Champagne Region

I’ve visited France’s Champagne region more times than I can count, and at this point it’s become one of those places we keep finding an excuse to go back to. We’ll return to a few favorites, inevitably discover another producer we love, and somehow come home with more bottles than we intended.

The famous Champagne houses are part of the fun, but they’re only one side of the region. Reims has some of the best food, plenty of history and several big-name houses; Épernay puts you right on the Avenue de Champagne; and smaller villages like Hautvillers are where things start to feel a little less polished and a lot more personal.

These Champagne travel guides cover the houses and cellar tours I actually recommend, where to eat in Reims and Épernay, which city to stay in, and the smaller producers and villages worth seeking out once you’re ready to go beyond the most obvious names.