When to go to Champagne?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: May to June and September to October
At a glance
Why go to Champagne?
Champagne is the only wine region in the world whose name is drunk in every language, and yet it remains surprisingly little visited, by travellers who cross it on the TGV without stopping. It is a mistake you can put right in 45 minutes from Paris: Reims greets you with a coronation cathedral, UNESCO-listed Gallo-Roman cellars and a bistro scene that has come on enormously in ten years.
Épernay, 25 minutes away, gathers the great houses along an avenue Churchill called the most drinkable in the world. Between the two, the Montagne de Reims and the Marne valley line up grower villages where tastings happen at the kitchen table.
The destination suits couples looking for a gourmet weekend and groups of friends who want to compare a Bollinger with a grower from Cumières, but also families: children love going down into the cellars, climbing the Verzenay lighthouse and getting lost among the twisted beeches of Verzy. Add Troyes, its forest of timber frames and its stained glass, and the Lac du Der in autumn when the cranes pass through in their tens of thousands, and you have enough to fill a week without ever taking the same road twice.
Map of Champagne: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Reims Cathedral
- Avenue de Champagne
- Hautvillers
- Verzenay Lighthouse
- Troyes
- Lac du Der
How much does a trip to Champagne cost?
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €60-90 per day | simple B&B or campsite, markets and sandwiches, free visits (cathedral, villages, Faux de Verzy, Troyes) and a tasting with a grower at €10-15. |
| Comfort | €120-170 per day | three-star hotel in Reims or Épernay, one restaurant a day, a tour of a great house at €48 and a bottle to take home. |
| Premium | €300 and up per day | hotel with spa among the vines, Michelin-starred table, private tour with a vintage tasting, hot-air balloon flight over the vineyard (about €250 per person). Prices rise sharply at weekends in May-June and during the harvest. |
Is Champagne safe?
A very safe and flat region, with no risk other than the road after a tasting: choose a designated driver or opt for the train and the bike. The cellars stay at 10-12°C all year round, with stairs that can be damp, so bring a jacket and closed shoes. On the Montagne de Reims and in the Verzy forest, ticks are present from May to October, so check yourself after your walk. Swimming at the Lac du Der is on the lifeguarded beaches in July-August; the undeveloped banks are muddy and sometimes deep. The harvest, in late August or early September, livens up the villages but closes some houses to visitors: check before you come.
What to see and do in Champagne
- Reims Cathedral
- Avenue de Champagne, Épernay
- Moët & Chandon cellars
- Hautvillers
- Verzenay Lighthouse
- Faux de Verzy
- Troyes
- Lac du Der-Chantecoq
Reims Cathedral
A masterpiece of High Gothic, Reims Cathedral saw the coronation of 25 kings of France between 1223 and 1825, in the tradition of Clovis's baptism around the year 500. Its façade has more than 2,300 statues, including the Smiling Angel, which became the symbol of the city after being beheaded by a shell in 1914 and then restored. Inside, the stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall (1974) and Imi Knoebel (2011 and 2015) converse with the medieval glass. The tower tour, 250 steps, takes you above the flying buttresses and the concrete roof frame rebuilt after the fire of 1914, with a view over the whole city. The monument has been UNESCO-listed since 1991, together with the Palais du Tau and the Basilica of Saint-Remi.
Avenue de Champagne, Épernay
The Avenue de Champagne stretches for a kilometre between Place de la République and the Bellevue district, lined with grand mansions built by the merchants in the 18th and 19th centuries. Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger, Mercier, De Venoge and Boizel have their headquarters here, above a hundred or so kilometres of cellars said to hold 200 million bottles. Since 2015, the avenue has been part of the UNESCO site "Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars" along with the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims and the slopes of Hautvillers, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Château Perrier, a former mansion of 1854, has housed the Museum of Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology since 2021. Between two houses, the tourist office's champagne bar and its terrace let you taste small growers' cuvées by the glass.
Hautvillers
Perched above the Marne valley, Hautvillers presents itself as the cradle of champagne: it was in its Benedictine abbey, founded in 650, that Dom Pierre Pérignon served as cellarer from 1668 until his death in 1715. He did not invent the bubbles, but he perfected the blending of grapes from different crus and the quick pressing of Pinot Noir into white wine, two techniques that still underpin the champagne method. His tombstone can be seen in the abbey church, free to enter. The village, now partly owned by Moët & Chandon, lines up winegrowers' houses with colourful shutters and more than a hundred wrought-iron signs indicating each family's trade. The viewpoint on the road to Cumières opens onto a panorama of UNESCO-listed vines, and the ten or so grower-producers in the village welcome you for tastings far more intimate than those in Épernay.
