Champagne is synonymous with celebrations and elegance. In fact, the region of Champagne-Ardenne, France is very much a humble agricultural area with a deep history spanning centuries, many of them wrought with war. In Champagne, the cellar masters are chemists, engineers, and fortune-tellers. The act of perfectly blending three grapes into a silky, effervescent, delicious creation that maintains the same quality and consistency year after year despite the circumstances of mother nature is nothing short of magic.
To meet them and to see their process in person could be compared to a spiritual pilgrimage for many Winetravelers, as the region of Champagne contains just as much miracle as science.
Reims is a much larger city, with a bustling nightlife full of the energy of somethings and home to three Michelin Star restaurants. If you only have two days to visit the region, here are two suggestions. However, we would not try to schedule visits for both places in the same day to avoid spending a lot of time traveling between the two cities. The easiest way to get to Reims is to fly into Paris and simply take a minute train ride to the Gare de Reims station in the city center or to the Champagne-Ardenne station directly from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport , or one of the main stations in Paris.
If you choose to ride straight into Reims, you may have to change trains at Champagne-Ardenne, which is about minutes outside the city center. The other option is to fly into Paris and rent a car for a two-hour car ride over to Reims. However, traffic in and out of Paris can be tricky, so two hours is never a guarantee.
Winetraveler Tip: Make sure to book your train tickets in advance, especially if you are leaving Reims to go back to Paris to catch a flight.
