Booking champagne house visits in Reims, Épernay and Aÿ means picking a slot on each house's own booking page. Fees, opening days and cancellation rules differ from one house to the next.
The short answer
Book before your trip. The Reims tourist office says it is essential to book guided cellar visits with the houses in advance in high season, and the Épernay tourist office advises booking before your stay.
Entry-level visits with a tasting cost €25–90 ($27–97). Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon tickets carry no right of cancellation and cannot be exchanged or modified. Moët & Chandon opens daily, while Ayala in Aÿ receives visitors Tuesday to Saturday only.
Your options
| House | Town | Visit from | Opening days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercier | Épernay | €25 ($27) | Daily April 6 to November 15, Wednesday to Sunday November 18 to December 27 |
| Moët & Chandon | Épernay | €48 ($52) | Daily |
| Ayala | Aÿ | €30 ($32) | Tuesday to Saturday, by reservation |
| G.H. Mumm | Reims | €30 ($32) | Daily May 1 to October 31 |
| Veuve Clicquot | Reims | €36 ($39) | Daily June 29 to August 30, Tuesday to Sunday April 7 to June 28 and September 1 to November 1 |
| Taittinger | Reims | €40 ($43) | — |
| G.H. Martel & Co | Reims | €28 ($30) | Daily all year, by reservation |
| Ruinart | Reims | €90 ($97) | — |
Mercier, Épernay
Every Mercier tour includes the driverless train through its 18 km of cellars and a tasting. The Founder costs €25 ($27) for 45 minutes, and the guided Bubble Talk and Tell Me More About Vintage tours cost €45 ($49) for 1 hour 30 minutes. Teenagers aged 10 to 17 pay €12 ($13), and children under 10 go free.
Same-day tours are not sold online. Call the visitor center on +33 3 26 51 22 22 for last-minute slots. A tasting at the visitor center without a tour needs no reservation.
Moët & Chandon, Épernay
Moët & Chandon opens from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with departures throughout the day. The Imperial Moment costs €48 ($52) for a 1 hour 30 minute cellar tour with Moët Impérial and Rosé Impérial. Signature costs €65 ($70) and Grand Vintage €85 ($92).
Visits without a booking are possible, but places are limited and the house recommends booking online.
Ayala, Aÿ
Ayala takes visits and tastings by reservation from Tuesday to Saturday. The Introduction to the AYALA style is a 30-minute tasting of two champagnes with no cellar tour, at €30 ($32). The AYALA Experience adds the cellars and three champagnes for €60 ($65) over 1 hour 30 minutes.
Reims houses
G.H. Mumm runs all its tours on foot in 1 hour 30 minutes, from €30 ($32). From May 1 to October 31 it opens every day, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. From January 15 to February 28 it opens Thursday to Saturday only.
Veuve Clicquot opens from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Its tours run from the 1-hour Brut Yellow Label visit at €36 ($39) to the 4-hour La Grande Dame at €260 ($281).
Taittinger takes bookings online, by phone on +33 3 26 85 84 33 or by email at visites@taittinger.fr. Its visit is a guided tour of the cellars and Gallo-Roman crayères, then a guided tasting, in 35 to 55 minutes. To reschedule, contact the visits team, which does its best subject to availability.
Ruinart takes 12 people per 2-hour visit of its crayères, at €90 ($97). G.H. Martel & Co opens every day all year, by reservation only, from €28 ($30).
Walk-in tastings in Épernay
On the avenue de Champagne, bars, boutiques and caveaux pour tastings without a booking. Cellar visits there usually still need a reservation, and the Épernay tourist office advises booking at Moët & Chandon, Mercier, de Castellane, de Venoge and Boizel, where slots are limited.
Some places close between noon and 2 p.m. in low season. In July and August, go in the morning or late afternoon. The tourist office is at 7 avenue de Champagne.
Before you go
- Treat Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon tickets as final: no compensation is due if you cannot attend. If the house cancels outright, it refunds everything to your original payment method.
- Veuve Clicquot tickets are personal and cannot be resold or transferred.
- Book every child and teenager on a Mercier ticket, since booking is mandatory for all minors.
- Bring a warm layer: Mercier's cellars stay at 10 to 12°C and Taittinger's at 8 to 12°C.
- Spit or choose a designated driver if you are driving between houses.
For the wider region, see Champagne.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I book a champagne house visit?
Book before you travel, particularly in high season. The Reims tourist office treats advance booking as essential in high season. Mercier does not sell tours online on the day itself, though last-minute slots sometimes open up by phone on +33 3 26 51 22 22.
Can I cancel or change a champagne house booking?
At Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon, no: paid tickets cannot be exchanged or modified and carry no cancellation right. Taittinger's visits team tries to move a booking to another date when space allows. If a house cancels a visit itself, you get a full refund.
Which champagne houses are open on Sundays?
Moët & Chandon in Épernay opens daily, and G.H. Martel & Co in Reims opens every day all year. G.H. Mumm opens every day from May 1 to October 31, and Thursday to Monday from March 1 to April 30 and November 1 to December 21. Ayala in Aÿ receives visitors only from Tuesday to Saturday.
Can I visit a champagne house without booking?
Moët & Chandon accepts visitors without a booking, but places are limited. Mercier serves tastings at its visitor center with no reservation and no tour. Bars, boutiques and caveaux on the avenue de Champagne in Épernay also pour without a booking.
