Champagne Day Trip from Paris with Reims and Six Tastings
A Champagne day trip from Paris is one of the few wine regions you can reach in under two hours, and this Blue Fox Travel listing packs it into 11 hours by minivan. You meet outside 12 Avenue des Ternes in the 17th arrondissement, ride with at most 8 people, see Reims Cathedral, walk to Dom Pérignon's grave at Hautvillers, and taste Champagne at two different houses, six glasses in total. The price is $263.75 per person, lunch is extra, and the minimum age is 7. This page sets out what that money buys, how the day actually runs, and when you would do better on your own by train. For the wider field, see all day tours from Paris.
About This Tour
Blue Fox Travel runs this day out in an air-conditioned minivan with an expert local driver-guide. The route covers Reims Cathedral, the vineyards of the Marne valley, Hautvillers Abbey, the Nicolas Feuillatte house and a family-run winery, with six tastings spread across the two cellar visits. The listing states the option starts at 7 am and returns to the same Paris address around 7 PM depending on traffic.
The tour is built for people who want cellars and tastings handled door to door, without renting a car after drinking. It runs in all weather, tours leave sharp at the stated time, and there is no way to catch up with the group once it has gone.
$263.75 per person, booked on Viator.
11 hours, with a listed 7 am start and a return around 7 PM depending on traffic.
Outside 12 Avenue des Ternes, 75017 Paris, at the Café Dada Ternes, 15 minutes before departure. No hotel pickup.
Air-conditioned minivan with a driver-guide, maximum 8 travellers.
Included: Reims Cathedral, Hautvillers Abbey and Dom Pérignon's grave, guided visits of Nicolas Feuillatte and a family winery, six tastings (3 plus 3). Extra: your own lunch and drinks at lunch, and tips.
Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. No refund inside 24 hours.
Check Dates and Availability
The listing sells one named option, the 7 am departure with six tastings. Check live dates, the group calendar and the 24-hour cancellation terms on the booking page.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Price, day shape and verdict
This Champagne day trip from Paris costs $263.75 per person and runs 11 hours in a minivan of up to 8, from a 7 am start to a return around 7 PM.
Key takeaways
- Six tastings at two houses, Reims Cathedral and Hautvillers Abbey are all in the price, but lunch and tips are not. See what the price covers.
- The day is long and the meeting point is fixed, with no joining after departure. If that does not suit, compare other day tours from Paris.
- You can reach Reims alone by TGV in 45 minutes. The train case is set out in doing it without a tour.
- For a different day out in the same van format, look at Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte or the Somme battlefields.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $263.75 covers transport, a driver-guide, entry-level visits and six glasses of Champagne. Food, tips and anything you buy on the day are on you.
What Is Included
The listing lists seven inclusions: round-trip transport from Paris in an air-conditioned minivan, an expert local guide, the visit to Reims Cathedral, the visit to Hautvillers Abbey and Dom Pérignon's tomb, a guided visit of the Nicolas Feuillatte house with 3 glasses, a personal welcome and guided visit at a family-run winery with 3 more glasses, and a walk through vineyards of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. That makes six tastings across two stops, and a guide with you through the day rather than only at one site.
For scale, the cathedral itself costs nothing: admission to Reims Cathedral is free, and the tower tour is €9 for adults if you ever go back alone. The tastings are the real cost driver here, since a single cellar visit at a big house such as Moët & Chandon in Épernay starts at €48 for its 1 hour 30 minute Imperial Moment tour.
- Round-trip minivan transport from 12 Avenue des Ternes, 75017 Paris
- Expert local driver-guide for the whole day
- Visit to Reims Cathedral
- Hautvillers Abbey and the tomb of Dom Pérignon
- Guided visit of Nicolas Feuillatte with 3 glasses
- Guided visit of a family winery with 3 glasses
- Vineyard walk through Chardonnay and Pinot Noir country
What You Pay on the Day
Lunch is the main extra. The itinerary gives you a full free hour in Épernay to eat wherever you like, and whatever you eat and drink there is not in the tour price. Tips are also excluded, and the operator is explicit that guides prefer cash, though they say they also accept a bottle of good wine.
There are no stated mandatory extras or paid options beyond the single 7 am option. Bring a light jacket, because the weather can change quickly even in summer and the cellars are cool underground.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minivan transport Paris to Champagne and back | Yes | Air-conditioned, maximum 8 travellers |
| Driver-guide | Yes | English, with the group all day |
| Reims Cathedral visit | Yes | Guided, plus 20 to 30 minutes free inside |
| Hautvillers Abbey and Dom Pérignon's tomb | Yes | About 30 minutes on site |
| Nicolas Feuillatte visit | Yes | Guided facility visit, 3 tastings |
| Family winery visit | Yes | Cellar visit with the winemaker, 3 tastings, sometimes another small producer |
| Vineyard walk | Yes | Growing and harvesting techniques |
| Lunch in Épernay | No | Full free hour, you pay for food and drinks |
| Tips | No | Cash preferred by the guides |
Hautvillers is the village above the Marne where the monk Dom Pérignon worked at the abbey, and its slopes are planted with Champagne vines. Photo: INRA DIST from France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing names a 7 am start and gives durations for each stop but not clock times for each one. Here is the shape of the 11 hours as the operator lays it out.
