Where to Stay in Champagne for Wine Tasting – A Big Region

Champagne is Spread Out – What Regions Do You Want to Visit?

One detail about Champagne that you'll notice fairly quickly when planning a trip is that it is spread out. This is a common trend in many wine regions, we admit, but it is a bit more noticeable here.

Three of the most popular regions within Champagne, Montagne de Reims, Valle de la Marne, and the Cote des Blancs are somewhat close to each other. The cities of Reims and Epernay are near these (and are about 30 minutes apart from each other), and a good number of wineries can be reached within 30 to 60 minutes of driving from either, depending on your base.

Other regions, like Cote de Sezanne and Cote des Bar, are a fair bit further out and can be a 60 to 90+ minute drive one-way from the previously mentioned cities. So if you're looking to check out wineries there, you may want to find another town closer for your base.

When planning our own trip, we quickly decided to skip wineries in the Cote de Sezanne or Cotes de Bar during our three-day visit because the travel logistics would've required a lot more time in our car than we had planned for. Perhaps if we had one more day, we would've considered a longer drive south, but it just didn't make sense for this particular trip- we could make an entire visit out of those two regions, if we're honest.

Even with the other regions being at somewhat closer distances to each other, we also strategically planned our visits to have an entire day at wineries near Reims and another day at wineries near Epernay, purely to make travel logistics easier. Could we have visited one winery in the north and traveled to the south for another in the afternoon? We suppose, but overlapping your wineries based on region will make for a more enjoyable trip.

So, while we say this a lot in our articles about where to stay in wine regions, picking a base that has easier access to the wineries you wish to visit can and does make sense in Champagne as well. We found more wineries outside of Epernay that we wanted to visit, so we stayed in Epernay- it was as easy as that!

Are You Visiting With a Car or Not?

Champagne is also an interesting wine region because you can absolutely visit without a car and still have a good time. This may be more true for those who want to visit for general “wine tasting” and not to visit specific champagne houses as we did, but it is doable all the same.

The reason we say this? Many famous Champagne houses are based in Reims and Epernay proper!

In Reims, for example, wineries like Krug, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, and Ruinart are all located in the city. Some of these are closer to the old town center, while others may require upwards of a 30-minute walk or a tram ride to reach. But, at the end of the day, you have some options to visit great producers without a rental car.

Epernay is comparable, with many Champagne houses on the famous Avenue de Champagne just a short walk from town. The likes of Moet et Chandon, Collard-Picard, Boizel, Comtesse Lafond, and Mercier, to name a few, are all found on this iconic street that can be reached easily on foot from central Epernay.

Could you arrange a multi-day Champagne visit, including tastings at multiple producers, while staying in these city centers without a car? Absolutely, and that is something fairly unique to Champagne. We always advocate for getting a car and exploring more if you can, but you could still have a good experience here without a car- it really just depends on your interests.

• Be sure to look up reservation requirements for any wineries in town. While some allow for walk-in tastings, others, particularly those that offer premium cellar tours, sell out in advance. We booked our tour of Veuve Clicquot well in advance, for example, as they regularly sell out.

How Much Time Do You Have?

As a tangent, it is also worth considering how much time you plan to spend in Champagne proper. Much like those who may want to visit without a car, Champagne is also a popular day trip thanks to the TGV that connects Reims to Paris in about 46 minutes.

You could take a train out in the morning, hit a couple of wine tours/tastings in Reims, have lunch in between, and make it back to Paris all in time for dinner at a decent hour. We don't necessarily advocate that, because we wholeheartedly support more time in Champagne, but we'd be remiss if we didn't note that it is an option.

As such, it is worth keeping in mind how much time you have. If you are visiting for just a night, or perhaps even two nights, the extra effort of driving anywhere outside Reims may not make sense unless you have a good reason (such as visiting a preferred winery). Between the train line, many great Champagne houses nearby, and a lot of amenities, Riems could be a logical choice for those who are crunched for time.

• Want to do more without a car? An organized Champagne day trip may be a good option.

In our case, for example, we had three nights in Champagne and picked up our car at the train station after arriving in Reims, and drove to Epernay mid-day to begin our wine tastings. But even with that, our schedule was so packed that we didn't even get a chance to taste at any wineries on the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay- all of our bookings were in nearby towns, and we didn't get back into the city until late both nights when tasting rooms were beginning to close.

Did we do Epernay justice? Honestly, I don't think we did. Did we see more in Reims on our day trip? Probably so! But are we glad we stayed in Epernay? Yes, because three of the Champagne houses we wanted to visit were nearby, it made our travel logistics much easier to stay there during our trip.

As such, you can see why it all goes back to picking where you stay in Champagne based on the Champagne houses you want to visit. We think some of the extra unique features, like Champagne houses in the city centers and day trip possibilities, are extra considerations, sure, but it always goes back to where you want to visit and finding a base that makes for suitable drive times.

For us, that pointed straight toward Epernay. For you, that one really depends! No matter what, exploring Champagne is a real treat, and as long as you're tasting some great wines, you're going to have an excellent stay.

Do you have a preferred base when you visit Champagne? Comment below to share!

To book a hotel in Reims, click here. To book an Airbnb, click here. To book a hotel in Epernay, click here. To book an Airbnb, click here.