Épernay and Reims are the two towns where most of the great Champagne houses have their headquarters, with miles of chalk cellars beneath their streets. Visiting a few houses, walking through their cellars and finishing with a tasting is the classic Champagne experience, and both towns are easy to reach from Paris.

Quick answer: in Épernay, walk the Avenue de Champagne and book a tour at Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët or a smaller house such as Boizel or Leclerc Briant. In Reims, the Roman-era chalk pits (crayères) at Taittinger, Pommery, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart are the highlight. Book every tour in advance, plan two or three visits per day at most, and add at least one small grower producer for contrast.

Champagne Region at a Glance

The Champagne wine region lies about 150 km east of Paris. Only sparkling wine made here, from grapes grown within the appellation and by the traditional method of a second fermentation in the bottle, can be called Champagne. The main grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The vineyards cluster in a few areas: the Montagne de Reims between the two towns, the Vallée de la Marne west of Épernay, the Côte des Blancs south of Épernay (mostly Chardonnay) and the Côte des Bar much further south near Troyes. In 2015, the “Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars” were listed by UNESCO, including the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims and the historic vineyards around Hautvillers, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.

	Épernay	Reims
Character	Small town devoted to Champagne	Historic city with a famous cathedral
Champagne houses	Concentrated on one avenue	Spread across the city, several on the Saint-Nicaise hill
Cellars	Long galleries dug into chalk	Gallo-Roman crayères (chalk pits) at several houses
Train from Paris	About 1h15–1h30 (direct TER)	About 45 minutes (TGV)
Best for	Walking between houses and vineyard trips	Combining Champagne with sightseeing and restaurants

The Avenue de Champagne in Épernay

The Avenue de Champagne is a straight, elegant street of about a kilometer lined with the 19th-century mansions of Champagne houses. Below it, the cellars of Épernay hold millions of bottles in more than 100 km of galleries. Walking the avenue is free and pleasant at any time; to go underground you need to join a tour.

• Moët & Chandon (founded 1743): the best-known house, with the most extensive cellars in the region. Several tour levels are offered, from a standard cellar visit and tasting to longer premium experiences.
• Perrier-Jouët: famous for its Belle Époque cuvée with anemone-painted bottles; tours include its Art Nouveau heritage.
• Mercier: known for its giant decorative barrel and a small train that carries visitors through the cellars, which makes it popular with families. Check current availability before you go.
• De Castellane: recognizable by its tall tower, which you can climb for views over Épernay and the vineyards.
• Boizel, Leclerc Briant, De Venoge, Comtesse Lafond and others: smaller family or independent houses on or near the avenue that offer more personal tours and tastings.
• Pol Roger: Winston Churchill’s favorite Champagne. The house is on the avenue but does not open to visitors.

Also on the avenue, the Musée du Vin de Champagne et d’Archéologie Régionale in the Château Perrier explains the history of Champagne-making and is a good first stop.

Champagne Houses in Reims

Several Reims houses sit above crayères, chalk quarries dug in Gallo-Roman times and later turned into cellars. These vast, cathedral-like spaces are the main reason to visit Champagne in Reims.

• Taittinger: cellars in Gallo-Roman crayères and the remains of the medieval Saint-Nicaise abbey; a popular, well-run tour.
• Pommery: a striking Neo-Gothic estate with a grand staircase down to crayères that host contemporary art exhibitions.
• Veuve Clicquot: the house of Madame Clicquot, a pioneer of the riddling technique that clears Champagne of sediment. Its crayères are part of the UNESCO site; tours sell out quickly.
• Ruinart (1729): the oldest established Champagne house, with crayères classified as a historic monument. Visits are limited and premium-priced, so book well ahead.
• G.H. Martel: tours in medieval chalk quarries, often good value.
• Mumm, Lanson and other houses: also run visits at various times; check each house’s website for current tours.

Between visits, see the Notre-Dame Cathedral, where French kings were crowned, the Palais du Tau and the Basilica of Saint-Remi. More ideas are in our guides to things to do in Reims and what Reims is famous for.

