We are headed to France mid-October, and are taking the overnight flight to CDG, renting a car and driving to Reims and staying there for 2 days/2 nights. Leaving the morning after the 2nd night.
On our list to see is the cathedral Notre Dame, and the Musee de la Reddition. I have already booked to go to see Ruinart for Champagne, but should we see another Champagne House? What would you recommend?
Any other museums or other sites that we cannot miss? Thank you for all the advice.
Do go to the Palace of Tau which is wonderful to see. It is right next door to the Cathedral. I think others can recommend Champagne houses to tour but I went to Martel. Do look at the RS France book as he lists Champagne Houses and how to get there.
It really is a lovely city and just walking around and sitting outside having drinks or lunch or dinner is very nice. Tons of places to have drinks and food.
I would recommend the TGV over renting a car to get from Paris to Reims. It’s an easy 90 minute ride.
Reims is very walkable.
As for champagne houses, make an appointment for Mumm and Martel. Both are lovely.
I went to Mumm's because they make the best champagne.
The cathedral is one of the great ones and there are some Roman ruins in the city.
Thanks you for the advice. We need a rental car. From Reims, we drive to Vimy then up to the coast for the night in Honfleur. From Honfleur we drive along the coast to see some of the D-Day landing sites (Canadian and American) and 2 nights in Bayeux. From there we drive to Versailles then return the car at CDG to head into Paris for 5 days--sans voiture.
This past May, we took the TGV from Paris CDG to Reims (30 minutes, versus 1.5 hour drive), and in one day visited the Surrender Museum, the Cathedral, and Taittinger for a tour of the cellars and a tasting. We walked everywhere; tallied about 6 miles. I would suggest that on the second day, you take the local train to Epernay and visit the "Avenue of the Champagnes", and also do a tour out in the vineyards with tasting at several champagne producers (for example, we did a half-day tour with Ay Champagne Experience, which I highly recommend). There are such tours also leaving out of Reims (train station), but Epernay is interesting and has some nice restaurants, and it is not very far from Reims.
Epernay- Moet et Chandon Champagne has historic caves you explore on their very interesting tour.
You are served champagne at the end of the tour.
Taittinger also has an interesting tour of their cellars with a tasting at the end, and Martel is just a couple of blocks away - their tour is smaller but their tasting is much more personalized and includes more details about the particular champagne you are tasting. Also the Museum of the Surrender near the train station was well worth an hour or so, and the Cathedral is beautiful. It's a very walkable town with lots of places to eat and drink. Enjoy it!
Your need for a rental car is understood. However, do consider taking the train to Reims and renting it there. Upon arrival at CDG you'll be tired, sleepy, probably jet lagged and possibly on unfamiliar turf. Some are not bother by those things, others are driving somewhat impaired, and still others should be kept away from sharp instruments. Not sure where you are on that scale, but even a minor fender bender at the start of a trip can put a damper on the entire vacation.
We only did Taittinger which has a really good cellar tour -- one is enough IMHO. Don't miss Basilica St. Remy; it is not far from Taittinger or very far from the Cathedral.
I agree with TC. Unless you sleep much better on planes than most of us, driving the day after an overnight flight, especially in an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads, is risky to all. Maybe your schedule makes the TGV impossible, but I hope you'll consider it as an easier, faster alternative. Reims has car rental sites, and you can return the car elsewhere in France without a charge.
North of the cathedral, at the eastern edge of the park that separates the station from the city center, is the Porte de Mars, a Roman gate with wonderful sculptures. You can see the ruts left by centuries of wheeled traffic.
Which proves he knew nothing about champagne houses. Or what a nattering nabob of negativity he was.
I did Taittinger and Martel back to back, they are a few minutes' walk from each other and from the lovely basilica. I agree with Plumeria's take. Both tours were interesting with little repetition.
Take the TER to Epernay for a day. Mercier's tour is the most fun. From the train station walk up to the TI (get a map and info on sights), then along Avenue de Champagne past every champagne house you've ever heard of and plenty more. I didn't check, but probably some of them have tastings. I did see a couple with tables in the courtyard. While many of the houses started in Reims, most are now headquartered in Epernay.
Thanks all for the advice and concerns about driving! I am a great sleeper on flights. I usually ask the flight attendants to wake me for the food, so I am not "hangry" when I land! I looked into the TGV schedule, and it would either be one within an hour of landing (which may be tight depending on customs/passport control), or 4.5 hours after landing. We would much rather just get to Reims and spend a relaxing afternoon seeing the museums, and maybe I would check out a one of the closer champagne houses (maybe Martel or Tattinger), should my husband want to nap.
Thank you for the recs on seeing St. Remy. I will add it to our list. I appreciate all the help!
hey hey KTSB07
you’ll love reims. we took the train for a day trip from Paris, great ride. we did a tour in a CV2 car thru the town and out to the countryside and vineyards.
we walked along a street to an outdoor cafe, had lunch and did tastings of local champagne, was great, good, lots of bubbles. did not want champagne I buy in the states. enjoy a ride out to epernay and the small rural villages there, was so calm, beautiful and relaxing. enjoy and cheers
aloha
Does anyone know how to book a tour of Martel? I'd like to book one, but am in the U.S. and couldn't find anything online. Thanks!
