Our suggested itineraries for the Champagne-Ardenne region

We offer you 2 itineraries in the Champagne-Ardenne region:
1. Click here to discover the region in 3 days.
2. Click here to discover the region in 6 days.

Click here to download a map of the Champagne-Ardenne region.

For this day, you can buy the Reims city card (available at the Tourist Office), a discovery pass that give you exceptional privileges.
Reims Tourist Office -Tel + 33 (0)3 26 77 45 00 - www.reims-tourism.com 


- 2nd day: Epernay, the capital of champagne
Reims-Epernay = 30 mn (30km)

At the beginning of the day, you can go by car to Epernay set right in the middle of the vineyards and known throughout the world as “the Champagne capital”. By walking on the Avenue de Champagne, you will understand why. Here are located the major producers and the champagne trade goes on. The street is lined with many 19th century-towned houses which are home to such prestigious Champagne houses as Moët et Chandon, Perrier Jouët, Mercier and De Castellane. Visit one of the cellars of the great champagne houses and discover the real spectacle beneath the ground. Over 100 km of tunnels carved out of the chalk contain the treasures of their prestigious houses.

From there, you can go to the shop “C Comme Champagne de Propriétaire” (8 rue Gambetta) to discover all the different kinds of champagne of the region and buy the one you prefer.

In the afternoon, leave Epernay and drive in the direction of Dizy to Hautvillers, the birthplace of champagne, a unique village where the houses proudly display wrought iron signs and visit the abbey church with the tombstone of Dom Pérignon.
Epernay and Region Tourist Office -Tel + 33 (0)3 26 53 33 00 www.ot-epernay.fr/-Welcome- 


- 3rd day: Troyes, the historical capital of Champagne
Epernay-Troyes = 1h30 (112km)

From there, go on in the morning to Troyes, the historical capital of Champagne.

In the morning, walk in its narrow paved streets between half-timbered houses and look at its churches with exceptional stained-glass windows. Discover for example the church of Sainte Madeleine with its remarkable stained-glass or stepped inside the church of Saint Pantaléon, home to some sixty statues of the Troyes school.

At lunch, you can taste the “Andouillette de Troyes”, a traditional pork sausage made exclusively from pork chaudins and pork belly.

In the afternoon, you can follow the Champagne trail (Côte des Bar) on which wine growers offer personalised tours in a traditional, family setting. It is recommended that you book in advance to be sure of the availability of the owners. You can also go shopping in the factory shops which are among the most important in Europe.

For this day, you can buy a “Pass Troyes” (available at the Troyes Tourist Office) which includes a tour of Troyes, museum entries and discounts at factory shops.

From 18 April to 25 October, the town of Troyes and the Church of Saint Jean au Marché host an event-exhibition on 15th and 16th century Champagne sculpture bringing together 94 sculptures scattered throughout Champagne and museums in New York (Metropolitan Museum), Paris (the Louvre Museum and the Museum of the Middle Ages), London (Victoria and Albert Museum), etc.
Troyes Tourist Office – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 25 82 62 70 - www.sculpture-Champagne.fr (French only)

At the end of the day, leave your car at a car rental location and take a train back to Paris.

Contact
Champagne-Ardenne Tourisme
50 avenue du Général Patton – BP 319
51013 Châlons-en-Champagne Cedex
Mail: contact@tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com
Phone: + 33 (0)3 26 21 85 80
New website: www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk



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Birthplace of Arthur Rimbaud, Charleville-Mézières will always reserve a special place for the legendary poet, who is buried here. A tour of the town in Rimbaud’s footsteps culminates in the very moving Musée Rimbaud, a museum devoted entirely to him. The exhibits form part of the town’s Rimbaud collection, one of the richest in the world.
Charleville-Mézières Tourist Office – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 24 55 69 90 – www.charleville-tourisme.com (in French only)

Charleville-Mézières is also the world capital of puppets with its International Puppet Festival. The Festival has taken place every three years since 1976 but it will no doubt continue biennially, so giving festival-goers the opportunity to gather together in September 2011 to blow its 50 candles out!
Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 24 59 94 94 – www.festival-marionnette.com


- 2nd day: Sedan (Ardennes), a real swashbuckler
Charleville-Mezieres-Sedan = 30 mn (25km)

At the beginning of the second day, you can drive further to the city of Sedan today classed as a “Town of Art and History”, for its rich historical and architectural heritage, the legacy of a long military past, and the beauty of its landscapes. Over the centuries, Sedan developed around its fortified castle, which looks majestically down upon the town, on the banks of the River Meuse, right in the heart of the Ardennes. Dating from the 15th century, Sedan’s fortified castle is the largest in Europe (35,000 sq m). With its strategic position on the frontier of eastern France, the castle was continually added to, strengthened and modernised by the powerful La Marcks, Dukes of Bouillon and Sovereign Princes of Sedan.