Big Houses vs Small Grower Producers

The grandes maisons (large houses) buy grapes from many growers and blend them to create a consistent house style. Their tours are polished and multilingual, take you through impressive cellars and explain the whole process from pressing to riddling and disgorging. The downside is that they can feel commercial, and tastings may be limited to one or two glasses.

Grower Champagne is made by families who grow their own grapes and make wine from them. Look for the letters RM (récoltant-manipulant) on the label; large houses show NM (négociant-manipulant). Visits at growers are more personal: often the winemaker shows you the press, the cellar and the vines, and you taste several wines that reflect a single village. Some growers only receive visitors by appointment, and English may be limited, so book through the producer, the local tourist office or a specialist agency.

A good plan is to combine one or two big houses with one grower, ideally in a vineyard village such as Hautvillers, Aÿ, Cramant, Avize or Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

How to Book Tours and Tastings

• Book in advance: almost all houses require reservations, especially from May to October and on weekends. Book on each house’s website or through the Épernay and Reims tourist offices.
• Pace yourself: tours last 1–2 hours. Two or three visits per day, with lunch in between, is plenty.
• Costs: entry-level tours with one or two glasses usually cost a few tens of euros, and premium tastings with vintage or prestige cuvées cost considerably more. Check current prices.
• Opening times: many houses close on certain days or for a winter break, and smaller producers close at lunchtime. Check before you travel.
• Bring a layer: the cellars stay at around 10–12°C year-round, and floors can be damp. Wear comfortable shoes for the steps.
• Age: alcohol is only served to adults (18+), so check each house’s policy if you’re traveling with children.
• Driving: if you’re driving between houses, use a designated driver or spit. A guided tour from Reims or Épernay avoids the problem.

For organized options, see our roundup of the best wine tours in France.

Getting There from Paris

To Reims: TGV trains from Paris Gare de l’Est reach Reims central station in about 45 minutes. Some TGVs stop instead at Champagne-Ardenne TGV station outside the city, which is connected to the center by tram. To Épernay: direct regional TER trains from Paris Gare de l’Est take about 1h15–1h30. Reims and Épernay are linked by regional trains in about 20–30 minutes.

By car, Reims is about 1.5 hours from Paris on the A4 motorway, and Épernay a little longer. A car is useful for growers and vineyard villages, which are poorly served by public transport. Champagne also features in our list of weekend trips from Paris by train and the best day trips from Paris.

Reims or Épernay: Where to Stay

• Stay in Reims for the widest choice of hotels and restaurants, the cathedral and an easy train connection from Paris. It works well for a first visit or a trip without a car.
• Stay in Épernay to be in the middle of the vineyards, close to the Avenue de Champagne and to grower villages in the Marne Valley and Côte des Blancs.
• Stay in a vineyard village or a chambre d’hôtes at a grower for the most rural experience; you’ll need a car.

With one day from Paris, choose one town and two or three tours. With two days, spend one in each, or split your time between a town and the vineyards. Is Reims worth a full day on its own? See is Reims worth visiting.

Other Things to Do in Champagne

• Hautvillers: a hilltop village above Épernay where the monk Dom Pérignon is buried in the abbey church; great views over the Marne Valley.
• Phare de Verzenay: a lighthouse in the middle of the vineyards with a small museum on the life of the vines and a view from the top.
• Faux de Verzy: a forest of strangely twisted beech trees in the Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park.
• Côte des Blancs: a scenic drive through Chardonnay villages such as Cramant, Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
• Aÿ: a historic Champagne village that is home to several renowned houses.
• Biscuits roses de Reims: the pink biscuits traditionally dipped in Champagne, sold in Reims bakeries and shops.
• Musée de la Reddition in Reims: the room where Germany signed its surrender on 7 May 1945.

Planning a longer wine trip? Pair Champagne with the Alsace Wine Route, about 3.5–4 hours’ drive east, or compare regions in our guide to the best wine regions to visit in France.

Summary

To visit the Champagne houses, choose Épernay for the Avenue de Champagne and easy access to the vineyards, or Reims for the spectacular Gallo-Roman crayères and a city break. Book every tour ahead, limit yourself to two or three visits per day, bring a warm layer for the cellars and mix a big house or two with a small grower producer. Both towns are close enough to Paris for a day trip, but a night or two in the region makes the experience far more relaxed.