The Champagne Wine Region of France is simply one of the most beautiful and fun weekend trips that you can take. The rolling hills in the countryside where the vineyards grow their grapes are just stunning and the small town of Épernay, where most of the prestiges wine houses make and store their champagne is just as quaint and charming as it is elegant and fancy. This is truly a special trip and one we can’t recommend enough, even if you don’t particularly like champagne, but especially if you do.
For any weekend trip to the region the best place to stay will be in the town of Épernay. The town has plenty of decent accommodations and restaurants, it’s within a 15 min drive of most vineyards and it is the location of the famous Avenue de Champagne, where all the major champagne producers have their exquisite and luxurious champagne houses. This is where you’ll spend at least a day or two walking up and down the street visiting the champagne houses, touring their vast underground cellars where they produce and age their champagnes and tasting some of their best champagnes as well.
Épernay is one of the wealthiest towns in all of France, featuring one of the most expensive streets in the world, Avenue de Champagne. Épernay is also famous for the vast underground cellars lying directly below its streets. There are approximately 110kms worth, holding 200 million bottles of fizz. There’s a famous story that in 1950 one of the Mercier family decided to host a car rally in their cellar. And not a bottle of champagne was broken!
If you venture out of Épernay you can be at many of the region’s finest vineyards within half an hour. Just across the Marne River from Épernay you’ll find the Aÿ region, home to some of the worlds best Pinot Noir grapes. If you go west along the Marne you’ll find the Pinot Meunier vineyards. And if you leave Épernay and head South you’ll be heading for Chardonnay territory on the hillsides of the Cote de Blancs. You really are in the center of some of Frances best wine producing regions when you visit Champagne.
Where to Stay
We stayed in a lovely accommodation right in the center of Épernay called “Le logis du pressoir”
This spot was perfect for us. It had ample room, it allowed pets and it was right in the center of town, within walking distance to everything. If you’re a couple going on a weekend getaway and looking for a decent, comfortable place to stay, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place.
If you’re looking for something even fancier, Boutique Hotel Guides has a great list of accommodations.
Two other places to check out if you’re looking for a nice experience are la Villa Eugene, if you are looking for a proper hotel, with a pool and some of the best champagne tasting in town. This is a highly luxurious place to stay, once belonging to the Mercier family. It is also walking distance from many of the champagne houses.
And, for a simply regal experience, if you want to stay in a castle with a moat, you can try Chateau D’Etoges which is located outside of the town of Épernay in the surrounding hills.
For modern luxury, check out Royal Champagne Hotel and Spa
If none of those fit your fancy, here is a list of other high quality accomodations that come highly recommended:
Things to Do
Prak Vineyard
Sombath Prak is one of the most fascinating people you’ll ever meet. He’s a French born citizen with parents that immigrated to France from Cambodia. After growing up in the Champagne region of France, he eventually met and fell in love with a local girl named Isabella. Isabella’s family had long traditions in the Champagne making world. Sombath developed an enduring love for Champagne and eventually decided to learn the process of making Champagne from Isabella’s family. After years of practice he’s earned the respect of not only Isabella’s family, but also many of the renowned Champagne makers of the area.
Him and Isabella live in a small centuries old farm house on the outskirts of town, growing their own grapes and creating some of the best Champagne you’ll ever try. This boutique Champagne production is something that you will never find in any commercial store outside of the immediate area. Besides being unique and particular to the region, Prak’s Champagne is some of the best you’ll find anywhere on Earth.
What’s even better is that Sombath is so engaging and excited about the production of Champagne that he is always looking for new ways to engage with visitors. Check their website first, but if you can’t get through that way, you can also try simply mailing his personal email address (contact@champagnecouvreurprak.fr) you can set up any number of private experiences at his Champagne Chalet. Typically on your first visit he likes to take you through his cellar where he teaches you all the steps of making Champagne, lets you turn the bottles and provides you with Champagne tastings of all his Champagnes along with some food pairings. This tour is so amazingly detailed and extensive that you’ll feel comfortable making your own Champagne if you choose afterwards.
On subsequent trips, Sombath will set up a sunrise or sunset picnic in the vineyards to try all his Champagnes. And, finally, on a third trip to his vineyard, he will let you blend some of his wines to your particular tastes and then turn your wines into Champagne that you can come back and pick up the following year. If you email him you can pretty much personalize your experience anyway you choose. All of these experiences as well as bottles of Champagne themselves are very reasonably priced. Don’t go to the Champagne Wine Valley without contacting Sombath to set up a personalized experience.
Champagne Avenue
Champagne Avenue or (L’Avenue de Champagne) is a gorgeous boulevard in the center of Epernay where all the major champagne houses of the region have a large chalet where they produce their champagnes from the regions best grapes. Extending for nearly a kilometer, this world famous street houses some of the worlds leading champagne producers like Moët et Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Mercier, and de Venoge. The magnificent wine houses and their cellars make up what is considered the most expensive street anywhere in the world.
You won’t be able to visit all the Champagne Houses in one day without getting completely blasted. But, make sure to either pick a couple to stop in as you walk down the street or make this a multi-day experience. Most of the houses do some sort of tour, a tasting, or you can just buy glasses of champagne and sit, enjoying them in their courtyard. Moët et Chandon, Pol Roger and, especially Paul-Etienne Saint Germain, a smaller producer at the far end of the street were some of our favorites.
Take the Tour at Moët et Chandon
This is one of the best and most extensive champagne house tours in the area. Plus Moët et Chandon isn’t just a famous brand, they really do have some of the best champagnes in the world.
Moët is a world renowned champagne maker and their champagnes stand up to the challenge. Their massive champagne house at the beginning of L’Avenue de Champagne is one of the nicest houses you can visit and their tour is by far one of the most extensive. You’ll get some historical background of the house, learn about champagne making, take a tour of their cellars that extend out over a labyrinth of almost 30km of interconnecting tunnels where endless bottles of champagne are being produced in the constant temperature these underground caves provide, and finally you’ll get to try 3 glasses of their finest bubbles.
Visit De Castellane
Billing itself as “the most mysterious champagne in the world,” De Castellane has a huge production facility at the main entrance to Epernay. You can see the building for miles and you’ll undoubtedly drive past it at some point. Stop on in and take their tour and taste their champagne.
Visit Éprenay’s Town Hall and Surrounding Gardens.
As you walk towards Champagne Avenue from the center of Épernay you’ll pass by the Hôtel de Ville, a mansion donated to the town by the Moët family. Surrounding the building are some seriously stunning ponds and a beautiful area of parks. This would be a great place to stop after picking up a bottle of champagne and some food for a picnic.
If you have time you can add a stop in Reims.
Reims is the nearest large city in the region and a crucial stop on the Champagne Route. There is a spectacular cathedral, where French monarchs were officially crowned for over 1,000 years as well as tons of great food, wine and champagne. If you don’t have time to add Reims to your itinerary though, don’t worry too much about it. Epernay and the Avenue of Champagne are the real stars of this trip.
Épernay’s Best Restaurants
Cook’in – French-Thai fusion cuisine with a Michelin Star. Farm vegetables, wild-caught fish, meat from the region at unbeatable prices. Be sure to try the beef tournedos marinated in coriander.
Symbiosis – A modern kitchen with perfectly balanced flavors, creative accents and a preference for spices as well as a neat presentation.
La Grillade Gourmande – Excellent classic French cooking, and warm, attentive service.
Les Berceaux – Epernay’s finest Michelin Star dining experience.
Bistro le 7 – A more low key dining experience with Michelin quality food.