Today a listed building, it recounts its history, plunging visitors into the heart of the Middle Ages, and the time of the Principality of Sedan. It tells of the lives of both the Princes of Sedan and their soldiers and servants, by means of an animated tour that uses highly detailed reconstructions of scenes from everyday life.

In summer, the Tournois de Chevalerie gives visitors the opportunity to watch jousting and rich, colourful performances.
Sedan Tourist Office – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 24 27 73 73 – www.tourisme-sedan.fr or www.chateau-fort-sedan.fr (in French only)


- 3rd day: Reims (Marne), a town with a rich history and flavour
Sedan-Reims = 1h15 (98km)

In this “town of art and history”, you can in the morning have a look at the Unesco World heritage Site of Reims Cathedral, a gem of French Gothic architecture and the site of the coronation of 33 French kings, from Clovis to Charles X. You can also visit the Palais du Tau, former residence of the Archbishop of Reims, the Saint Remi Basilica, a marvel of Roman art and the Abbey of Saint Remi, an important landmark in French history. The numerous sites, museums and monuments that bear witness to a glorious past going back to the Gallo-Roman era make Reims one of the region’s key attractions.

In the afternoon plunge into the semi-darkness of a Champagne house as Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Pommery and Ruinart and shed light on the mystery of the bubbles.

And at the end of the day, you can have dinner at one of the restaurants on the Place Drouet d’Erlon for example. There taste the regional specialities as the Jambon de Reims or the “biscuit rose” (pink biscuit) from Reims.

For this day, you can buy the Reims city card (available at the Tourist Office), a discovery pass that give you exceptional privileges.
Reims Tourist Office -Tel + 33 (0)3 26 77 45 00 - www.reims-tourism.com 


- 4th day Morning: Epernay (Marne), the capital of champagne
Reims-Epernay = 30 mn (30km)

At the beginning of the day, you can go by car to Epernay set right in the middle of the vineyards and known throughout the world as “the Champagne capital”. By walking on the Avenue de Champagne, you will understand why. Here are located the major producers and the champagne trade goes on. The street is lined with many 19th century-towned houses which are home to such prestigious Champagne houses as Moët et Chandon, Perrier Jouët, Mercier and De Castellane. Visit one of the cellars of the great champagne houses and discover the real spectacle beneath the ground. Over 100 km of tunnels carved out of the chalk contain the treasures of their prestigious houses.

From there, you can go to the shop “C Comme Champagne de Propriétaire” (8 rue Gambetta) to discover all the different kinds of champagne of the region and buy the one you prefer.

You can also leave Epernay and drive in the direction of Dizy to Hautvillers, the birthplace of champagne, a unique village where the houses proudly display wrought iron signs and visit the abbey church with the tombstone of Dom Pérignon.
Epernay and Region Tourist Office -Tel + 33 (0)3 26 53 33 00 www.ot-epernay.fr/-Welcome-
 

- 4th day Afternoon: Châlons-en-Champagne (Marne), a gentle way of life
Epernay-Chalons-en-Champagne = 40 mn (34km)

In the afternoon, you can visit Châlons-en-Champagne, classed as a “Town of Art and History” in 2007, which has long been a major economic crossroads of northern Europe, due to its strategic position on the River Marne and the Via Agrippa, the Roman road that linked Rome to Boulogne-sur-Mer. Blessed with particularly pleasant surroundings, the many canals that criss-cross the town have afforded it the nickname of “Little Venice”. Artistic life is highly developed here, as are traditional crafts, in particular stonework, sculpture and stained glass. Having preserved over the centuries its important architectural heritage, Châlons-en-Champagne is a town that is pleasant to wander round, along its streets lined with half-timbered houses or beside the canals that cut through it. Stopping off to rest in its wonderful gardens and green spaces, a visit to the town makes for a really relaxing break.

