The ideal way to see the Champagne region is by car, stopping at any village or cellar that takes your fancy to sip the local wine against a backdrop of vine-streaked hills. Having said that, someone (the designated driver) will not be able to enjoy the experience as much as the others.
The good news is that if you stick to towns and larger villages with a train station, you can leverage the SNCF network which criss-crosses the areas and travel to and through the area solely by train.
To Reims by train for the weekend
There is no need to catch a plane to Paris either. A flightless long weekend in Champagne is a real possibility from many locations in Europe, and makes for a wonderful getaway. There is far more to the region than the heavenly bubbly it lends its name, and over a long weekend you can take in some incredible historical and artistic sights.
Let's take the elegant city of Reims. At the heart of Reims is a magnificent Gothic cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims). And it is no ordinary cathedral. This masterpiece of spires and stained glass windows encloses the sacred space where in 496 St Remi, the local bishop, baptised the Frank king Clovis, traditionally considered the first king of all the Franks. Later, Clovis was crowned here and the cathedral received papal permission to anoint future kings.
During history, the French kings have made ample use of that permission, as 33 French monarchs were crowned in Notre Dame de Reims over the centuries.
The practicalities - Getting to Reims
Reims is only 46 minutes from Paris Gare de l'Est, so if you are travelling into Paris Gare du Nord from Brussels, Amsterdam or London, you will get to Champagne in 3, 5 and 5 hours respectively. You will need to change stations, but Gare du Nord is around the corner from Gare de l'Est, where you will catch the train to Reims. And if you arrive Germany or Basel in Switzerland your train is probably already arriving at Gare de l'Est to the change is as smooth as it gets.
I have been to the Champagne area in winter three times, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Before Christmas the festive atmosphere is contagious, and over the Epiphany I found the combination of Champagne bubbles and Galette des Rois (the traditional almond-based Epiphany cake) delicious.
However if you go in the days after new year be aware that some of the Champagne houses will be closed, updating their price lists, restocking etc. Having said that, I have never travelled back empty-handed!
Day one - A journey through history
My recommendation is to leave on a Friday morning, arriving in the afternoon. After checking into your accommodation, you can dedicate the afternoon to soaking in the atmosphere of the centre of Reims, the elegant architecture and quirky shops, and to visiting the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, one of the city's major attractions.
The exterior of this Gothic masterpiece is magnificent, its intricate facades adorned with dozens of statues. Above the main portals, you will notice the Royal Gallery: a series of statues depicting 56 kings of France, reminding the visitor of the cathedral's historical role, and taking centre stage the graceful Coronation of Mary. The first time I went, it was January and the sun set very quickly, but that added to the magic of the place. The golden stone kings looking down on you as your steps resonate on Place du Parvis make you feel part of history.
The interior won't disappoint you either, The ceilings are adorned with intricate rib vaults, creating a mesmerizing play of light and shadows, and Reims Cathedral boasts some of the most beautiful and well-preserved stained glass windows in Europe. The rose windows, in particular, are spectacular, filling the space with a kaleidoscope of colours when the sunlight filters through them.
Just like the stained glass windows, a wealth of statues and intricate sculptures depict scenes from biblical stories and saints' lives, creating a vibrant and spiritual ambiance.
Statues and Sculptures: I could not resist buying a postcard of the Smiling Angel, It was considered the unofficial symbol of Reims, and the citizens rushed to fund its restoration when it was damaged in WW2.
On the eastern end of the cathedral, near the high altar, is the Chapel of the Coronation, the traditional site where many French kings were crowned, anointed with the blessed oil from the 'Sainte Ampoule,' or 'Holy Ampulla.'
After feeding your brain and your soul, it is time to dedicate some attention to your tastebuds, and the bustling but small centre of Reims will spoil you for choice.
We raised our first champagne toast, popped into a patisserie to try the dreamlike local pink biscuits (Biscuit rose), initially developed as an accompaniment to champagne by Fossier, and then looked for a restaurant or brasserie for dinner and people-watching. We ended up at LeBocal, which felt like a bit of a local institution. The place's strength is in the combination of champagne, Japanese-style fish and seafood. Not being a sushi/sashimi lover, I still found very good options such as truffle taramosalata, smoked salmon, lentil hummous, and delicious tabbouleh, so I more than survived!