Verzenay Lighthouse
The Verzenay lighthouse is the only tower of its kind standing in a French vineyard: the merchant Joseph Goulet built it in 1909 as an advertising sign visible from all over the Reims plain. Restored by the town, it has housed the Vineyard Museum since 1999, with clear displays on the winegrower's calendar, pruning, the harvest and the 320 crus of the appellation. The climb of 101 steps leads to the lantern and a panorama over the grands crus of the Montagne de Reims, Verzenay, Mailly-Champagne, Verzy, with the cathedral on the horizon. The Verzenay windmill, built in 1818 on the neighbouring hillock, served as an observation post for French troops during the Great War and now belongs to the house of G.H. Mumm. The wine route linking Verzenay to Bouzy and Ambonnay passes through the finest Pinot Noir villages in Champagne.
Troyes
The historic capital of Champagne, Troyes owes an exceptional old centre to its medieval fairs, where gold was weighed in troy pounds, a unit still used for precious metals. The street plan, shaped like a champagne cork, brings together hundreds of 16th- and 17th-century half-timbered houses, including the Ruelle des Chats, so narrow that the roofs touch. Nine churches and the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul hold some 9,000 m² of stained glass from the 13th to the 19th century, earning the Aube département the title of European capital of stained glass; the Cité du Vitrail, opened in late 2022 in the Hôtel-Dieu-le-Comte, explains the techniques for €7, free for under-26s. Troyes is also the town of hosiery, a tradition kept alive by the factory outlets of Pont-Sainte-Marie and Saint-Julien-les-Villas. 1h30 from Paris by train, it is a gateway to the Côte des Bar, the southern Champagne vineyard, and to the great lakes of the Forêt d'Orient.
Lac du Der-Chantecoq
Filled in 1974 to protect Paris from Marne floods, the Lac du Der-Chantecoq covers 4,800 hectares, making it the largest artificial lake in France. It swallowed three villages, Chantecoq, Champaubert-aux-Bois and Nuisement-aux-Bois; the Champaubert church, preserved on a peninsula, is their most photographed witness. From October to March, the lake becomes Europe's leading migratory stopover for the common crane: counts regularly exceed 100,000 roosting birds, with a record of 268,000 in November 2019. Dawn take-offs watched from the Ferme aux Grues or the Chantecoq dyke draw birdwatchers from all over Europe. In summer, the lake changes face with its lifeguarded beaches, marinas, 38 km cycle path and the Der village museum at Sainte-Marie-du-Lac, which gathers timber-framed houses saved from the drowned villages.
How many days, and which itinerary?
A weekend is enough for Reims and Épernay with two cellar visits. Four to five days let you add the villages of the Montagne de Reims, Hautvillers and a grower or two in the Marne valley. A week takes you as far as Troyes, the Côte des Bar and, depending on the season, the cranes of the Lac du Der.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Champagne guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of France
weekend (2 days)
Day 1: early TGV to Reims, climb the cathedral towers, lunch at the Halles du Boulingrin, visit the Taittinger or Pommery cellars on the Saint-Nicaise hill, dinner in a bistro on Rue de Mars. Day 2: TER to Épernay, stroll up the Avenue de Champagne, visit Moët & Chandon or Mercier with its little underground train, tasting at the tourist office bar and back to Paris in the late afternoon.
4-5 days
Day 1: Reims, the cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Remi and a champagne house. Day 2: the Montagne de Reims by car or e-bike, the Verzenay lighthouse, the Faux de Verzy trail, a tasting with a grower in Bouzy or Ambonnay. Day 3: Hautvillers in the morning, then Épernay and the Avenue de Champagne. Day 4: the Marne valley, Cumières, Damery, Châtillon-sur-Marne and its statue of Urban II, a cruise on the Marne from Cumières. Day 5: the Reims market on Saturday or a detour to Châlons-en-Champagne and its gardens.
one week
Days 1 to 3: Reims, the Montagne de Reims and Épernay as above. Day 4: the Marne valley to Château-Thierry and its Jean de La Fontaine museum. Day 5: head south to Troyes, its timber-framed lanes, the Cité du Vitrail and the market hall. Day 6: the Côte des Bar, Essoyes where Renoir lived, Les Riceys and its three appellations, a tasting with a grower in Bar-sur-Aube. Day 7: the Lac du Der at dawn for the cranes from October to March, or a bike ride round the lake in summer, then back via Vitry-le-François.
