How to Visit the Epernay Champagne Houses in France

Home to the world’s most famous and exquisite Champagne houses, Epernay is the ultimate destination for wine enthusiasts. Located in the heart of the Champagne region in northeastern France, this charming town offers an unforgettable experience.

We were not sure what to expect before our first trip to Epernay, but we were very pleasantly surprised by how simple it was to get around, to walk between Champagne houses, and just how much Champagne we’d be drinking! You seriously have to pace yourself on the Avenue of Champagne.

In this blog post, we will share everything you need to know about visiting the Epernay Champagne houses – where to taste, how to get there, tips for your visit, where to eat, and where to stay. So, pop the cork and get ready to immerse yourself in the sparkling world of Champagne!

When planning a visit to Epernay, it is important to research the Champagne houses in advance to ensure you can visit the ones you want to visit. We have a really easy tool for booking your appointments below.

Each Champagne house offers unique tours and tastings. We’ve been to all of these houses and have offered our thoughts and recommendations below.

How to Visit Epernay Champagne Houses

Visiting Champagne houses in Epernay is not only a great way to learn about the history and production of Champagne, but it is also an opportunity to explore the city and its surroundings. The Avenue de Champagne is an easy walking road that contains many of the major houses and it’s very simple to walk between them.

Self-Guided Tour

I usually prefer to do self-guided touring when I visit wine regions because it gives me the greatest flexibility and I actually really like researching and choosing the wineries I want to go to.

While there is a little more work involved because you have to set up all the tours yourself, there are tools that will help make this super easy. The one I use is called Rue des Vignerons. It’s a French website that makes booking wine appointments super easy.

You can book online up to 30 minutes before and your appointment is confirmed instantly. This is the website I used to book all of my Champagne tasting appointments.

In our descriptions below, I will give you links directly to Rue des Vignerons for each winery so you can easily book it.

Group/Private Tour

There are many group and private tours to choose from. You can go on a group tour, which are plentiful, often including up to 8 people and are on a pre-planned route so you don’t have to take care of a single detail.

Below are two tours we recommend:

• Epernay and Vineyards with Champagne Tasting – Visit 3 Champagne houses, where you’ll try a variety of champagnes. There’s also an included three-course lunch. (8 hours)
• Epernay full day tour with lunch – Visit 2 Champagne houses, visit Hautvillers where Dom Perignon created Champagne, plus lunch and a tasting class. (8 hours)

Getting to Epernay

Epernay is easily accessible by train from Paris, which makes it an ideal day trip or weekend getaway destination. From Paris Gare de l’Est, you can catch a direct train to Epernay, with a journey time of about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The Epernay train station is within walking distance from the Avenue de Champagne, where most of the famous Champagne houses are located. Alternatively, you can rent a car in Paris and drive to Epernay, which is approximately 140 km away and takes about 1.5 hours.

Champagne House to Visit in Epernay

We highly recommend you drive all the way into Epernay and spend at least a day walking along the Champagne de Avenue, where you’ll find nearly a dozen Champagne Houses to visit.

We really like that it’s possible to walk between each of them, because the tastings are full glass pours. You’ll want to have time to enjoy it, rather than skipping quickly between them.

Pressoria

Pressoria is the brand new sensory interpretation center for champagne wines, housed in the walls of a former Pommery pressing center in the commune of Aÿ. This boutique Champagne house presents a unique blend of traditional techniques and modern innovation.

You’ll start with an immersive tour through the 10 rooms that make up the sensory experience, then you will finish the visit in their tasting room, with an unobstructed view of the hillsides classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

You’ll be given a guided tasting of 2 champagnes, to discover the diversity of the wines of the region. It’s a fun way to discover champagne through your five senses.

Champagne Comtesse Lafond

Champagne Comtesse Lafond is a small Champagne House named for the owner’s grandmother. Baron Patrick de Ladouchette has carried on the family’s reputation for great Champagne, with styles ranging from extra brut to rose.

The operation is located in a majestic castle on the Avenue – one that you’ll definitely want to see. They will be happy to give you a complete tour of the domain: the castles’ salons and gardens. You can even learn how to use a Sabre to open a Champagne bottle.

Location: 79 Avenue De Champagne, 51200 Épernay, France
Hours: 10am-1pm 2pm-6pm

Champagne Gaston Chiquet

In 1746, Nicolas Chiquet planted his first vines, and eight generations have followed in his footsteps. The two brothers, Fernand & Gaston Chiquet, who were winegrowers from the start, joined forces in 1919 to create their commercial company: Chiquet Frères. They were pioneers in Champagne.

After separating from his brother, Gaston Chiquet created his own brand in 1935. Gaston Chiquet and his son Claude expanded the family estate in the 1950s to the terroirs of Aÿ and Hautvillers.

