When one thinks of visiting France’s Champagne region, images of blooming flowers, rolling hills and warm summer nights drinking champagne emerge. However, this region also comes to life in December during the holiday season. When planning your 2023 getaways, consider Christmas Time in Champagne! It is a beautiful, festive time to visit the region, making it a perfect winter getaway or anytime getaway!
Pop the Bubbly: Schedule Your Champagne House Visits
What is the best activity to do in the Champagne region? Visit Champagne Houses of course! There are numerous Champagne Houses you can go to — from big, well known houses to smaller producers. All are worth a visit and each one produces champagnes with different flavor profiles.
It is best to have a reservation in advance for tours and tastings. To start, create a list of the Champagne Houses you would like to visit. You can ask your concierge to reserve tastings/tours for you or you can reserve online directly with each Champagne House. If reservations are tight, you can also check tour operators who may have block reservations. Let’s get planning!
Plan Your Visit To Champagne
Champagne is comprised of 5 different regions, all with different vibes that produce different champagne profiles. Where to stay depends largely on which Champagne Houses you would like to visit. Reims and Epernay are the most popular towns to use as a home base. Both contain many of the larger, well known Champagne Houses. If you want to visit smaller producers, surrounding towns in the area are within 20 minutes or so of each other. You can choose to stay in a hotel or rent an apartment or villa in Reims, Epernay or one of the surrounding nearby towns. VRBO and Expedia offer several lodging options.
Modern Empty Nester Tip: Taxis and Uber are available in the area but can be rather expensive. Staying in the same town where some of your tastings and tours are located will be more convenient if you do not have a rental car.
How to Get to Champagne, France
The Champagne region is surprisingly very close to Paris, only about 75 miles away. Monitor flight prices well in advance to Paris on Going.com, Expedia or your favorite airline to land the best flight deals. From Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), you will need to decide how to proceed towards the Champagne region. You can take the train or arrange a private car transfer, depending on your ultimate destination. Advance reservations make your trip smooth. This is especially helpful when you arrive early into Paris, tired from your flight.
By train: From the airport, you can take a 45 minute TGV train to the Champagne-Ardennes stop and then grab a cab or hop on the local tram line (local train system within Champagne) to your final destination. If you wish to travel directly to Reims, you can take a 45 minute taxi or Uber from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris’s Gare de l’Est train station located in the center of Paris. From there, it is only a short 45 minute TGV high speed train ride directly to Reims or 2 hour local train ride (with stops along the way). If you’re already in Paris, the train is a relatively easy option. Train tickets can be reserved directly on SNCF Connect.
By private car transfer: If you arrive early into Charles de Gaulle, you may opt to reserve a car service in advance to drive you to the Champagne region. Total driving time is approximately 1.5 hours from Paris. Factoring in potential traffic into the city and redeye flight fatigue, having the luxury of a private transfer waiting outside the airport may be worth the extra cost. You can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. It is also a convenient option when train schedules don’t match up with your arrival time or when traveling with a group to share costs.
By rental car: Of course, you can also opt to rent a car upon arrival to the airport. You can see much more of the region on your own terms with a rental car. But keep in mind that you will not want to drink and drive on the days you have Champagne House tours scheduled.
Where To Stay in Champagne
Reims
Reims comes to life during the holiday season. It’s famous for its Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims, where kings in France were crowned for over 1000 years. In fact, in 1991, the cathedral was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, marking its importance in history. During Christmas time, the cathedral is lit up with colorful Christmas lights and decor welcoming guests from around the world.
Reims also hosts the third largest Christmas market in France called Le Marche de Noel de Reims. Families flock to the 135 chalets filled with regional foods and local artisan crafts, marking the beginning of the Christmas season.
Reims has several famous Champagne Houses nearby that are about a 10 minute drive from the city center. These include:
- Veuve Clicquot
- Ruinart
- Pommery
- Tattinger
Consider staying in town at La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa, part of the Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection, where you can conveniently walk to restaurants and shops. For fresh local seafood, try Le Bocal for lunch, a small bistro set behind a fresh seafood shop. For more upscale dining options, try Le Crypto, Le Millenaire, or Le Foch, which are also located in the center of town.
If you truly want to splurge, you can stay at Les Crayeres, a Relais & Chateaux hotel. This hotel is set outside of the center of the city within beautiful park grounds, yet within walking distance to some notable Champagne Houses. It is also home to the 2 star Michelin restaurant Le Parc and its more casual sister restaurant, Le Jardin.
Epernay
Epernay is located about 20 minutes from Reims. Mid-December marks the time when people flock to Epernay to enjoy the outdoor Habits de Lumiere, the annual lights, food and arts festival. Be sure to keep the festival dates in mind and reserve far in advance during this busy time!
Epernay is also home to Moet et Chandon and other popular Champagne Houses, such as Mumm Perrier et Jouet and Champagne Mercier. Moet et Chandon also produces the famous Dom Perignon champagne. A visit to their shop allows you to purchase limited edition champagnes not available in stores. Schedule tastings and tours at these Champagne Houses or discover new ones:
- Moet et Chandon:
- Mumm Perrier et Jouet
- Champagne Mercier
Modern Empty Nester Tip: The cellars are quite large and often cold, particularly in the winter. Wear warm clothing and comfortable walking shoes for your tours!
Ay-Champagne
Ay-Champagne, also known as Ay, is only about 10 minutes from Epernay and can be a day trip on its own or combined when visiting Epernay. It is a quaint small town that is home to several small champagne producers, such as Champagne Goutorbe Henri. For larger champagne houses, visit Bollinger or Champagne Deutz. Do not miss eating at Rotisserie Henri IV for the most delicious rotisserie chicken and fries with an extensive champagne list of local producers! Ay Champagne Houses to visit include:
- Bollinger
- Champagne Deutz
- Champagne Goutorbe Henri
- Geoffroy Ay
- any other smaller local producer!
Modern Empty Nester Tip: The smaller champagne houses may not need appointments, but in the winter months some are not open during normal hours. It’s best to check their hours and make an appointment in advance if possible.
Visit Champagne at Christmas Time or Anytime
A visit to the Champagne region is a spectacular trip during Christmas time or anytime of the year! Winter months allow you to stay out of the cold while sipping on the most delightful champagne. You will learn nuances about production of the most famous champagnes in the world. Indeed, the combination of beautiful Christmas decor, sparkling champagnes and delicious French food makes Christmas Time in Champagne a truly unforgettable holiday getaway.
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