Getting there and getting around
The TGV takes 45 minutes from Paris-Est to Reims, arriving in the city centre or at Champagne-Ardenne TGV station, 8 km to the south. Épernay can be reached by TER in 1h15 from Paris-Est or in 25 minutes from Reims.
Troyes is 1h30 from Paris-Est by regional train. Once there, a car remains the easiest way to string together the wine villages; allow 30 minutes between Reims and Épernay on the D951.
An e-bike is a good alternative on the Montagne de Reims and in the Marne valley, with rental shops in Reims, Épernay and Hautvillers, and the Marne cycle route follows the canal to Châlons. Watch out for drink-driving checks on the wine route: they are frequent and entirely justified.
Where to stay in Champagne?
Budget: Reims has a youth hostel at the Centre International de Séjour near the Comédie, and several decent two-star hotels around the station and Boulevard Foch, at €60 to 85 for a double. The campsites along the Marne, at Cumières, Châlons or around the Lac du Der, take tents and vans for €20 to 30 a pitch. B&B rooms with winegrowers in the Marne valley, at Damery, Cumières or Œuilly, often stay under €90 with breakfast included.
Comfort: central Reims, between the cathedral and Place Drouet-d'Erlon, has a string of well-run three- and four-star hotels at €110 to 170, handy for getting around without a car. In Épernay, grand houses turned hotels around the Avenue de Champagne and Rue du Général-Leclerc offer rooms at €120-180 with a cellar and champagne bar. In the villages of the Montagne de Reims, Verzenay, Rilly-la-Montagne or Bouzy, charming B&Bs run by growers charge around €100-140.
Our pick: sleep among the vines at Hautvillers or Champillon, on the ridge above Épernay and the Marne valley, with the evening light on the UNESCO-listed slopes. The upmarket addresses there go above €300, but a few winegrowers' houses offer rooms at €130-160. In Reims, the Saint-Nicaise hill and its parks, a stone's throw from the Pommery and Taittinger cellars, is the most peaceful district for a romantic stay.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Champagne?
Champagne can be tasted everywhere, but at very variable prices: allow €8 to 15 a glass at a bar, €25 to 45 for a grower's bottle bought at the estate, and €48 minimum for a tour of the great houses. The Halles du Boulingrin in Reims, a superb concrete vault from 1929, hosts the market on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings: this is where you will find Reims ham, the pink biscuits of the Fossier house, founded in 1756, and Chaource, a creamy cheese from the Aube.
In Troyes, AAAAA andouillette is eaten grilled at the covered market or in the brasseries of the centre, at €15 to 20 a dish. Potée champenoise and pig's trotters à la Sainte-Menehould belong to the grandmother's cooking still found in the inns of the Argonne.
A lunch menu in a bistro in Reims or Épernay costs €20 to 30, a gourmet table €90 to 250. The producers' markets in Bouzy, Ambonnay and Vertus let you buy directly from winegrowers without an appointment.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Champagne
When is the best time to visit Champagne?
May-June for the vines in flower and long evenings, September-October for the harvest and then the golden foliage. Winter has its fans: quiet cellars, the Reims Christmas markets and the cranes at the Lac du Der. Just avoid January-February, when many houses close at weekends.
Can you visit Champagne without a car?
Yes, for the essentials: Reims is 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, Épernay 25 minutes from Reims by TER, and the great houses can be visited on foot in both towns. For the wine villages, rent an e-bike in Épernay or Reims, or book a half-day minibus tour, about €80 to 120 per person.
How much does a champagne cellar tour cost?
Allow €25 to 35 at a medium-sized house such as Mercier or Canard-Duchêne, €48 and up at Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot or Taittinger, with a tasting of one or two glasses included. At a grower's, a tasting of three cuvées costs €10 to 20 and often turns into an hour-long conversation.
Should you book cellar tours in advance?
Yes, especially from May to October and at weekends: the great houses are fully booked several days ahead and sell their slots online. Independent growers receive visitors by appointment, and a call the day before is usually enough.
How many days should you spend in Champagne?
Two days for Reims and Épernay, four to five to add the Montagne de Reims, Hautvillers and the Marne valley, a week if you push on to Troyes, the Côte des Bar and the Lac du Der.
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