Champagne Day Trip from Paris

The Champagne region starts about an hour and a half from Paris, centered on two towns that each offer a different kind of visit: Reims and Épernay.

Reims vs Épernay

Reims is a full city, with a Gothic cathedral where French kings were once crowned, and several large Champagne houses with underground cellars you can tour. Épernay is smaller and quieter, built almost entirely around Champagne — its main street, the Avenue de Champagne, is lined with prestigious maisons. Most day trips combine a stop in each.

Visiting a Champagne House

Tours typically include a walk through the chalk cellars (kept at a constant, cool temperature — bring a light layer even in summer) followed by a tasting. Popular houses require advance booking, especially on weekends, so it's worth reserving before you go rather than showing up and hoping.

Getting There from Paris

A direct TGV to Reims takes about 45 minutes, but from there you'd still need local transport between houses and back to Épernay. A private van handles the whole loop — Paris to Reims, between the two towns, and back — without switching between train, taxi, and tour bus along the way.

In Short

A Champagne day trip works best when you're not the one driving — between cellar tours and tastings, a private van with driver is simply the more relaxed way to see both towns in a day.