My husband and I are flying into Paris! Our original thought was to take the train to Reims and stay there.
However, we know that we will want to visit the region and Epernay for sure!
What village do you recommend staying in?
Do you think the best way for us to travel through Champagne is to rent a car in Reims or at the airport? We are wondering if it is challenging to drive int he Paris area? It seems Champagne would be fine to drive around.
Any tips are welcome. Thank you
By all means take the train to Reims, ESPECIALLY if going there on arrival after a transatlantic flight; and then rent a car. A car will be handy for travel in rural areas or between small towns not served by frequent public transportation. But if you look at a map, you will note that to reach Reims from CDG, you would be driving away from Paris, not through it.
We had a car for the champagne region. We enjoy tracing the champagne route. Champagne was at the end of our trip. We returned the car at CDG. There are many recent posts on Reims and Champagne.
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=reims&utf8=%E2%9C%93
and for the larger champagne region:
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=champagne+region&utf8=%E2%9C%93
LaurieDi,
While you are in the area, and if you have a car, Hautvilliers is just 28km from Reims, and even closer to Epernay. The Abbaye de St. Pierre at Hautvilliers is where Dom Perignon is buried. It's a lovely little church and garden. Close by is a place to enjoy a picnic while looking out over vineyards in the valley.
And don't forget the Musee de Rendition and the beautiful cathedral in Reims. Almost every king of France has been crowned at that cathedral.
Be careful driving after wine tasting. The authorities will be on the lookout for wine tasters driving under the influence. They are not lenient there. (From everything I have heard.)
Have a great trip!
Don't take the train to Reims. Rent a car and go to Chateau Thierry. If you go to the WWI monument and look down into the valley, where the town is, you will see the Champagne Trail. Follow that to Epernay. You can do it in a half a day, or you can stop along the way and make it as long as you want. (I recommend the later.) From there you can head to Verdun or the Meuse battlefields. There are some very nice, not heavily visited, towns you can explore or stay in.
both the advice to not make a long drive after a long transatlantic flight and not to drive after wine tasting are wise
We were just in the Champagne area a couple weeks ago for a few nights. We chose to stay in Épernay. I will echo what others have said, which is to take the train after a long flight. It's SO easy to take the train. You can either take the train to Reims or Épernay. I'd rent a car in whichever town you decide to base yourself after you've had a good night's rest. As far as where to stay, Reims is much bigger with more to do whereas Épernay was a charming, small, walkable town. Personally, I think either Épernay or Reims are the best choices of towns to base yourself in the region. Enjoy your visit!
We stayed in the town of Ay when we wanted to visit Epernay. We couldn’t get a room in Epernay and loved being in Ay!
