There are beautiful wine regions all over the world, but there is only one Champagne. The region produces the world’s most famous wine, is user-friendly to explore, full of quaint villages and historic cities, and sits closer to Paris than Burgundy, Bordeaux or the Loire Valley. In fact, it is faster to reach from Paris’ airport than Paris itself, just 31 minutes by high-speed TGV train direct from Charles de Gaulle. All the major cities have direct trains into the capitol, so a few days in Champagne is the perfect start or finish to any Paris trip.
There are three main cities, Reims, Epernay and Troyes, from north to south. If starting your French voyage in Champagne upon arrival, begin in Reims (via the nearby Champagne-Ardenne TGV station with tram into downtown Reims) and leave for Paris from Troyes. To visit Paris first and explore Champagne before heading home, simply reverse this. Unlike most wine regions, the Champagne houses, or wineries, are not typically in the vineyards but rather in and around towns and cities, making them easy to visit without driving. Many visitors rent a car for a day or two to explore the countryside, with more than 150 miles of well-marked “Champagne Roads” linking houses open to the public, but it is easiest to get to and from Paris by train.
Reims
The largest city, Reims has a pedestrianized downtown full of restaurants and shops, centered around its world-famous cathedral, where the kings of France were coronated, and is best explored on foot. But the real action is underground, as Reims sits on more than 120 miles of ancient cellars and caves, in which an estimated one billion bottles of champagne are aging at any time. The cathedral and adjacent museum are must-visit sites in Reims, as are the major champagne houses surrounding downtown, most famously Taittinger and G.H. Mumm, with scheduled tours, and Veuve Clicquot and Pommery by reservation (reservations are a good idea at all houses, since tours often fill up). Most houses open to the public offer either tastings or tours, usually ending with tastings, typically for a fee (€8-30). Taittinger is the largest house still family-owned and operated, with over 3 million bottles lining the caves beneath its visitor’s center, which also contains a 13th-century crypt and chapel and 3rd-century Roman ruins, all part of the tour.
In the city center there are several reasonably priced chain hotels, including Holiday Inn and Best Western, appreciably nicer than their U.S. counterparts. For luxury lodging you cannot beat Les Crayeres, one of the finest in France, with gourmet cuisine and 20 rooms in the former Pommery family mansion. Gourmet-centric visitors should note that the just released (February 2014) Michelin Guide elevated only one restaurant in France to the highest three-star status, Assiette Champenoise in Reims. Don’t miss the landmark Café du Palais, filled with eclectic art, casual but delicious regional cuisine, and dozens of champagnes by the glass.
Epernay
Epernay’s claim to fame is the Avenue de Champagne, where the grandest champagne houses sit one after another, like embassies or monuments. There are no vineyards, just marble and granite palaces set behind iron gates, including some of the most famous names, such as Perrier Jouet (no public tours) and the largest of all producers, Moet Chandon, with tours of its extensive cellars, where the flagship Dom Perignon ages, followed by a tasting (not of Dom Perignon).
Across from Moet is an extensive and foreigner-friendly tourist office with everything in the way of maps and brochures and they will even book champagne house visits for you. At the other end of the avenue, a 10-minute stroll, is the most visited house, Champagne Mercier, known for tours with audio guides in all languages, and very accessible for those with disabilities. The Champagne bar C COMME is a Reims must-visit, showcasing small family producers, with 300-400 labels from about 70 houses, with guided tasting flights of five or six glasses representing distinct styles (blanc de blanc, rose, etc.) and sub-regions.
Just minutes outside Epernay sits the tiny hamlet of Hautvillers, typical of the 300-plus villages in Champagne, but more famous than most. Here lies the abbey where the famous monk Dom Perignon lived (and is buried) and made his many contributions to the quality of champagne, from blending improvements to the introduction of the cork. The tiny medieval streets are lined with mom and pop champagne houses, many of which can be visited by appointment (the town tourist office will gladly call around for an available English-speaking producer), and this is a much more intimate and different experience than the group tours at huge houses.
Troyes
Unlike the other cities, Troyes is not full of champagne houses, and requires either driving or taking an organized tour to visit the many small producers that surround the city. What Troyes offers is a wealth of Champagne’s top cultural sites, including a surprisingly large modern art museum that draws visitors worldwide. While Reims was almost destroyed in WWI, and practically everything, even its famed cathedral, rebuilt in the past century, Troyes is remarkably preserved since the Middle Ages.
Almost unbelievably charming, it’s known for its architecture, unique “half-timber” homes with exposed exterior beams, many painted bright colors for a sort of alpine chalet meets Caribbean look. Troyes is also world-famous for its stained glass, and many top artists and studios are still located here. There are 10 churches, all boasting elaborate windows, and a new stained glass museum. Troyes’ pedestrian downtown is full of bistros and cafes serving a huge slate of champagnes at reasonable prices, and it also has one of the best-valued luxury hotels in France, the ultra-romantic La Maison de Rhodes.
Complete tourism information on lodging, dining, attractions, champagne houses and tours can be found at Champagne Ardenne Tourism.
SEE MORE: Opt for a guided wine tour in Champagne
Article source: Article Source
The post Pair the Champagne wine trail with Paris travel appeared first on .