Things to do in Champagne (Reims & Épernay)

Champagne is a full-day trip from Paris, not a base to sleep in: you leave in the morning and return the same evening. The catalogue is genuinely deep here, 138 house and cellar visits between Reims and Épernay, a real choice compared with the handful of tours available around Provins or Chartres.

Expect a day built around champagne houses and their chalk cellars rather than châteaux sightseeing, with September and October also the grape harvest season in the region.

Skip this if you only have a few spare hours in Paris: treat it as a proper day out, plan to be away from the city from morning until evening, and book cellar visits ahead since spots fill up.