More than mere sparkling wine, Champagne signifies glamor and celebration. A trip to the vineyard-carpeted hillsides around Reims and Épernay—less than an hour by train from Paris—is a chance to learn about the craftsmanship that goes into each bottle of bubbly, while luxuriating in the champenoise lifestyle.
Of course, you could spend days exploring both the smaller producers and larger maisons, not to mention the food factor (the region’s fine tables include Les Crayères in Reims, where chef Christophe Moret—previously at Shangri-La Paris, took over the kitchens earlier this year). But if time is short, we’ve got the perfect plan for a day trip.
Psst: Don’t forget your swimsuit.
Top of the list is Champagne Billecart-Salmon, the preferred pick of sommeliers at Michelin-starred restaurants. Based in the viticultural town of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, the prestigious winery has been in the same family for seven generations. It’s now helmed by Mathieu Roland-Billecart alongside Antoine Roland-Billecart, deputy general manager in charge of export. The winery, surrounded by a beautiful garden that’s been classified a jardin remarquable, exudes elegance like the wines themselves. Because the number of guests is limited in number, there’s an exclusive feel to the tours, like you’re being welcomed into a family home.
Here you get a deeper understanding of the ancestral savoir faire that’s been passed down over the generations. Stylistically, on a quest to create expressive and balanced Champagnes with personality, the house has innovated its winemaking methods, implementing low-temperature fermentation, reduced dosage and prolonged aging in its cellars (up to 18 years for vintage champagnes). What’s more, the house is certified “sustainable viticulture,” in part because of its respectful farming techniques manifested in the nearby Clos Saint-Hilaire—a single-walled parcel of Pinot Noir vines that fosters tremendous biodiversity. For wine nerds, the “My Origin” label on every bottle provides traceability and precise information about the assemblage of your cuvée.
A new visitor space was inaugurated in October 2024 with a reception and tasting room. As part of a new tourism strategy, tours and tastings can also now be booked on Saturdays in peak season (April to October), as well as during the week—opening the estate to more guests. Tours must be reserved in advance ([email protected]). Overall, it’s the authenticity of the family-owned enterprise and its pursuit of excellence that wins over so many fans.
“We’re happiness merchants,” said Mathieu Roland-Billecart.
Fun Fact: Maison Pic—the Michelin three-starred destination in Valence that’s overseen by star chef Anne-Sophie Pic—has served Billecart-Salmon bubbly since the 1950s. Anne-Sophie’s grandfather drank it for breakfast.
Transport Tip: You don’t have to leave Paris’s Gare de l’Est train station at the crack of dawn to arrive for a 10 a.m. tour at the estate. The TGV ride takes less than 45 minutes to the Champagne-Ardenne station, followed by a half-hour connection by taxi or chauffeured car. Champagne country also makes for a fun road trip from neighboring Burgundy.
Hungry for lunch?
Head to the Royal Champagne, the destination resort with services and amenities on par with what you’d find at a Parisian palace hotel. For many years, Champagne country was short on luxury accommodations, with a clutch of smaller, boutique-y boltholes dominating the hotel scene. That all changed with the Royal Champagne’s 2018 launch. What was once a coaching inn—where the kings of France would overnight when traveling to their coronations at the Reims cathedral—was reborn as a stylish, contemporary retreat overlooking the vines of Épernay.
When the weather’s warm, the terrace of the Le Bellevue, the hotel’s brasserie-style restaurant, makes for an idyllic setting for a meal. The panoramas unfurl in a rolling green tapestry of vines and villages. Shaded by suspended sun sails, the tables are decorated with small potted olive trees—echoing the landscaped beds perched at the edge of the terrace.
Christophe Raoux was appointed the new executive chef at the Royal Champagne in July 2024. Awarded a Michelin star at L’Oiseau Blanc at The Peninsula Paris in 2020, he nabbed Meilleur Ouvrier de France (master craftsman) recognition in 2015. Menu standouts at Le Bellevue include lobster penne rigate with Marne saffron, and locally raised chicken served with potatoes millefeuille. Note that the interior of the restaurant is just as pretty—it’s a sprawling space with floor-to-ceiling windows and crystals suspended from the ceiling. The hotel’s Michelin-starred Le Royal restaurant is only open for dinner.
After a leisurely lunch, head to the spa, a spoiling haven with knockout vineyard views from two different levels. The 16,000-square-foot spa with nine treatment rooms is managed by Spa Director Anna Pierzak. You could take a dip in the pools or hit the sauna and mosaic-tiled steam room, but we recommend booking a Shiatsu massage or a myBlend facial. In February 2024, the Royal Champagne announced a new spa partnership with Clarins, the innovative French cosmetics group behind myBlend, which incorporates LED mask technology. The spa also offers a facial treatment using Clarins Precious, the brand’s most premium, anti-aging product. Note that if you want to maximize your pampering time in the spa, you can choose a 30-minute express treatment.
But don’t get too relaxed. You have one last stop of the day: Pressoria, a museum launched in July 2021 that’s billed as a “sensory interpretation center for Champagne.”
Housed in Maison Pommery’s former grape press facility at the foot of a vine-covered hillside in Aÿ, Pressoria offers an effervescent, high-tech immersion into the world of Champagne’s universally prized wines. The exhibit space was designed by Casson Mann, the same firm that conceived the Cité des vins in Bordeaux. From the vine to the bottle, follow the precise steps that it takes to make Champagne, while learning about the role of terroir and climate in the process. Cap off your day with a flute of bubbly at the museum’s chic tasting room, or out on the wood terrace.
When it’s time to hop on a train back to Paris, the Épernay train station is just a few minutes away. Though you may find yourself toasting to another day in Champagne country.
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