Today, Antoine and Nicolas Chiquet manage a vineyard of 23 hectares located in Dizy, Aÿ (the famous wine of Henri IV), Mareuil sur Aÿ, and Hautvillers.

Villa Signolle

A family-run business since 1802, they offer specialist champagnes for experts and amateurs alike.
They do the harvesting, handling and winemaking of all their own grapes, from one of the best terroirs in the Champagne region.

Their villa is on the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay. You can taste on their terrace or in the lounge, inside a house listed as a UNESCO heritage site. Try the Blanc de blancs Grand Cru Zéro Dosage to test the minerality of the Côte des Blancs, then taste the powerful vintage Blanc de Blancs from 3 different villages. Finish with their Blanc de Noirs to discover the fruit of the southern Champagne region.

Location: 37 Av. de Champagne, 51200 Épernay
Hours: 11am to 6:30pm daily

Champagne P. Lancelot-Royer

Created in 1960 by Pierre Lancelot, then passed on to his daughter Sylvie and his son-in-law Michel Chauvet, this 5-hectares vineyard benefits from cellars that are dug into a chalky hill, just behind the house.

They have a press at the top of the hill so they can utilize gravity to transfer the juice to the tanks that are kept underground. Located about twenty kilometers south of Epernay, the Côte des Blancs is undoubtedly the most recognized of the four major regions of the terroir, so you know you’re getting the very best when you visit here.

Location: 540 Rue du Général de Gaulle, 51530 Cramant, France
Hours: 10am-12pm; 2pm-5pm daily (no afternoons on Sunday)

Champagne Jacquinot & Fils

Pierre Jacquinot, originally a winegrower and farmer, developed the family vineyard after the First World War, during which he was wounded. In 1929, Pierre Jacquinot set up his own grape pressing business and began producing his own wines. His two sons, Jacques and Jean-Guy, joined the business and together they created the Champagne house.

You can visit for a tasting and tour. It’s one of the deepest cellars in Epernay, located 20 meters underground, dug by hand 1873. Dive into the heart of the champagne making process on a guided tour through the cellar, vats and machinery. Then enjoy 3 non-vintage champagnes, a private Cuvée glass, a Blanc de Blancs, and a Blanc de Noirs.

Champagne Alfred Gratien

The Alfred Gratien Champagne House was founded in Epernay in 1864, and the same line of cellar masters has been perpetuating and passing on their knowledge for four generations: rigorous selection of grapes from the best vintages, respect for the terroirs, vinification in small oak barrels and production of limited volumes. Today Nicolas Jaeger is the head of the cellars and the one who continues the style of the Alfred Gratien house and ensures the continuity of that philosophy.

During a tour at La Maison Alfred Gratien, you can visit the century-old cellar, dug 18-meters underground and storing nearly a million bottles. You can do a tasting of 2 Champagnes, or embark on a tasting and tour with either 2 or 4 cuvees. You can also do a Champagne and cheese tasting.

Champagne Le Gallais

In 1927, Hachod Fringhian, the grandfather of Charlotte Morgain Le Gallais, obtained the Clos du Château de Boursault, which had long belonged to Madame Veuve Clicquot. Five generations later, Charlotte runs part of the estate – 7 parcels with their own characteristics – in the family vineyard, overlooking the Marne valley.

When you visit, you can do a simple tasting of their 3 cuvees or you can do a tour and tasting. The tour is the way to go as you’ll learn all about the Champagne making process. You first see their modern wine press, vat room and cellars, located under a 16th century manor house. Then, go for a walk in the vineyard to learn more about the cultivation of the vines.

To end this experience, you will taste 3 vintages in the tasting room, with a panoramic view of the vineyards of the Marne Valley.

Moet & Chandon

One of the most well-known Champagne houses in the world is Moet & Chandon. In Epernay, they also have one of the largest Champagne houses. It’s impressive to look at, even from the outside.

If you take a tour, you’ll have a chance to visit their cellars and see a bit of the over 28km worth of underground cave system they have.

You’ll learn the history of the family, the Champagne and the area from the guide as you walk along. The tour ends with a tasting. You can choose between a Signature Tour, Imperial Tour or Grand Vintage Tour. Prices range from 40-75€.

Location:  20 Avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay
Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 9:30-11:30 and 2pm-4:30pm
Email: Contact form

Champagne de Venoge

This Champagne house was established in 1837 by the De Venoge family, originating from Switzerland, near the Venoge river, which flows into Lake Geneva. The family has been building their international fame ever since.

The tasting room is a small house outside of the grander main house. You can stop in any time you like for a tasting at the bar. We actually happened to stay in the apartments across the courtyard, Le Suites du 33, which is a fantastic location for visiting the Champagne houses on the Avenue de Champagne.

