Champagne

Browse the sample tours below for inspiration or contact us straight away for a tailor-made itinerary by a local travel designer.

Discover the stately vineyards and rolling hills where iconic Champagne is produced.

Our Favorite Champagne Tours

Three Wonderful Nights in Champagne

4 Days | Premium | From $2,399 pp
This three-night add-on in Champagne is magic. Stay in a château hotel, spend a day on a private chauffeured, cruise on the Marne River. This tour includes multiple tastings and Champagne house ...
Wine & Food

A Foodie Tour of Paris, Champagne & Bordeaux

10 Days | Premium | From $6,199 pp
Discover the French gastronomy on a tour of Paris and the Champagne and Bordeaux regions! Our local guides and producers will let you in on the secrets of the culinary specialties in France. This ...
Honeymoons & Romance, Wine & Food

A Perfect Mixture Between Gastronomic and Cultural Discoveries in Champagne, Burgundy, and Lyon

11 Days | Premium | From $6,299 pp
Travel from Champagne, through Burgundy, and finally to Lyon where you will enjoy a perfect balance of gastronomic and cultural experiences. In Burgundy, you'll enjoy a fabulous full day amongst the ...
History & Culture, Wine & Food

The Best of Beaujolais, Burgundy, and Champagne Vineyards

12 Days | Premium | From $6,799 pp
This tour is our wine tour par excellence. You’ll learn to better appreciate the beguiling drink on this two-week sojourn through world-class vineyards. Start in Lyon, France’s favorite foodie ...
Honeymoons & Romance, Wine & Food

An Incredible Wine Trip to the Champagne Region

5 Days | Luxury | From $4,499 pp
During this tour, you'll experience the best that Champagne has to offer. You'll visit Champagne houses of varying sizes, including the largest producer and incredible family-owned estates. You'll ...
Honeymoons & Romance

An Incredible Trip to the City of Light and Champagne

9 Days | Luxury | From $12,799 pp
Discover the world of French luxury in Paris and Champaign. Exclusive museum visits, unique luxury shopping experiences, and fabulous Champagne tastings can be expected on this tour that combines the ...
Honeymoons & Romance, Wine & Food

Get to know the Champagne

About Champagne

As an appellation d’origine contrôlée, a protected designation of origin, this is the only place that can officially use the name Champagne. Located forty-five minutes east of Paris by train, there are hundreds of producers ranging from small family-owned wineries and collectives to prestigious Champagne houses like Louis Roederer and Moët & Chandon (who produce Cristal and Dom Pérignon respectively).

Young woman cycling on road along vineyards, France

Most people traveling to Champagne will want to do some winery visits and tastings! Visit the producers with a private driver, on a group tour, or on an e-bike to learn about traditional méthode champenoise fermentation. Visits always include a delightful dégustation, an opportunity to sample the famous drink. Enology classes explain the flavor nuances and the usage of pinot noir, pinot Meunier, and chardonnay grapes. In 2015 Champagnes’ hillsides, houses, and wine cellars were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

This region is critically important to French history. It was from here that Clovis I united the Frankish tribes, pushed the Romans out of Gaul, and became the first King of France in the late 5th century. He converted to Catholicism, and was baptized on the site of the current Reims Cathedral. This made the church a symbolic space where a millennium of French monarchs would be crowned. 

Cathedral Notre Dame in Reims, France

Wine was cultivated in this area at least as early as the 5th century, often in monasteries. The 17th-century Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon is certainly the region’s most famous character. He is credited with inventing sparkling Champagne, but the myth is not true. He took steps to improve wine-making process and actually decrease bubbles in the wine. At the time refermentation in the bottle was considered a serious defect. Building pressure in the bottles would cause them to explode. Sparkling Champagne would not become trendy until the 19th century. 

The location of Champagne between Paris and the German border put it on World War I’s Western Front. Military history aficionados can tour the nearby Marne battlefields and memorials.  

Cuisine

Jambon sec des Ardennes, a salt-cured ham leg, is one of the region’s most famous foods, but all the pork specialties are delicious.

french charcouterie, pork and typical champagne food

For those with a sweet tooth, the popular biscuits roses de Reims are pink vanilla-flavored cookies that can be dunked into one’s Champagne.

BISCUIT ROSE DE REIMS, IN CHAMPAGNE

Adventurous eaters can try andouillette de Troyes (tripe sausage), snails, or pieds de porc à la Sainte-Ménehould, pig feet stewed for so long that the bones soften and become edible.

Logistics:

When to go: Champagne can be enjoyed year-round, but avoid harvest time in late September, when many vineyards close to the public. The fall months of October and November are a magical time to visit when the colors are beginning to change. 

The weather in this region is mild and consistent, perfect for growing grapes. The temperatures range from the 30s °F (1 – 5°C) in the winter to upper 70s °F (21 – 26 °C) in the summer. 

A tip: The wine cellars are chilly, so pack a sweater. You may need it even on a hot day.

By Train: The main Champagne-Ardenne TGV station is located right outside of Reims. It can be reached in just 45 minutes from Paris by high-speed train.

