intimate and authentic encounter with Champagne gastronomy.
Champagne Michel Fagot - Collector's Visit
Where: Champagne, France - Rilly-la-Montagne
Distance from Reims: Approximately 20 minutes by car
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Highlights:
- Guided tour of the Champagne Michel Fagot estate
- Learn about the family estate’s history and winemaking practices
- Tasting of 3 sparkling wines from the Signature, Prestige, and Collection ranges
Price: Adults €39
What to Expect:
The Collector's Visit at Champagne Michel Fagot offers an in-depth experience of fine Champagne in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, combining history and tasting for a memorable exploration of Champagne excellence. Visitors are welcomed warmly and begin with a guided tour of the estate, exploring vineyards, cellars, and production areas.
The tour concludes with a guided tasting of three champagnes, carefully selected from the estate’s Signature, Prestige, and Collection ranges. This experience is ideal for those seeking an authentic, educational, and indulgent Champagne encounter.
Pol Couronne - The Art of Sabering
Where: Champagne, France - Reims city center
Duration: 1 hour
Highlights:
- Learn the ceremonial art of Champagne sabering
- Guided tasting of a premium sparkling Champagne
- Experience the tradition in the boutique or outdoors by Notre-Dame Cathedral
Price: Adults €52
What to Expect:
Pol Couronne invites you to discover the spectacular tradition of Champagne sabering. This ceremonial technique, believed to date back to Napoleon’s cavalry, involves opening a Champagne bottle with a saber by striking precisely at the intersection of the glass seam and lip, allowing the top to break away cleanly.
The experience takes place in the boutique or, weather permitting, outside with the stunning backdrop of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. After the sabering demonstration, enjoy a freshly opened bottle of Champagne and savor the moment.
Tours are suitable for public groups and provide both an educational and memorable experience in the heart of Reims.
Champagne Louis Brochet - Behind the Bubbles
Where: Champagne, France - Family-owned estate in the village of Trépail, Montagne de Reims
Duration: 2 hours
Highlights:
- Guided tour of a four-generation family estate
- Discover the Champagne production process: traditional press, vat room, aging cellar, disgorging, and labeling
- Enjoy panoramic vineyard views from the estate
- Tasting of 3 Champagne cuvées from the Héritage, Signature, and Éphémère collections
Price: Adults €32 | Children €5
What to Expect:
Champagne Louis Brochet offers an authentic journey into a family-run estate where passion for winemaking has been passed down through four generations.
During the guided tour, visitors explore the estate’s traditional press, vat room, aging cellar, and disgorging and labeling areas, gaining insight into the meticulous processes behind each bottle.
The experience culminates with a tasting of three Champagne cuvées, each reflecting the estate’s terroir and winemaking style.
Champagne Louis Brochet combines heritage, expertise, and scenic beauty, offering guests an engaging and memorable experience behind the bubbles.
Champagne Rédempteur - Champagne Heritage and Tradition
Where: Champagne, France – Estate in the Marne Valley
Duration: 1 hour
Highlights:
- Meet the family: Claudy, Cédric, and Vincent, descendants of Edmond Dubois
- Beautiful scenic views of the Marne Valley
- Explore the winery facilities: mini-museum, grafting area, press, vat room & oak barrels
- Wine tasting of 2 sparkling vintages in a reception room surrounded by vineyards
Price: Adults €20 | Children €10
What to Expect:
Champagne Rédempteur offers a journey into the heart of Champagne’s history and traditions. Visitors meet Claudy, Cédric, and Vincent, descendants of Edmond Dubois, known as “The Redeemer of Champagne,” and learn about their family’s legacy.
The guided tour highlights traditional techniques, such as hand riddling on wooden racks, demonstrating the family’s commitment to heritage and biodiversity.
The experience concludes with a tasting of two sparkling vintages in a charming reception room nestled within the vineyard, with stunning views of the Marne Valley. Champagne Rédempteur provides a truly memorable and scenic Champagne experience.
Château Comtesse Lafond - Sabrage and Tasting in the Cave and at the Château
Where: Champagne, France - Château Comtesse Lafond estate, in the village of Avize, Côte des Blancs
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Highlights:
- Learn the art of sabrage and open your own Champagne bottle
- Tasting of 3 sparkling wines: Extra-Brut, Blanc de Blancs, and Vintage 2014
- Explore the Cave Comtesse, Château Comtesse Lafond, and Caveau du Château
- Optional tasting of exquisite still wines from Domaines du Baron de Ladoucette
Price: Adults €65
What to Expect:
Château Comtesse Lafond offers a thrilling sabrage experience, where under the guidance of an estate ambassador, guests learn to open a Champagne bottle using the historic technique dating back to Napoleon’s era.
The tasting journey begins in the Cave Comtesse with the Extra-Brut, followed by the Château Comtesse Lafond, where the Blanc de Blancs is served in front of the Comtesse’s portrait, connecting visitors to the estate’s rich heritage. The experience concludes in the Caveau du Château with the Vintage 2014, highlighting the estate’s dedication to excellence.
Guests may also sample select still wines from other regions, showcasing the broader offerings of Domaines du Baron de Ladoucette.
Summary of Your Visit to Champagne, France
Visiting Champagne requires some planning. Decide on towns, tours, and accommodations in advance. Book popular wineries ahead of time. Learn basic French phrases. Prepare for variable weather. Understand transportation options. Respect local customs and etiquette. Take time to enjoy each tasting. Explore historical and cultural sites beyond the wine.
For a seamless experience, consider using Winera, an online platform that allows visitors to book winery visits and Champagne France wine tours in just a few clicks. Winera connects travelers with both large and boutique producers, offering guided tastings, enological lunches, sabrage experiences, and more, making planning your wine tour simple, personalized, and stress-free.
By following these guidelines and using tools like Winera, your trip to Champagne will be organized and rewarding. You will gain knowledge, taste world-class wines, and experience French culture. Planning carefully ensures a smooth, enjoyable visit.
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