Here you will be able to do a tasting of two Champagnes: a brut from their emblematic Cordon Bleu range and a carafe from their Princes range, or two from the Princes range. You can also pair a glass with small snacks, or you can do a full tasting and tour with either 2 or 4 tastings at the end.

Location: 33 Av. de Champagne
Website

Champagne Mercier

Mercier was founded in 1858. In 1871, Eugène Mercier started an innovative project to build cellars at the winery in Epernay, in the heart of France’s Champagne country. He told the architects to “count by kilometers and not by meters,”.

A few years later, a whopping 18 kilometers of cellars were open to the visitors. You can visit and discover the Maison Mercier and some of those cellars on an electric train ride that takes you around the cellar. You’ll also have an opportunity to try one flute of Brut Mercier, one flute of Rosé Mercier and one flute of Reserve Mercier. The price ranges from 26-30€, depending on how many you’d like to try.

Location: 68 Av. de Champagne, 51200 Épernay, France
Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm (2 hr break for lunch)

Collard-Picard

Champagne Collard-Picard was founded in 1996 by Olivier Collard and Caroline Collard-Picard. It is a privately owned grower-producer Champagne house. They have both a cellar and a shop. To visit the cellar, you must make an advanced appointment for a visit and private tasting with Mr. Collard.

You can stop in at the stop on the Avenue de Champagne during opening hours for a tasting of their classic, prestige, and exceptional lines, as well as the Coteaux Champenois Rouge. Our favorite is their Premier Cru Rose Champagne, using the “de Saignee” vinification technique.

Location:  15 Avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay
Hours: Everyday 10 or 10:30-5:30 (open until 7pm Saturdays)
Website 

Champagne de Castellane

You’ll see the giant tower of Castellane the moment you enter town. This is one of the larger Champagne brands, so you can expect there to be a full and large tour group. When you arrive, you can visit the museum of winemaking and climb the tower.

The tour lasts around 45 minutes and goes through the winemaking process, into the underground cellar and back to the bar where you’ll try a few different Champagnes.

Location:  63 Avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay
Hours: Every day from 10am-noon and 2pm-6pm
Email: visites@castellane.com

Tips for Visiting Champagne Houses in Epernay

Visiting Champagne houses in Epernay can be an unforgettable experience, but it’s important to plan ahead to make the most of your trip. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your visit.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Epernay is between May and October, when the weather is pleasant, and the vineyards are lush and green. Keep in mind that during the harvest season (usually September), the Champagne houses may be busier and have limited availability for tours.

What to Wear

When visiting the Champagne houses, opt for comfortable and semi-formal attire. Avoid high heels and sandals, as some tours include walking through the vineyards or damp cellars. Don’t forget to bring a light sweater or jacket, as the cellars can be chilly even during warmer months.

Reservations

It is highly recommended to book your Champagne house tour and tasting sessions in advance. The best way to do that is to click those handy buttons I included above to make a reservation through Rue des Vignerons.

When making your reservation, be sure to let the house know if you have any special requests or preferences. Some houses may be able to accommodate dietary restrictions or offer private tours for an additional fee.

It’s also important to arrive on time for your appointment, as many houses have a tight schedule and may not be able to accommodate late arrivals.

Where to Stay

Epernay is a beautiful city with a wide range of accommodation options, but not a lot of hotels, and even less international brands you might be looking for.

My top two recommendations are:

Le Suites du 33 – It’s located at 33 Avenue de Champagne, so it’s within easy walking distance of the Champagne houses. Breakfast and parking are included. There’s also a tasting bar for Champagne de Venoge on site.

Hôtel La Villa Eugène – A luxurious 19th-century mansion with a beautiful garden, Hôtel La Villa Eugène offers spacious, elegant rooms and exceptional service.

Where to Eat in Epernay

• La Grillade Gourmande: This gourmet restaurant serves delicious traditional French dishes, including a selection of mouthwatering desserts. Paired with a glass of Champagne, your meal is guaranteed to be memorable.
• La Cave à Champagne: With an impressive selection of over 250 Champagnes, La Cave à Champagne offers a unique dining experience. Enjoy their carefully crafted menu that complements the wines perfectly.
• Le Theatre: Classic French dishes in a lovely 19th-century building near the Theater in downtown Epernay. Choose from the extensive list of Champagnes to pair with your meal.

Before You Go

Since you made it to the end of this article, you’re probably pretty interested in wine tasting. Here are a few more articles we think you might enjoy.

• How to Visit Champagne Houses in France
• Best Wine Regions to Visit in France
• Where to Go Wine Tasting in Burgundy, France
• Where to Go Wine Tasting in Bordeaux, France

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Laura Lynch

Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited over 75 countries. Her work has been published in numerous guidebooks, websites, and magazines.