Meeting at Avenue Des Ternes
You meet outside 12 Avenue des Ternes in the 17th arrondissement, where the Café Dada Ternes stands, at least 15 minutes before the official departure. The driver-guide arrives with a grey minibus about 10 minutes before the start. The tour leaves sharp, and the operator states there is no way of catching up once it has gone.
The nearest Métro access is by normal city transport, since the listing notes public transportation options are available nearby.
Vineyard Walk, About 60 Minutes
After the drive out, the first stop is among the vines. You walk a vineyard on the rolling hills of Champagne and your guide explains the techniques for growing and harvesting grapes suitable for Champagne, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir the region is built on.
Nicolas Feuillatte, About 90 Minutes
The first cellar stop is a big cooperative house. The listing calls Nicolas Feuillatte the favorite Champagne of the French people, and the visit covers the facility before three glasses are poured. Expect a professional, polished operation rather than a farmhouse.
Hautvillers Abbey, About 30 Minutes
The abbey and its church belong to a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Benedictine friar Dom Pérignon lived here in the 1600s and is credited with the early story of blended sparkling wine. Your guide takes you to the abbey church for his history and then to his graveside.
Reims Cathedral, About 30 Minutes
The cathedral is more than 800 years old, covered in stone carvings inside and out. The guide explains its history and then gives you 20 to 30 minutes alone to look around and take photos.
Family Winery, About 90 Minutes
Here you meet Stéphane, the vintner named in the listing, who walks you through the whole process of making Champagne, up close to the press and the racks of bottles in his cellars. You taste 3 to 4 different Champagnes with him. The operator notes the specific producer can change, since they work with several small partners.
Épernay, 60 Minutes Free, Then Home
The last stop is Épernay, known as the capital of Champagne. Your guide points out the notable parts of the old town and then leaves you a full hour to explore and eat lunch wherever you like. Lunch is not included.
After that the van drives back to 12 Avenue des Ternes, arriving around 7 PM depending on traffic.
Sources: Reims tourism office
Best Champagne Day Trip from Paris | Epernay France
A Champagne day from Paris along the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay. Third-party video by The Megan Daily. We did not shoot it and have no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is a long, fixed-schedule day with a minimum age, and several types of traveller should book something else.
Families with Children Under 7
The minimum age for all participants is 7, and tastings are for adults, so this is not a trip for younger children. If you want a day outside Paris with kids, the Versailles bike tour takes riders from a lower stated minimum in a group of 14, and the Giverny half day is a shorter coach option that spends its time in gardens.
Pregnant Travellers
The listing says the tour is not recommended for pregnant travelers. With six tastings as the centrepiece, there is little left to enjoy if you skip them.
Anyone Who Cannot Make a 6:45 Am Rendezvous
The meeting is at 12 Avenue des Ternes 15 minutes before a 7 am start, there is no hotel pickup, and nobody can join after departure. If that address is far from where you sleep, you are up in the dark. Travellers who want a day shaped around a central station rather than a fixed van can read how to plan a day trip from Paris.
People Who Dislike Long Days
11 hours from about 7 am to around 7 PM is a full day, and the return time depends on traffic. If you want a shorter outing, the Giverny half day runs 6 to 11.5 hours depending on the option, and the Versailles by train listing is about 3 hours of guiding plus roughly 40 minutes each way on the train.
Anyone Wanting a Big-coach Price
At $263.75 this costs more than coach days such as Mont-Saint-Michel by coach at $100. You are paying for the van of 8 and the tastings. If budget leads, those coach listings do more kilometres for less money, though with far bigger groups.
Sources: Viator listing information provided by the operator
Could You Do It Without a Tour?
Champagne is one of the easier regions to reach from Paris by train, and the math is worth seeing before you book.
The Train Option
The TGV from Paris reaches Reims in 45 minutes, arriving at Reims-Centre or at Champagne-Ardenne TGV in Bezannes, which connects by tram. Admission to Reims Cathedral is free and the tower tour costs €9 for adults. Épernay is also reachable directly: trains leave Paris Est and the TER takes 1 hour 29 minutes with up to 8 daily round trips.
On a Pass Reims Epernay, the 48h and 72h versions include a free TER return between Reims and Épernay plus public transport in both cities. Mainline SNCF fares are dynamic, so no fixed Paris to Reims price is quoted here.
