Day Trips from Reims: The Best Places to Visit in Champagne

After exploring the streets of Reims, between the cathedral and the cellars, we wanted to see what truly makes Champagne what it is: the vineyards. And you only need to leave the city for a quarter of an hour to find yourself among the hillsides, winegrowing villages and forests of the Montagne de Reims.

We drove the Champagne Tourist Route, climbed to the top of the Verzenay lighthouse, walked among the twisted beech trees of the Faux de Verzy, then made our way to Hautvillers and Épernay. More recently, we also spent a weekend in Châlons-en-Champagne. Here are the day trips from Reims we recommend, with travel times to help you plan your day.

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Day trips from Reims at a glance

The best day trips from Reims

If you only have one day, the ideal plan is a loop: leave Reims along the Champagne Tourist Route, stop at the Verzenay lighthouse and then the Faux de Verzy, before heading down to Hautvillers and finishing in Épernay. All these sites are less than forty minutes from Reims and just a few kilometres apart, which leaves time to wander and enjoy a tasting along the way.

With an extra day, add Châlons-en-Champagne, further south-east, for a complete change of atmosphere.

Drive the Champagne Tourist Route and the Montagne de Reims

If you were to do only one thing around Reims, this would be it. Between Reims and Épernay, the Champagne Tourist Route crosses the Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park: a wooded massif surrounded by vineyards, whose hillsides are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The scenery changes at every bend. You go from rows of vines rolling as far as the eye can see to woodland, then to winegrowing villages such as Verzenay, Verzy or Mailly-Champagne, where the producers’ houses line the main street one after another.

We drove without a set plan, stopping whenever a viewpoint caught our eye. It is probably the part of Champagne that made the biggest impression on us during our stay, and the most enjoyable to discover at your own pace.

Stop at the Verzenay Lighthouse

A lighthouse in the middle of the vineyards, hundreds of kilometres from the sea: it is quite a surprise. Built in 1909 by a champagne merchant to attract visitors, the Verzenay lighthouse is now home to the Musée de la Vigne, a museum dedicated to wine-growing.

The museum explains the winegrower’s work through the seasons, but it is above all the view from the top that makes the stop worthwhile: the hillsides stretch to the horizon, with Reims in the distance on a clear day. It is one of the most photogenic stops on the route.

Discover the Faux de Verzy, an unusual forest

A few minutes from the lighthouse, the Verzy forest hides a rare natural curiosity: the faux, dwarf beech trees with trunks and branches twisted in every direction. There are very few of them anywhere else in the world, and the Montagne de Reims has the largest concentration.

A marked trail lets you see them on a short walk, suitable for children. The atmosphere is striking, almost magical, and the walk offers a real nature break between two winegrowing villages.

Visit Hautvillers, the birthplace of champagne

Perched above the Marne valley, Hautvillers is often named among the most beautiful villages in Champagne. Its lanes are full of flowers, its stone houses are beautifully kept and almost every façade bears a wrought-iron sign illustrating its residents’ trade.

It was here that the monk Dom Pérignon is said to have perfected the champagne method. He is buried in the village’s abbey church, which is worth a look. For lunch, we recommend Le 36, followed by a walk to the viewpoints over the vineyards and the valley.

Discover Épernay and its Avenue de Champagne

Around thirty minutes from Reims, Épernay is the other capital of champagne. Its Avenue de Champagne is lined with the grand mansions of the great houses, beneath which stretch kilometres of cellars dug into the chalk. Even without a cellar tour, the stroll is well worth it.

We have covered everything there is to do there in our article on visiting Épernay in one day (in French): cellars, Notre-Dame church, the Hôtel de Ville gardens and practical information.

Visit a cellar and taste champagne

You can’t stay in Champagne without stepping into a cellar. In Reims, we had visited Pommery; around the city, the choice is huge, from the great houses on the Avenue de Champagne to the small producers in the villages of the Montagne de Reims.

The great houses offer very thorough tours of their crayères, the old chalk cellars, while independent winegrowers often provide a simpler, more personal welcome, with a tasting right on the estate. Remember to book, especially at weekends. And if you’d rather not drive after the tastings, this guided tour of two producers near Reims, with six tastings, takes you into the vineyards without any worries about driving.

Venture on to Châlons-en-Champagne

About 45 minutes south-east of Reims, Châlons-en-Champagne is a stop that is often overlooked. We recently spent a weekend there and it was a truly lovely surprise. Crossed by the Marne, the Mau and the Nau, with canals lined with half-timbered houses, it is sometimes nicknamed the “little Venice of Champagne”: a boat trip, just above the water and under the bridges, is the best way to discover it.

In terms of heritage, the collegiate church of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela, and Saint-Étienne cathedral are well worth a visit, while the Jard, a large park running along the Marne right in the town centre, is perfect for a leisurely stroll. Beyond this fine heritage, we found a lively town, pleasant to explore on foot, with some excellent places to eat.

Less busy than Reims or Épernay, Châlons can be explored at a relaxed pace. We tell you all about it in our article on things to do in Châlons-en-Champagne.

Where to stay near Reims?

There are two options for exploring the region.

Stay in Reims

It is the most practical base: a wide choice of accommodation and restaurants, and every place in this article less than 45 minutes away. You’ll find our accommodation tips in our article on things to do in Reims.

Stay among the vineyards

For a more immersive experience, stay in a village in the Montagne de Reims or around Épernay, in a winegrower’s guesthouse for example. In the morning and late in the day, when the low light skims the hillsides, the vineyards are at their most beautiful.

How to get around near Reims?

The car remains the easiest option: it lets you follow the Champagne Tourist Route freely and stop wherever you like. Épernay and Châlons-en-Champagne can also be reached from Reims by train, but the villages, the Verzenay lighthouse and the Faux de Verzy are hard to reach without a vehicle. Without a car, or if you’re coming from Paris for the day, a day trip to the vineyards around Reims from Paris lets you discover Champagne without worrying about the journey.

Cycling enthusiasts can explore some sections of the vineyards, particularly around the Montagne de Reims. Be warned, though: the terrain is hilly and there are plenty of climbs.

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The area around Reims is well worth a full day, or even an entire weekend. The vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the charm of Hautvillers, the elegance of Épernay and the strangeness of the Faux de Verzy make for a varied mix, all less than forty minutes from the city.

If you could only pick one day trip, take a day to follow the Champagne Tourist Route without planning too much. In our view, it is the best way to understand the soul of Champagne.

Day trips from Reims: frequently asked questions