In which city to visit Champagne?

Visit Champagne, the Champagne vineyards and its must-see sites: where to sleep in Champagne!

A former medieval province formed from 1065, Champagne is the region of the production of effervescent wine, known all over the world, and protected by a Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). Located northeast of France in the present Grand Est region, Champagne is delimited by the cultivation of grape varieties and by the production places of Champagne wine: Marne, Aube, Aisne, Seine-et-Marne and Haute-Marne. The production of wine in this historic region has never ceased to grow: in 1850, 8 million bottles were produced, 28 million in 1900, 200 million in 1986, 312 million in 2015. Developed from grape varieties Pinot Noir , Meunier and Chardonnay , the sparkling white wines of Champagne, synonymous with prestige and holiday, contribute for a large part to the tourism development of the region.

Looking for a place to sleep Champagne ? By making the wine route you can stay in Reims, Épernay, Châlons-en-Champagne or in Troyes! Follow our mini-guide of cities and villages where to stay in this world-renowned wine region.

Reims

Reims , underprefecture of the Marne, is the second largest city in the Great East region after Strasbourg . Staying in Reims allows you to visit an impressive historical and cultural heritage while exploring Champagne wines.

Reims is home to 183 113 Remresses and Remresses and enjoys the international aura enjoyed by champagne. But she has another tourist attraction: as a "city of the sacres", the Carolingian and capetian kings were sacred there for more than ten centuries, from Louis the Pious (816) to Charles X (1825). Many historical monuments are unavoidable, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Notre-Dame Cathedral – built between 1211 and 1345 – which accommodates more than one million visitors per year.

Staying in Reims allows you to visit many cooperative wineries and to book guided tours in the best wineries: here you will find the most numerous wineries, especially because the mountain of Reims is one of the four zones of champagne production.

Epernay

If the culture of the vineyard dates back to the Gallo-Roman era, it is here, Epernay , that Champagne wine was invented in the 17th century by Dom Pérignon (1638-1715), at the monastery of Hautvilliers. This Benedictine monk would have imported from Limoux (Aude) the method of taking foam to transform a white "quiet wine" into an effervescent wine.

The town of Épernay has only 23,100 inhabitants, but it has an unavoidable architectural and cultural heritage, located south of the Reims Mountain Regional Natural Park, and bordered by the Marne. There are few historical vestiges – the city having been looted, salvaged, burned and destroyed more than 25 times during its history, but staying in Epernay will allow to visit the cellars of the second largest wine production area of Champagne: Moët & Chandon , Veuve-Cliquot, Ponsardin, winegrowers, etc. An incredible terroir awaits you!

Châlons-en-Champagne

Prefecture of the department of La Marne, Châlons-en-Champagne is a small town of only 45,000 inhabitants. The town now has no vineyards on its soil, but houses of Champagne have remained: Jacquesson, Lebrun and the Joseph Perrier house, which has cellars cut into the chalk, dating from the Gallo-Roman era.

The town of art and history has been labelled, and many cultural events take place throughout the year – Night of the Arts , Festival des musiques d’ici et d’ailleurs, Festival de cinéma War on Screen, etc. – and the city has a large number of historical monuments to visit.