Will be travelling from Ghent, Belgium and would like to spend a couple of days in the Champagne wine region. Renting from Belgium and returning to France is very expensive. Where would you recommend after riding the train to Paris to pick up a rental car on the outskirts of the city?
Any advice on where to stay while in the Champagne wine country?
If you do not stay in Paris between Ghent and Champagne, you could take the train to Lille and rent there. The drive to Champagne is a bit longer than from Paris but still not very long.
Or, there are trains from Brussels to CDG airport so you could rent there too.
Hello,
Getting out of Paris is not pretty. Consider renting in Champagne, Troyes or Reims. Or a small city with auto rentals.
Returning a car to CDG airport is quite easy.
wayne iNWI
Getting out of Paris is not pretty.
Sorry, but that is nonsense. Driving out of Paris is drop-dead simple. Few drive in Paris because the public transportation network is comprehensive and inexpensive, and parking is expensive. But exiting is a very easy affair of heading to the périphérique, and orbiting to the desired Autoroute entrance.
From Belgium, you would likely arrive in Paris at Gare du Nord, rent a car there, take rue Marx Dormoy north to the périphérique and orbit east to A4.
If you want to visit caves and do tastings, you don't need a car. Take the train and stay in either Epernay or Reims. That's where many of the caves are for the top champagne houses. Most of the tours are in Reims where most of the wineries began. There's more to see in Reims, like the cathedral, the basilica and the Surrender Museum. You can easily day trip by train from one to the other
According to rome2rio, there's even a direct TGV train from Brussels to Champagne-Ardenne, then an easy transfer for the short ride to Reims on the local TER train.
Best location would be in a different time, like a year from now -- car prices are sky high due to rental agencies not replenishing their stock and now not being able to do so economically.