The fine-art and archaeology collections of the Musée des Beaux Arts et d’Archéologie are well worth the detour. Saint-Etienne Cathedral is a fine Gothic structure famed for the splendour of its stained-glass windows, yet it is the stained glass of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is particularly awe-inspiring. A universally acclaimed treasure, left behind by painter-glazier Mathieu Bléville and his anonymous predecessors, appears before our eyes; an invitation to contemplation…
Châlons-en-Champagne Tourist Office – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 26 65 17 89 – www.chalons-tourisme.com/en-default.htm  


- 5th day: Troyes (Aube), the historical capital of Champagne
Chalons-en-Champagne-Troyes = 1h00 (90km)

From there, go on in the morning to Troyes, the historical capital of Champagne.

In the morning, walk in its narrow paved streets between half-timbered houses and look at its churches with exceptional stained-glass windows. Discover for example the church of Sainte Madeleine with its remarkable stained-glass or stepped inside the church of Saint Pantaléon, home to some sixty statues of the Troyes school.

At lunch, you can taste the “Andouillette de Troyes”, a traditional pork sausage made exclusively from pork chaudins and pork belly.

In the afternoon, you can follow the Champagne trail (Côte des Bar) on which wine growers offer personalised tours in a traditional, family setting. It is recommended that you book in advance to be sure of the availability of the owners. You can also go shopping in the factory shops which are among the most important in Europe.

For this day, you can buy a “Pass Troyes” (available at the Troyes Tourist Office) which includes a tour of Troyes, museum entries and discounts at factory shops.

From 18 April to 25 October, the town of Troyes and the Church of Saint Jean au Marché host an event-exhibition on 15th and 16th century Champagne sculpture bringing together 94 sculptures scattered throughout Champagne and museums in New York (Metropolitan Museum), Paris (the Louvre Museum and the Museum of the Middle Ages), London (Victoria and Albert Museum), etc.
Troyes Tourist Office – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 25 82 62 70 - www.sculpture-Champagne.fr (French only) 


- 6th day Morning: Colombey-Les-Deux-Eglises, the Charles De Gaulle Memorial (Haute-Marne)
Troyes-Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises = 1h00 (80km)

In November 2008, an extraordinary museum about an extraordinary man opened in Colombey-les-deux-Eglises. This place of remembrance at the foot of the Lorraine Cross is equipped with the latest museum and exhibit technology to help familiarise visitors with the 20th  century’s most famous Frenchman.

This Memorial entirely dedicated to the life and work of Général de Gaulle is a cultural and tourist amenity as great as the man who chose this town as a place to come when he needed to rest and think.

The Haute-Marne General Council sets up the permanent and temporary exhibitions in partnership with the Charles de Gaulle Foundation.
Charles de Gaulle Memorial: Tel: 00 33 (0)3 25 30 90 80 – www.memorial-charlesdegaulle.fr/en/index.html
 

- 6th day Afternoon: Langres (Haute-Marne), all on stage!
Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises-Langres = 1h00 (70km)

Langres is one of the few French towns to have entirely preserved its fortifications. Thus it preserves, within its stones, the many expressions of a long, rich and varied history (with the Maison Renaissance, town houses, cathedral, etc.). Birthplace of Denis Diderot, one of the most important figures of the Enlightenment, Langres has managed to bring out the richness of its historic past and architecture, not only by means of protected areas, but also through its art and history museum, the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire.

Classed as one of the 50 “Prettiest Towns in France”, with its high ramparts, imposing towers and many bell towers, Langres appears as a proud fortress set at the gateway of Champagne and Burgundy. Along the 3,5 km of its rampart walk, left unscathed by the centuries, we look down on a vast panorama: to the east, the Lac de la Liez and Marne valley in the foreground, with the Vosges mountains in the distance, and sometimes even a glimpse of the Alpes Bernoises; to the west, beyond the lush, green Bonnelle valley, the Langres plateau stretches out before us, with its hedgerows and wooded hillsides.
Pays de Langres Tourist Office – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 25 88 19 62 – www.tourisme-langres.com/page.php?lg=en 

Every summer since 1990, throughout the month of August, nightfall sees Langres overtaken by the Compagnie des Hallebardiers, which offers an unexpected tour of the town.
Compagnie des Hallebardiers – Tel: 00 33 (0)3 25 90 77 40 – www.hallebardiers.com (in French only)

At the end of the day, give your car back at a car rental location in Langres and take the train back to Paris (about 3 hours).

Contact
Champagne-Ardenne Tourisme