Visiting Champagne with kids means planning around each champagne house's rules for minors. Several houses in Reims and Épernay publish children's rates, and some serve juice to young visitors instead of champagne.
Away from the cellars, the region has a lighthouse in the vineyards at Verzenay, a sensory museum in Aÿ, a wine and archaeology museum in Épernay, a fossil cave, an exotic bird farm and an educational farm.
This page covers the trains from Paris, opening times, each house's rules for children, ticket prices and what to pack.
Getting there
The fastest option is the direct TGV INOUI from Paris Gare de l'Est to Reims-Centre, at 46 minutes. Direct trains from Paris Gare de l'Est reach Épernay in 1 hour 20 minutes.
By car, Épernay is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Paris on the A4, and Reims is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Paris.
| Option | From | To | Time | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TGV INOUI | Paris Gare de l'Est | Reims-Centre | 46 min | 0 |
| Direct train | Paris Gare de l'Est | Épernay | 1h20 | 0 |
| Car | Paris | Épernay or Reims | 1h30 | — |
Reims-Centre station is in the city center. The Avenue de Champagne in Épernay is a 5-minute walk from Épernay station.
The TER Ligne des Bulles links Reims and Épernay about every 30 minutes, in about 30 minutes, and stops at Aÿ-Champagne. Pressoria is a 15-minute walk from Aÿ-Champagne station, or 5 minutes by car from Épernay and 30 minutes from Reims.
For fares and timetables, see Paris to Reims by train, Paris to Épernay by train and Reims to Épernay. For buses and bikes, see Champagne without a car.
When to go
The big champagne houses receive visitors all year, and several open on fewer days in winter.
In January, the Verzenay lighthouse closes for the whole month and reopens on the first weekend of February. Pressoria closes for the second half of January.
Pressoria opens every day except Thursday. From April 1 to October 31 it opens 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the last recommended start is 4:30 p.m. From November 1 to March 31 it opens 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a last recommended start at 4 p.m. It also closes on January 1, May 1 and December 25.
The Verzenay lighthouse opens every day from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from April 1 to September 30. From October 1 to March 31 it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Épernay wine museum opens 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 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Last entry is 1 hour before closing.
Guided tours of the towers of Reims Cathedral run from February 15 to November 15 and stop from November 16 to February 14. La Ferme aux Oiseaux Exotiques in Athis closes from October 16 to April 30.
The Reims tourist office says it is essential to book guided cellar visits with the houses in advance in high season.
Visiting the estates
Cellar visits at the big houses are booked in advance, and each house sets its own rules for children.
Épernay
Mercier, at 68 avenue de Champagne, welcomes children with an adult. Under-10s book a free Child ticket, and 10- to 17-year-olds book a Teen ticket. Every tour includes the driverless train through part of the 18 km of cellars, 30 meters below ground.
At Mercier, teenagers and children get an alternative to the glass of champagne. Adults who don't drink alcohol can reserve a lower rate with a non-alcoholic drink.
Champagne Boizel, at 46 avenue de Champagne, has a child rate for its visit, served with an artisan fruit juice.
Reims
Taittinger, at 9 place Saint-Nicaise, welcomes children, and its tasting rooms have play areas. Visitors aged 7 to 17 taste chardonnay juice. Visits last 35 to 55 minutes, in cellars eighteen meters underground in Gallo-Roman chalk quarries.
Lanson, at 66 rue de Courlancy, sets one rate for teens aged 13 to 17 and another for children aged 7 to 12 on every tour, and under-7s go free. A visit with tasting averages 2 hours. The tourist office lists a children's play area, a baby corner and a garden there.
Ruinart, at 4 rue des Crayères, runs 2-hour guided visits for 12 people in chalk cellars about 40 meters deep. It has a child rate for ages 7 to 17, and under-7s go free.
Family sights beyond the cellars
Pressoria in Aÿ
Pressoria, at 11 boulevard Pierre Cheval in Aÿ-Champagne, is a sensory interpretation center for Champagne wines in a former Pommery pressing center. The ticket covers the permanent exhibition at your own pace and a commented tasting of two champagnes or two grape juices.
Children can touch, smell and listen their way through the exhibition, and the children's tasting pairs a sparkling and a still grape juice. Pressoria has a changing table and a microwave, and bags over 45 x 36 x 20 cm are not allowed.
The Verzenay lighthouse
The Phare de Verzenay, on rue du Phare in Verzenay, has 101 steps up to a belvedere with a 360° view over the vineyards. It also has a vine museum and a garden, and an average visit lasts 90 minutes.