Where the Train Wins
If your goal is Reims Cathedral, a stroll and one booked cellar visit, the train is genuinely easier. The cathedral is free, the big houses in Reims and Épernay sell direct tickets, and Moët & Chandon in Épernay charges from €48 for its entry tour with cellars open daily 9:30 to 17:00. A single day of cathedral, lunch and one tasting can be done independently without stress, and pairs well with the other day trips from Paris by train.
Where the Tour Earns Its Price
The van earns its $263.75 in three ways. First, Hautvillers and the vineyard walks sit in hilltop villages that are awkward without a car, and the tour folds them in with two cellar visits. Second, the family winery tasting with the winemaker is the kind of stop that is hard to arrange alone on a day's notice.
Third, you are drinking at two stops before an afternoon of more travel, and somebody else drives. If the region deserves more than one day, look at a 2 day trip from Paris instead of squeezing it.
Sources: Reims tourism office and TER Grand Est
Hour by Hour
Clock times where the listing states them, phase labels where it does not.
-
Early morning
Meet at Café Dada Ternes
Be outside 12 Avenue des Ternes, 75017 Paris, at least 15 minutes before the 7 am start. The grey minibus arrives about 10 minutes before departure, and the van leaves sharp.
-
Morning
Drive out to the vineyards
The air-conditioned minivan covers the run from Paris into the Champagne hills. The listing does not state the drive time.
-
Morning
Vineyard walk, about 60 minutes
Walk among Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines while the guide explains growing and harvesting for Champagne.
-
Midday
Nicolas Feuillatte, about 90 minutes
Guided visit of the house and its facility, then 3 glasses of Champagne. The listing calls it the favorite Champagne of the French people.
-
Midday
Hautvillers Abbey, about 30 minutes
Hear the story of Dom Pérignon in the abbey church, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, then visit his graveside in the village.
-
Afternoon
Reims Cathedral, about 30 minutes
A guided look at the 800-year-old Gothic cathedral and its stone carvings, then 20 to 30 minutes inside on your own for photos.
-
Afternoon
Family winery, about 90 minutes
Meet Stéphane the winemaker, see the press and bottle racks in his cellars, and taste 3 to 4 Champagnes with him. A different small partner producer may stand in on the day.
-
Late afternoon
Épernay, 60 minutes free
A short orientation in the capital of Champagne, then a full hour to explore and buy your own lunch, which is not included.
-
Evening
Return to Paris
The van drives back to 12 Avenue des Ternes, finishing around 7 PM depending on traffic.
Pros and Cons
The honest case for and against this specific listing, based only on what the operator states.
What we genuinely like
- Six tastings at two very different houses, a polished cooperative and a family producer, are both in the price
- A maximum of 8 travellers in an air-conditioned minivan, small by the standard of Paris coach tours
- A driver-guide stays with the group all day, including at the cathedral and the abbey, not just at one stop
- Hautvillers Abbey, Dom Pérignon's tomb and a vineyard walk are stops most independent visitors skip
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
The honest downsides
- $263.75 per person is one of the higher day-tour prices leaving Paris, and lunch is not included on top
- An 11-hour day from a 7 am start to a return around 7 PM
- The meeting point at Avenue des Ternes is fixed, with no hotel pickup and no joining after departure
- Minimum age 7 and not recommended for pregnant travellers
- The specific family winery can be swapped for another partner producer, so the named host Stéphane is not guaranteed
Who it's NOT for: Not for families with children under 7, not for pregnant travellers, and not for anyone who wants a flexible, cheap or short day out.
Questions About This Champagne Day Trip
How much does this Champagne day trip from Paris cost?
The price is $263.75 per person on Viator. Lunch, drinks at lunch and tips are extra on top, as the inclusions table on the price section sets out.
How many tastings are included?
Six glasses in total, 3 at the Nicolas Feuillatte house and 3 at the family winery, and the winery stop may pour 3 to 4. The breakdown sits in what the day is like.
Where and when does the tour leave Paris?
The listed option starts at 7 am from outside 12 Avenue des Ternes, 75017 Paris, at the Café Dada Ternes, and you must be there 15 minutes early. If the fixed start puts you off, the day tours from Paris shows earlier and later alternatives.
Is lunch included?
No. You get a full free hour in Épernay to eat wherever you like and you pay for your own food and drinks there. For days where a meal is included, see the Normandy D-Day tour with lunch.
Can I visit Champagne from Paris by train instead?
Yes. The TGV reaches Reims in 45 minutes and the TER from Paris Est reaches Épernay in 1 hour 29 minutes, with cathedral entry free. The full case is in doing it without a tour.
What is the cancellation policy?
You get a full refund if you cancel more than 24 hours before the scheduled departure, and no refund inside 24 hours. The tour runs rain or shine, so bring a light jacket since the cellars are cool.
Is this tour suitable for children?
Only from age 7, since that is the stated minimum age for all participants, and the tastings are for adults. Families with younger children should look at the Giverny and Versailles day trip instead.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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