THE CHAMPAGNE ROUTE: TROYES, ÉPERNAY & REIMS

OVERVIEW

Discover France’s Champagne district on this tour taking in the best of Épernay’s prestigious wines and the fascinating medieval histories of Troyes and Reims.

The tour commences in Troyes, conveniently reached by high-speed train from Paris, and surveys the outstanding medieval heritage of this town, once home to an annual medieval currency market. Its half-timbered houses and well-preserved hôtels particuliers testify to the vibrant medieval economy of the town, which became renowned for stained glass. We admire outstanding examples of the medium in Troyes’s Cité du Vitrail museum and on the Stained Glass Route that follows the Aube river, encountering St Bernard’s abbey at Clairvaux and one of the best-preserved headquarters of the enigmatic Knights Templar.

The second half of the tour is based in Reims, known for its magnificent Gothic cathedral, the traditional location for the coronation of French kings and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We admire fine collections of decorative arts and crafts, collected for centuries by the cathedral’s archbishops, and the fine arts museum with its excellent works by Vouet, Poussin, Delacroix and the Impressionists.

As its name indicates, the Champagne region is one of France’s most important, for its terroir and proudly preserved culture of food and wine. From traditional cheese-making in Chaource and along the Marne river to the most prestigious sparkling wines of Épernay, we enjoy tours of wineries and fine meals in distinctive regional restaurants.