How to day trip to Champagne
Book a tour.
You don’t want to try navigating Champagne by yourself. Plus, tours come with drinking buddies to raise a glass with! Here are our two tour suggestions:
Airbnb - Champagne day tour with a certified Somm from Reims
This selling point: it’s hosted by a certified Sommelier. Plus, it has a 4.96 rating from over 500 customers and tends to sell out fast. Note, this tour starts in Reims, so you’ll need to find a train from Paris on your own.
Trip Advisor - Champagne Day Trip
This is the tour we went on. TBH we chose it because the Airbnb experience was sold out. The best part? You’ll meet your guide at a Paris cafe and take a van together to Reims (a 1.5 hr drive). This made our morning a lot easier. Plus you can bombard your guide with questions the entire ride and catch glimpses of the French countryside. Win win!
Most tours share similar stops, including Reims, select Champagne Houses, and lunch. Read about the 5 places we visited!
01 - Reims
On our way from Paris to the Champagne houses, we stopped through this cute city to see Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Reims, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What’s all the hype about? This is where 33 Kings of France were crowned, including Louis XIV (who built the Palace of Versailles). No big deal.
02 - Michel Fagot Champagne House
Pronounced fa·go, this champagne house was the first we stopped at — and also our fav! In comparison to Moët & Chandon, it felt quaint and down to earth, with love in every bottle. It’s honestly like a scene from a Hallmark movie.
We visited here during peak harvest season, so the vineyard was bustling with workers picking grapes and preparing for fermentation. We tasted a handful of Champagnes but loved the Brut Rosé most. You can’t purchase this in the United States, so we got a bottle to bring back to Paris for sipping under the Eiffel Tower.
03 - Lunch in Épernay
All the bubbly made us hungry! Our guide drove us from Fagot to Epernay, the quiet little capital city of the Champagne region. With a population of just over 23,000, it has a village-like feel with quaint brasseries (informal restaurants) and shops. We ate at Sacré Bistro on the corner of Rue Flodoard and Rue Saint-Martin. The interior is moody with splashes of emerald green and seemed to be a popular lunch spot for locals.
04 - Moët & Chandon
The largest champagne house in the world! Moët & Chandon produces over 30 million bottles per year.
Stepping inside made us feel like Little Orphan Annie at the Daddy Warbucks’ estate. Our guide greeted us in formal attire and a cute up-do. Part of the tour was upstairs, where we watched a video overview of the champagne making process. The second part of the tour was underground. You can literally get lost in the 17 miles of dark, frigid cellars — so bring a coat (and a friend!)
We only tasted one champagne here, which was a full glass of their iconic Imperial blend. Everything about it was perfect. The tasting was held inside a large white room with high ceilings and decorative wood panelling. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings and mirrors from the walls.
05 - Dom Pérignon burial site & overlook
The last stop was Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers, the hilltop monastery where Dom Pérignon is buried. Who’s that? Dom Pérignon was a French monk who did not invent Champagne, but pioneered important winemaking methods that transformed production of Champagne.
If you drive just a short ways up the road past the church, you’ll find an epic overlook of rolling hills and vineyards. Find a bench and sit here for a few moments to take in the scenery. It’s stunning.