Day 2 - The Champagne Houses and la Montagne
After a French breakfast at a local patisserie (that tends to be my preference in France), we had the option of visiting one of the champagne houses in town, or head to Epernay in the stunning area of the Montagne de Reims.
There is no right or wrong. With one extra day, I would have done a bit of both. But if your break is only three days, you may need to make choices. We could have rushed and squeeze in a bit of both, but visiting places like Champagne you realise that rushing detracts from the experience. Sipping, enjoying wine, is a slow process, a ritual. And the champagne house experiences are all so different I want to savour them in their uniqueness.
I went to Epernay because it is smaller and gave me the opportunity to admire the natural beauty of La Montagne de Reims and the Champagne hills covered in vines and woods. The town is a smaller scale version of Reims - minus the cathedral and medieval buildings - with champagne houses lining the aptly named 'Avenue de Champagne.' As much as I love Champagne, there is only so much I can drink, so I popped into the grounds of the champagne houses to soak the atmosphere, and then went for two tastings and tours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
I'll be honest, I am not a sommelier, I love wine tasting because it takes you to some of the stunning places on earth, because it has a meditative quality of slow enjoyment, and because, if you choose smaller houses, it allows you to meet the winemakers, who are often very inspiring people.
It is on the basis of these criteria that I opted for Château Comtesse Lafond, where you do not only visit the cellar but also get a glimpse of the interior of the manor house where la Comtesse used to live, After tasting Extra-Brut in the cellar, you stop to raise a toast to la Comtesse under her portrait, and end with a Vintage in the Caveau du Château. I did not try the sabrage experience (the uncorking of a bottle with a sabre, as in the days of Napoleon) but it sounded interesting! The tour was lively and educational, and the surroundings conjured the golden amosphere of a nineteenth-century French novel.
Our second tasting was at Alfred Gratien, and this time the draw was the almost mystical experience of visiting their cellars, a kilometre of underground tunnels dug 18-metre deep in the soft chalk rock of Champagne. The wines were delicious, the pourings generous and the guide knowledgeable and friendly.
If you decide to stay in Reims, you will still be spoiled for choice. Next time I go, I hope I will manage visit Ruinart, considering it is one of my favourite champagnes, and their 40-metre-deep chalk cellars (Crayères), stretching for 8 kilometres, are as old as Reims itself. They started life as building quarries in the days of Clovis!
GH Martel seems just as interesting. A smaller producer, their maison is situated in one of the oldest historical districts of Reims, virtually next door to Saint Remi's basilica! Like Ruinart, it boasts charming medieval Crayères excavated between the IV and XV centuries.
We left Epernay in the late afternoon, and made our way back to Reims, to relax in the spa area before heading out for our final night. We ate at L'Alambic, and our food was delicious. As often in France, I order a delicious starter, skip the main course and go for an assiette de fromage followed by dessert, The fruit tartelette did not disappoint! The champagne of the month was also lovely.
Day 3 - More attractions of Reims before heading home
I kept some culture for the last morning. After their coronation, the French kings would hold a banquet in the archbishop's palace, the Palais du Tau, and specifically in the Coronation Room. Palais de Tau is currently closed for renovation until 2025, but if you plan to visit after that I strongly recommend it. Palais de Tau is UNESCO World Heritage site, with a remarkable collection of religious art and artifacts, such as the Chalice of Saint Remi.
Speaking of Saint Remi, the stunning Sain Remi basilica, the largest Romanesque church in northern France, is open to visitors. It is a former royal abbey, built on the site of an earlier church of Saint Christophe, where Saint Remi was buried. This explains the name change! The Holy Ampoule (vial containing a sacred oil) used according to legend for the baptism of Clovis in 498, was housed there and used in the coronation of all subsequent French kings, With such a remarkable building to visit and so much history to take in, the morning went quickly, and after a final champagne lunch we headed to the train station.
It was such an enjoyable trip, I wish we had had an extra day, or two, as so many of the villages on La Montagne de Reims are also worth a visit. I guess this gives us the perfect excuse to revisit.
Au revoir Reims, I will be back!
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