Reims & Epernay champagne tours/tastings pre-tour end September

We loved Le Foch in Reims for a delicious, affordable Michelin Star meal. Simply incredible and just around the corner from your hotel.

You will go to Martel on your tour, so I recommend contrasting that with a big champagne house like Tattingeir or Mumm. Definitely go to Epernay to get another perspective.

It’s a great tour and I loved Chamonix the most. Enjoy!

The Moët et Chandon tour in Epernay was excellent. It is an historic property and the cellars were very interesting.
In Reims, the Marc Chagall windows in the cathedral are beautiful. Also in Reims,Museum of Surrender is where the Germans surrender in WWII, very worthwhile.

Thanks so much Suki and April.

I do plan to spend some time on my own in the Reims Cathedral before the tour starts.

We just did this tour September, 2017. It was probably the favorite of the 5 RS tours we have taken, primarily because of the great diversity of the regions you will visit interpreted so brilliantly by our tour leader Chris. We also arrived two nights early and stayed at the tour hotel. (Grand Hotel Continental)
We traveled to Epernay by train and walked the Avenue de Champagne to take the tour at Mercier which was a lot of fun. It involves a small underground train as well as a short walking tour in the cellars. We paid for the "Golden Bubbles" level tour which got us three tastings afterwards. We also bought a bottle of their rose (that we shared in our hotel room that night) that came with two glasses in a wooden box. That wooden box now sits on my breakfast table and those two glasses are used every sparkling wine night. Great and inexpensive souvenirs. We also did the Tattinger tour on our own the day the tour began. It was also very interesting and well worth the time. Tattinger wine is much more expensive and unlike Mercier, Tattinger can be purchased in the US so we did not buy any there. Both tours were very worthwhile and unique experiences to each other as well as the Martel tasting you do with the tour group.
We did the Museum of Surrender after the end of our first group tour in Reims. It is fascinating albeit small. It is especially interesting if you are of an age to have had relatives serve in that war.
We had a good "recovery night" meal at Les 3 Brasseurs. It was only steps away from our tour hotel and much appreciated for the good service and value. We also had a dinner on our own at Au Bureau next door to the Reims Cathedral. My husband was craving a burger, and he is still celebrating the genius of placing the patty between two hash browns instead of a bread bun.
We did laundry in Chamonix on our free day there. The weather was overcast which would have prevented much a view, so we used the time to truly relax. We threw our dirty clothes into one of our roller bags along with our packing cubes. The small laundromat is sparkling clean, soap is dispensed automatically, you can select your temperature and there are a few places to sit. It took about an hour to do our two loads of clothes. We folded and repacked the clothes on the counter in the laundromat which made for a very efficient process.
If you have any other specific questions do not hesitate to PM me. This is a wonderful tour and you have picked the best time of year to be there. (in our opinion)

I visited Mumm's in Reims because it has the best wine.

Thanks Brad and Traveling Mom. So many wineries, so little time!

It's easy to get to Epernay by train from Reims. Then walk up the hill and stop in the TI at the corner of Avenue de Champagne. I walked the length of the avenue, passing every champagne house I'd heard of and more that I hadn't to get to Mercier, which has the most fun tour. I liked Mercier's wines most because I'm not a fan of chardonnay, and theirs have the lowest percentage of that grape.

I also took the Martel and Tattinger tours in Reims. While every tour explains the "champagne method", each cave is different and each tour spent much more time on the history of the region and of the family. I enjoyed all three. At Tattinger and Mercier, you choose in advance how many flights (tastings - each 1/2 glass, 50 ml) you want. Martel poured most liberally. A short walk from Martel and Tattinger is the Abbey of Saint-Remi, which I liked even more than the cathedral. I also recommend the Museum of the Surrender.

Thanks Chani,
the Abbey in Reims is already on the to see list! It is great to get advice from people I know😉

June