The month decides more of your champagne day than the weather does: which houses are open, whether the grapes are being picked, and whether the tasting in the vines goes ahead. Pick your month here before you book one of the day tours from paris to champagne.
Half of a champagne day is outdoors. You drive through the vineyards, stop in villages and, on My Winedays' days, taste in the vines, weather permitting. Rain or frost moves that part indoors.
The other half is underground, and it never changes. The cellars hold 10 to 12 °C and 90 to 100% humidity in every month, so a January visit is as warm below ground as an August one.
The calendar matters more than either. Each house sets its own opening days, and the biggest names differ most in winter. The harvest, usually in September, changes what you see from the road. The figures below are Météo-France's 1991–2020 averages for its Mailly-Champagne station, 182 metres up in the vineyards between Reims and Épernay.
Highs average 5.8 °C and lows 1.2 °C. About 68 mm of rain falls, on 12 days. Frost comes on about 12 nights. Veuve Clicquot was shut all of January 2026, and the cathedral towers are closed. The cellars hold 10 to 12 °C whatever the weather.
Highs average 6.9 °C and lows 1.2 °C. About 56 mm of rain falls, on 10 days. Frost comes on about 11 nights. The cathedral towers reopen after 14 February. In 2026 Veuve Clicquot stayed shut until April, so check each house's calendar.
Highs average 11.2 °C and lows 3.6 °C. About 52 mm of rain falls, on 10 days. Frost comes on about 6 nights. The Épernay wine museum keeps winter hours, from 13:30 on weekdays, until 31 March.
Highs average 15.2 °C and lows 6.1 °C. About 46 mm of rain falls, on 9 days. Frost comes on about 2 nights. In 2026 Veuve Clicquot reopened on 7 April, and the Phare de Verzenay opened for its season on 1 April.
Highs average 19.0 °C and lows 9.7 °C. About 61 mm of rain falls, on 10 days. Frost is gone. The Épernay museum and Veuve Clicquot both close on 1 May, then keep their summer hours for the rest of the month.
Highs average 22.3 °C and lows 12.5 °C. About 65 mm of rain falls, on 10 days. About 8 days reach 25 °C. Veuve Clicquot opened every day from 29 June in 2026. The cellars stay at 10 to 12 °C, so bring a layer.
Highs average 24.8 °C and lows 14.4 °C. About 64 mm of rain falls, on 8 days. The warmest month, with about 14 days at 25 °C or more and about 4 at 30 °C. Veuve Clicquot opens every day.
Highs average 24.5 °C and lows 14.1 °C. About 63 mm of rain falls, on 8 days. About 13 days reach 25 °C, and Veuve Clicquot opens daily until 30 August. In 2026 the Comité Champagne opened picking between 8 and 22 August.
Highs average 20.2 °C and lows 11.1 °C. About 56 mm of rain falls, on 8 days. Harvest month in most years: picking typically starts about 90 days after full flowering, all of it by hand. Tower visits run Tuesday to Saturday.
Highs average 15.2 °C and lows 8.4 °C. About 69 mm of rain falls, on 10 days. Rain returns. The Épernay museum keeps its summer hours to 31 October, Veuve Clicquot opens Tuesday to Sunday, and tower visits run until 15 November.
Highs average 9.5 °C and lows 4.5 °C. About 70 mm of rain falls, on 11 days. Frost comes on about 4 nights. From 4 November the Verzenay lighthouse tower closes for works and Veuve Clicquot opens Wednesday to Sunday.
Highs average 6.4 °C and lows 2.0 °C. About 86 mm of rain falls, on 13 days. Frost comes on about 10 nights. Habits de Lumière fills the Avenue de Champagne on 11 to 13 December 2026. The museum and Veuve Clicquot close on the 25th.
Summer is warm and every house is open. Winter is cold and quiet, and the cellars feel the same as ever. The table puts the four side by side.
| Season | Average high | Rain | Frost nights | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter: Dec–Feb | 6.4 °C | 211 mm | 33 | Moët & Chandon lists daily hours; Veuve Clicquot shuts for part of it; the cathedral towers close |
| Spring: Mar–May | 15.1 °C | 159 mm | 7 | The houses' full calendars return in April; the Épernay museum's summer hours start |
| Summer: Jun–Aug | 23.9 °C | 192 mm | 0 | Everything open; Veuve Clicquot every day from late June |
| Autumn: Sep–Nov | 15.0 °C | 194 mm | 5 | The harvest in most years; tower visits until 15 November |
For most first visits, choose between late spring and September. May and June are mild, with frost gone and the houses on full hours. September usually adds the harvest. If your dates are in winter, the cellar visits still work, but build the day around the houses that are open.
A day tour from Paris sets the clock for you. Departures leave between about 7:15 and 7:45, and you are back around 6 pm. The four hours on the road are fixed, so the season changes only what you see between the tastings.
On your own, start early. Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot open at 9:30, and the 8:28 TGV that the France Intense day uses reaches Reims at 9:14. Cathedral tower visits run at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00.
These are the dates published for the coming months. Anything not here, including the 2026 Reims Christmas market, had no published date yet.
| Date | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Until 1 Nov 2026 | Veuve Clicquot open Tuesday to Sunday | Reims |
| Until 15 Nov 2026 | Cathedral tower visits, Tuesday to Saturday and Sunday afternoons | Reims |
| 31 Oct 2026 | Last day of the wine museum's summer hours | Épernay |
| From 4 Nov 2026 | The Verzenay lighthouse tower and garden close for works; the vine museum stays open | Verzenay |
| 4 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027 | Veuve Clicquot open Wednesday to Sunday | Reims |
| 16 Nov 2026 – 14 Feb 2027 | Cathedral towers closed | Reims |
| 24 Nov 2026 – 7 Jan 2027 | Tourist office open to 19:00 on Fridays and Saturdays | Reims |
| 11–13 Dec 2026 | Habits de Lumière, the 26th edition | Épernay |
| 25 Dec 2026, 1 Jan 2027 | Cathedral 9:00–12:30 and 14:30–19:15; tourist office, wine museum and Veuve Clicquot closed | Reims and Épernay |
Monthly figures are Météo-France's normals for its Mailly-CIVC station. The harvest comes from the Comité Champagne, the opening days from each house and museum, and Habits de Lumière from the Ville d'Épernay.
Hotel pickup in Paris, a famous house's cellars, a masterclass in the vines when the weather allows, and lunch at a family estate with three champagnes, for up to eight.
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Your party only, from your Paris address: a world-famous house, a Champagne estate, eight or more tastings and a three-course lunch at a Michelin-starred table, subject to availability.
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Leaves Place d'Italie at 7:45 for Reims Cathedral, two estates and Hautvillers, back about 6 pm. Say in advance and the van takes a pushchair.
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