Museums and the cathedral
The Musée du Vin de Champagne et d'Archéologie Régionale is at 13 avenue de Champagne in Épernay, and its audioguide is included. The Épernay tourist office points children to the mammoth tusks in the Archaeology collection and the samurai armor on the Collectors & Patrons trail. The museum park is free and open every day.
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims opens every day from 8 a.m., and entry is free. Its towers are visited on guided tours only, with 249 steps, and you must book online.
Fossils, birds and farm animals
La Cave aux Coquillages in Fleury-la-Rivière, run by Champagne Legrand-Latour, is a guided underground visit among fossil shells, open to all ages. You can step onto a fossil beach where shells of marine life 45 million years old remain where they were found.
The cave visit is not recommended for anyone with claustrophobia. Arrive 10 minutes early. There is no refund if you miss the start.
La Ferme aux Oiseaux Exotiques, at 36 route Nationale in Athis, has 400 exotic birds and a floral park with 300 rose bushes. It opens 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., public holidays included, and closes on Mondays except public holidays. A visit takes about 1 hour.
The Ferme Pédagogique des Iriselles in Jonchery-sur-Vesle is about 12 minutes from central Reims. Its 8-hectare park holds about 70 animals, and seed bags at €1 ($1) at the entrance let children feed some of them. Pony rides are for ages 3 to 10, led by an accompanying adult. The farm may close in bad weather or high wind.
Domaine Julien Chopin in Monthelon runs an escape game for children aged 9 and over.
What it costs
An adult visit with tasting at the houses on this page costs €25–90 ($27–97). Children's rates differ by house:
- Mercier: €12 ($13) for teens aged 10 to 17 on every tour, and free under 10. Adult tours cost €25–45 ($27–49).
- Taittinger: €25 ($27) for ages 7 to 17, and free under 7. Adult visits start at €40 ($43).
- Lanson: €20 ($22) for teens aged 13 to 17 and €15 ($16) for children aged 7 to 12. Adult tours cost €32–85 ($35–92).
- Ruinart: €50 ($54) for ages 7 to 17. Adults pay €90 ($97).
- Champagne Boizel: €15 ($16) for the child rate. The adult Millésime visit costs €40 ($43).
- G.H. Martel & Co: €10 ($11) for the child rate, by reservation only. Adult tours cost €28–40 ($30–43).
Tickets for the family sights:
- Pressoria: €18 ($19) for adults, €9.50 ($10) for ages 6 to 17, and free under 6. A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children costs €45 ($49), plus €7 ($8) for each extra child.
- Verzenay lighthouse: the belvedere, garden and museum cost €9 ($10) for adults and €5 ($5) for ages 6 to 16. The museum alone costs €8 ($9) and €4 ($4), and the belvedere and garden alone €3 ($3) and €2 ($2). Under-6s go free.
- Épernay wine museum: free under 13, €10 ($11) full price and €6.50 ($7) for ages 13 to 25. Entry is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.
- Reims Cathedral towers: €9 ($10), and free for under-18s.
- La Ferme aux Oiseaux Exotiques: €12 ($13) for adults and €7 ($8) for ages 5 to 10.
- Ferme Pédagogique des Iriselles: €8.50 ($9) per person, and free under 2.
Before you go
- Mercier requires a booking for every minor, including free under-10s, and doesn't sell same-day tours online.
- Cellars are cold. Taittinger's stay at 8 to 12°C, Mercier's at 10 to 12°C and the Cave aux Coquillages at 11°C, and Taittinger warns that cellar conditions and visit length may be uncomfortable for very young visitors.
- At Mumm, under-18s must stay under the supervision of an adult legal representative, and at Mercier teenagers must be accompanied by an adult.
For booking terms house by house, see Booking champagne house visits.
Frequently asked questions
Can children go on champagne cellar tours?
Yes. Mercier welcomes children with an adult and lets under-10s in free. Lanson and Ruinart let under-7s in free, and Taittinger's tasting rooms have play areas. At Mumm, under-18s must stay under the supervision of an adult legal representative.
What do children get instead of champagne at a tasting?
Taittinger serves chardonnay juice to visitors aged 7 to 17, and Boizel's child rate comes with an artisan fruit juice. Mercier offers teenagers and children an alternative to the glass of champagne. At Pressoria in Aÿ, children taste a sparkling and a still grape juice.
How much does the Verzenay lighthouse cost for kids?
A ticket for the belvedere, garden and museum costs €5 ($5) for ages 6 to 16, against €9 ($10) for adults, and children under 6 go free. The climb to the belvedere is 101 steps, and the lighthouse is closed in January.
Which Champagne sights are free for children?
The Épernay wine museum is free for children under 13, and the towers of Reims Cathedral are free for under-18s on a guided tour booked online. Entry to Reims Cathedral itself is free for everyone, every day from 8 a.m.
