Épernay is the town of one street. The Avenue de Champagne runs 1.5 km past the houses' mansions, with 110 km of cellars under it. Many champagne tours from paris pass through it, some for 10 minutes and some for an hour and a half, so it pays to know what you are walking past.
Épernay sits on the river Marne, with vineyards on the slopes above it. Where Reims is a cathedral city with champagne underneath, Épernay is a champagne town first. The tourist office is on the avenue itself, at no. 7, next to the town hall.
The Vallée de la Marne is the largest of the region's four growing areas: 103 villages and about 12,150 ha of vines. It is Meunier country, with 59% of its vines in that grape, while the Côte des Blancs is almost all Chardonnay. You taste the difference on a day that pours at a grower from each.
The avenue has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2015, together with Fort Chabrol in Épernay, the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims and the historic vineyards of Hautvillers, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Its mansions, paved courtyards and gardens date from the first trading houses' most prosperous years.
Under the cobbles run about 110 km of cellars, dug into the chalk. The tourist office puts the bottles down there at some 200 million. They lie at 10 to 12 °C, at 90 to 100% humidity, which is why you want a layer on a cellar visit even in August.
Walking the avenue is free. Several houses run a bar or a terrace where you can buy a glass without booking a visit. A shop and bar called Le 19 pours champagnes from growers and cooperatives in all four areas, 100 cuvées in all, and the Cellier Belle Epoque pours Perrier-Jouët on its terrace.
These are the houses you pass, with what each publishes about its own visit. Book each one on its own site.
One warning on the tours. The Galaxytour day sold as a "half day" is timed by its own listing at 7 to 9 hours from Paris, because of the drive. The BackTrip day stops at the Moët & Chandon shop on the avenue, not in its cellars.
Compare the private days that include the house with the shared days that choose a famous house for you.
Hautvillers stands on the slope above the Marne, and several of the days that visit Épernay stop here too. Dom Pérignon was the abbey's cellarer from 1668 until his death in 1715, and he is buried in the abbey church of Saint-Sindulphe.
The abbey buildings belong to Moët & Chandon and are not open to visitors. The tours stop at the church and in the village, for 15 minutes to about an hour. The full story is on things to do in Champagne.
The town's museum is the Musée du Vin de Champagne et d'Archéologie régionale, in the Château Perrier on the avenue, the former house of a champagne merchant. It starts with the region's geology and archaeology, from Neolithic burials to Gallo-Roman pottery.
Then a dozen rooms follow champagne itself: how it was made and how it was drunk. The last rooms hold paintings, sculpture and curiosities left by 19th-century collectors. There are tactile tables, virtual-reality headsets and an aroma table along the way.
A day tour is the easy way in, because it drives you between the houses and the villages. If you come by train, plan the day around one cellar slot you have booked.
| How you arrive | What to know |
|---|---|
| By train from Paris | Check the times for your date with SNCF before you plan the day around a cellar slot |
| By train from Reims | The regional TER line, the Ligne des Bulles, runs between Reims and Épernay |
| On a day tour from Paris | About 2 hours' drive each way; the avenue stop runs from 10 minutes to 1.5 hours |
| On a tour from Reims | One day ends on the avenue at about 5 pm |
| Tourist office | 7 avenue de Champagne, next to the town hall; +33 3 26 53 33 00 |
For three days each December the town and the Comité de l'Avenue de Champagne hold Habits de Lumière. The 26th edition runs on 11, 12 and 13 December 2026.
On the Friday and Saturday evenings the avenue fills with video mapping, live shows, champagne bars, music, light installations and fireworks. On Saturday morning, starred chefs cook with the houses and growers in a demonstration open to all, and in the afternoon children compete in a pastry contest. On Sunday a parade of more than 500 vintage vehicles crosses the town.
The street events are free and need no ticket. Cellar visits, the food-and-wine workshops and the champagne bars are paid, and the workshops open for booking from late November. Moët & Chandon sells a Habits de Lumière dinner at €520. The full programme is published in mid-November.
The avenue, the tourist office and Le 19 come from Épernay Tourisme; the museum and Habits de Lumière from the Ville d'Épernay; the cellars from the Comité Champagne; the UNESCO listing from UNESCO; and each house from its own site.
A private car from a fixed Paris pickup point to Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, both visits in the fare, with Hautvillers and Reims Cathedral on the way. Lunch is yours.
From $696 per person
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A private day for up to six with a wine-certified guide: an independent producer at Châtillon-sur-Marne, Moët & Chandon and Hautvillers. Your lunch table is booked; the meal is yours.
From $1,006 per person
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Sold as a half day, timed at 7 to 9 hours by its own listing: a private car from Paris to Moët & Chandon, Hautvillers and an hour and a half in Épernay.
From $550 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: compare Épernay with Reims and its crayères, see every house on champagne houses and growers, or compare every day out on Paris Champagne Tours.