By Car: The Champagne region is 1½ to 2 hours east by car from Paris.

What to eat and drink:

Cheese: Chaource, a creamy cow’s milk cheese is a perfect pair with Champagne and many white wines.

French soft white rind cheese

Wine: When in Champagne, drink Champagne! Anything labeled as Champagne in the EU must come from this small region. The king of sparkling wines is available both in white and rosé.

Experience Champagne

Épernay and Avenue de Champagne

Épernay is home to the most prestigious Champagne houses, arguably making it the real capital of the Champagne. The star attraction is the Avenue de Champagne, which is lined with beautiful mansions and headquarters many of the legendary Champagne ... Show More »Épernay is home to the most prestigious Champagne houses, arguably making it the real capital of the Champagne. The star attraction is the Avenue de Champagne, which is lined with beautiful mansions and headquarters many of the legendary Champagne ...

Épernay is home to the most prestigious Champagne houses, arguably making it the real capital of the Champagne. The star attraction is the Avenue de Champagne, which is lined with beautiful mansions and headquarters many of the legendary Champagne houses. Underneath the elegant street are the more than 60 miles (110km) of tunnels that house 200 million bottles of bubbly. The tunnels are a must for wine-lovers! 

Charming Hautvillers, “the Cradle of Champagne” is a stone’s throw away from Épernay. The village is surrounded by rolling green hills and a sea of vineyards.  Dom Perignon, the mythical father of Champagne, is buried in its Abbaye Saint-Pierre.

Reims

The capital of Champagne and the City of Kings makes a great base from which to explore the Champagne’s vineyards. Upon your return to town visit the Notre-Dame cathedral, one of France’s most visually-stunning and historically-important ... Show More »The capital of Champagne and the City of Kings makes a great base from which to explore the Champagne’s vineyards. Upon your return to town visit the Notre-Dame cathedral, one of France’s most visually-stunning and historically-important ...

The capital of Champagne and the City of Kings makes a great base from which to explore the Champagne’s vineyards. Upon your return to town visit the Notre-Dame cathedral, one of France’s most visually-stunning and historically-important churches. 80% of the city was destroyed in World War I. Rebuilding left Reims with an unrivaled collection of Art-Deco architecture mixed with the surviving Gothic monuments. A visit to the Veuve Clicquot house and its wine-cellars is a highlight!

What Our Clients Are Saying

They will ensure your trip is everything you dreamed and more, j’adore FST
« We had a trip of a lifetime in Paris and Champagne and it was all because of French Side Travel (FST), our trip would not have been the same if we planned it on our own… I have already recommended French Side Travel to several friends and plan to use … »
Would highly recommend it
« Wonderful trip from Paris to Normandy and return: transport, hotel, guides, food, agenda— all planned and executed perfectly. Merci beaucoup! »
We will definitely use them again if we are fortunate enough to return to France
« FST did a beautiful job for us on our trip to Normandy and Paris. Not only did the transfers and guided trips go smoothly, but the support staff was available to answer questions during our stay and responded immediately. We will definitely use them … »
We highly recommend FST to anyone who’s trying to plan a memorable trip
« …I have to say they did an excellent job helping plan our trip…We would highly recommend French Side Travel to anyone who’s trying to plan a memorable trip to France. We would use them again for sure! »
Well done French Side!
« We were very satisfied and pleased with all of the details of our trip. Well done French Side! »
Excellent service from start to finish
« Excellent service from start to finish – assistance with planning, preparing details and execution. We had a very memorable day trip to Loire Valley. »
This was an exciting experience… Highly recommended!
« Wonderful trip! Every detail went as planned from the hotels to car rentals to train scheduling. The day to day itinerary worked perfectly. Although we have traveled to France many times, this was an exciting experience.. Highly recommended! »
French Side Travel exceeded my expectations
« Fantastic trip to Provence and Cote d Azur. Hotels were all in great locations, the guides were very knowledgeable, and the itinerary was excellent. French Side travel exceeded my expectations and I look forward to future trips to France with them »
They designed the most perfect two week French vacation for us
« Sarah and the team at French Side Travel designed the most perfect two week French vacation for us. Each tour guide was so wonderful, the hotels they selected were boutique and walking distance to everything. They respected our budget and gave us a … »
Available all the time for my questions before and during the trip
« French Side Travel did an amazing job creating and coordinating our unbelievable trip to France. Big shout out to Landen for designing this beautiful trip and Emilie who booked everything and was patient with me and available all the time for my … »
They made our trip hassle free as we just enjoyed a wonderful itinerary
« We just came back from a wonderful trip to Bordeaux and Dordogne organized by French Side Travel. It was amazing. They work with first class local guides to provide one of kind experiences. The trip was tailored to our needs and their office was … »
Our anniversary trip was all we had hoped for
« Our 50th wedding anniversary trip to the Normandy region of France was all we had hoped for. Christiana and her staff at French Side travel arranged every detail, without a hitch. Our professional drivers/guides were prompt, knowledgeable and very … »
Read More

Our Partners and Awards

French Side Partners

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.