Champagne Weekend Itinerary: Two Days in Reims and Épernay

Morning. Start at Notre-Dame Cathedral, the coronation site of 33 French kings, whose facades carry 2,303 sculpted figures. It opens every day from 8 a.m., and entry is free. The doors close at 7:30 p.m., or 7:15 p.m. on Sundays and feast days, and no one enters in the last 15 minutes.

The cathedral's towers are open only on guided tours at €9 ($10), booked online. From February 15 to May 5 and from September 9 to November 15, tower tours run Tuesday to Saturday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. From May 6 to September 8 there is an extra 5 p.m. tour, and there are none from November 16 to February 14.

The Reims Tourist Office is at 6 rue Rockefeller, on the corner of the cathedral square and rue Chanzy.

Late morning. Book a tour at G.H. Mumm, 34 rue du Champ de Mars, about 20 minutes on foot from Reims station. All its tours last 1 hour 30 minutes on foot: the Cordon Rouge Experience costs €30 ($32), the Pinot Noir Celebration Experience €42 ($45) and the Vintage Grand Cru Experience €60 ($65).

Mumm opens every day from May 1 to October 31, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. From March 1 to April 30 and November 1 to December 21 it opens Thursday to Monday, and from January 15 to February 28 Thursday to Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Under-18s must stay with an adult, and animals are not allowed in the cellars.

Afternoon. Spend the afternoon on the Saint-Nicaise hill. Its crayères are former chalk quarries, first dug in the 3rd century, that supplied stone for building Reims. From the 18th century they became champagne cellars, and some are over 30 meters high. They have been part of the UNESCO-listed Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars since July 4, 2015.

Book one visit on the hill:

• Taittinger, 9 place Saint-Nicaise: tasting visits of 35 to 55 minutes, from €40 ($43) for the Instant Rosé. A taxi from the central station takes about 10 minutes, or take bus no. 4 to the Saint-Nicaise stop. Book online, by phone on +33 (0)3 26 85 84 33 or by email at visites@taittinger.fr.
• Ruinart, 4 rue des Crayères: a 2-hour guided visit of the cellars for 12 people, then a tasting of two cuvées. Adults pay €90 ($97) and children aged 7 to 17 pay €50 ($54).
• Veuve Clicquot, 1 rue Albert Thomas: the 1-hour Brut Yellow Label tour costs €36 ($39). The house is about a 15-minute drive from City Centre Station. Visits run from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday from April 7 to June 28 and September 1 to November 1, every day from June 29 to August 30, and Wednesday to Sunday from November 4, 2026, to January 3, 2027. Its tickets cannot be canceled, exchanged or modified.
• Pommery, 5 Place du Général Gouraud, on bus line C at the Pommery stop: the 45-minute Brut Royal Visit costs €30 ($32) with the audio app or €36 ($39) guided. The guided visit goes down 116 steps into Gallo-Roman chalk pits 30 meters underground.

Evening. Pommery is open all year, seven days a week, until 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6 p.m. on other days. G.H. Martel & Co, 17 rue des Créneaux, is open every day until 7 p.m., by reservation only. Its tour of the chalk cellars and eco-museum ends with a guided tasting of two champagnes and costs from €28 ($30).

Morning. Take the TER Ligne des Bulles from Reims-Centre to Épernay. Trains run about every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the direct journey takes 34 minutes. The line stops at Rilly-la-Montagne, Germaine, Avenay-Val-d'Or and Aÿ-Champagne; for the full route, see Reims to Épernay.

The Avenue de Champagne is a 5-minute walk from Épernay station. It is 1.5 km long, some 200 million bottles are stored in the chalk cellars beneath it, and it is part of the same UNESCO listing as the Saint-Nicaise hill. The Épernay tourist office is at 7 avenue de Champagne.

Book one of the avenue's cellar visits:

• Moët & Chandon runs tours from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with regular departures through the day. The Imperial Moment costs €48 ($52) and the Signature, which the house suggests for a first visit, costs €65 ($70); both last 1 hour 30 minutes. Its 28 km of cellars lie 30 meters below ground. Visits without a booking are possible, but places are limited.
• Mercier, 68 avenue de Champagne, includes a driverless train ride through its cellars, about 30 meters below ground, on every tour. The Founder, with an audio guide, takes 45 minutes and costs €25 ($27). Bubble Talk, guided in French or English, takes 1 hour 30 minutes and costs €45 ($49). Mercier opens daily from April 6 to November 15 and Wednesday to Sunday from November 18 to December 27.
• Champagne de Castellane, 63 avenue de Champagne, has closed its cellars to the public for now and runs a guided tour of its 66-meter tower instead. The 60-minute tour climbs 237 steps, includes the museum and a glass of Brut Croix Rouge, and costs €20 ($22), for up to 10 guests.

Mercier sells no same-day tours online. For a last-minute slot, call +33 (0)3 26 51 22 22.

Afternoon. Hautvillers is 6 km from Épernay and has no train station; a taxi takes about 10 minutes. Dom Pierre Pérignon came to its abbey in 1668, aged 29, as procurator, and managed the abbey's property for 47 years until his death in 1715. He is buried in the abbey church of Saint-Sindulphe, where entry is free.

Until October 31, 2026, the church opens every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Wednesday, when it closes at 4:15 p.m. From November 1 it opens every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it closes on December 25 and January 1. The former abbey itself is private property of Moët & Chandon and cannot be visited. The Belvédère Dom Pérignon gives a panoramic view over the Marne Valley.

Winegrowers in the village also run tastings:

• Champagne G. Tribaut, 88 rue d'Eguisheim, opens every day from March 1 to December 31, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. A tasting of three samples costs €5–15 ($5–16).
• Champagne J-M. Gobillard & Fils, 38 rue de l'Église, opens every day from June 1 to September 30, and Friday to Sunday from March 1 to May 31 and October 1 to December 30. Hours are 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and a tasting of three cuvées costs €5 ($5).

The Hautvillers tourist office runs a guided walk, "Sur les pas de Dom Pérignon," of about 60 minutes in French, English and German, at €75 ($81) for 1 to 8 people. It meets at the tourist office on place de la République and does not run on Sundays and Mondays. For more on the church and the village, see Dom Pérignon Hautvillers Abbey.

Evening. Back in Épernay, the Musée du Vin de Champagne et d'Archéologie Régionale, in Château Perrier at 13 avenue de Champagne, opens from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April 1 to October 31 and closes on Tuesdays. From November 1 to March 31 it opens 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Full price is €10 ($11), and entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.

The last train from Épernay to Paris leaves at 7:49 p.m. Direct trains reach Paris Gare de l'Est in 1 hour 20 minutes.

Bring a warm layer for the cellars: Pommery's cellars are at 10°C all year, Taittinger's between 8 and 12°C and Mercier's between 10 and 12°C. Spit as you taste, and choose a designated driver if anyone in your group is driving. To compare houses and fees in more detail, see Reims Champagne House Cellar Tours and Avenue de Champagne Houses in Épernay.