Champagne Tour from Paris — Private Chauffeur Day Trip
One day, two capitals of Champagne. Your private chauffeur drives you door-to-door from Paris to the great houses of Reims and Épernay, through the UNESCO vineyards — so everyone can taste freely and no one has to drive.
Plan my Champagne day ↗Champagne day trip from Paris · about 9 hours with your private chauffeur · from €749 per vehicle
The price is per vehicle, not per person — your own private car and chauffeur for the whole day. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Why go to Champagne by private car
Champagne is close enough to Paris that the TGV reaches Reims in about 45 minutes — and that is precisely where the train stops being useful. Several of the great houses sit on the edge of Reims, the Avenue de Champagne is in another town, and the vineyards in between have no station at all. A group coach solves the transport but not the timing: its houses, its lunch, its departure time. A private car changes three things. You leave from your own door at the hour you choose. The route follows your cellar reservations, not the other way round. And you can stop — at a viewpoint over the vines, at a grower's gate, at a bakery in a village square — without negotiating with thirty strangers. Above all, nobody in your party has to drive home after the tastings. The chauffeur drives; you taste.
Reims, Épernay and the vineyard road
Champagne has two capitals, thirty minutes apart, with the vines rolling between them. A well-planned tour gives each its moment.
Reims — the cathedral and the grandes maisons
Reims, about 145 km east of Paris, is the larger of the two and the natural first stop. At its centre stands the Gothic cathedral where the kings of France were crowned, listed by UNESCO. Around the city are many of the best-known houses — Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Mumm, Pommery, Ruinart — each with its own cellars in the chalk, where millions of bottles age in the cool and the dark. Some are within reach of the centre on foot; others are on the edge of town, where taxis are scarce and a waiting car earns its keep. A classic morning here: the cathedral first, then a booked cellar visit and tasting.
Épernay — the Avenue de Champagne
Épernay lies about 30 km south of Reims, around 30 minutes by car, and is much smaller. Its reputation rests on a single street, the Avenue de Champagne, lined with the houses of Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët and Mercier, above kilometres of underground galleries. It is a good place to walk off lunch and the natural setting for a second visit in the afternoon. Your chauffeur drops you at one end of the avenue and waits at the other.
The côteaux — the road through the vines
Between the two towns roll the côteaux, the UNESCO-listed hillsides where the grapes grow. The motorway is quicker, but your chauffeur can take the slower road through the grand-cru villages instead, pausing wherever there is a safe place to pull over and look out across the rows. It costs a few extra minutes and it is the part of Champagne that visitors who come by train rarely see.
Great houses or small growers?
The grandes maisons offer polished guided visits, booked online, with a set tasting at the end. Champagne is also made by growers — vignerons who tend their own vines and make their own wine in the villages. A visit there is smaller, more personal and less scripted; you may well be shown round by the person who made what is in your glass. Many travellers like one of each: a famous name in Reims in the morning, a family estate in the afternoon. Growers generally ask visitors to get in touch ahead — tell us who you have arranged to see, and at what time, and the route is built around it.
Would you rather make one house the heart of the day? Our Veuve Clicquot tour is planned around the House's own cellar visit in Reims.
Looking for a wine tour from Paris? Start with Champagne
If you are searching for a wine tour from Paris rather than for champagne in particular, geography settles the question. Champagne is the nearest of France's great wine regions:
- Champagne — Reims is about 145 km away, roughly 1h30 by road. A full day of cellars and vines, and you sleep in Paris.
- Burgundy — the vineyards around Beaune are about 315 km away, roughly three hours each way. Possible as a long day, better with a night there. See our Burgundy wine tour.
- Bordeaux — about 580 km, five to six hours by road. In practice a TGV journey with a chauffeur waiting on arrival. See our Bordeaux wine tour.
Champagne is the only one of the three where the drive takes up less of the day than the tasting. And it is a proper wine visit, not just a glass of bubbles: a cellar tour walks you through how champagne is made — the blending of wines from different plots and years, the second fermentation in the bottle, the long, slow ageing in chalk — before you taste the results side by side. Many houses also offer vintage and prestige cuvées as a premium tasting, worth reserving in advance.
If what you really want is still red wine, Burgundy or Bordeaux will suit you better, over two days or more. For a single day out of Paris devoted to wine, Champagne is the practical choice.
Your day, hour by hour
The package covers about nine hours with your chauffeur. Here is a realistic rhythm for it; the exact times move with your cellar reservations.
- 8:00 — Pick-up in Paris. Your chauffeur collects you at your hotel or apartment. East out of the city on the A4, with water and Wi-Fi on board if you want to confirm the day's bookings on the way.
- 9:30 — Reims Cathedral. Dropped at the square, you have time for a walk around the façade and a look inside before the cellars open their doors.
- 10:30 — First house in Reims. Your cellar visit and tasting, at the slot you booked with the house. A standard visit takes about an hour, sometimes a little more; the car waits nearby.
- 12:00 — The vineyard road. South towards Épernay through the côteaux and the grand-cru villages — about 30 minutes, plus a stop or two for the view.
- 12:40 — Lunch. In Épernay or at a restaurant among the vines (not included — worth reserving, especially at weekends).
- 14:00 — Second visit. A house on the Avenue de Champagne, or a grower in a nearby village.
- 15:00 — The Avenue de Champagne on foot. A short walk past the façades; your chauffeur collects you at the end.
- 15:15 — Return to Paris. About 1h45 on the road — time to doze, or to compare notes on the tastings.
- Around 17:00 — Back at your door. Evening traffic into Paris can add a little time.
Prefer a later start, or only Reims? The day simply shifts. If you want more time on site than the package allows, ask when you book and we will quote the extra hours.
What's included — and what isn't
Included
- Your private Mercedes and chauffeur for the day (about 9 hours)
- Pick-up and drop-off at your Paris hotel or address
- Fuel, motorway tolls and parking
- Waiting at every stop — cellars, lunch, the cathedral
- An English-speaking chauffeur
- Wi-Fi and bottled water on board
- Help planning the route around your house reservations
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Not included
- Cellar visits and tastings — booked and paid directly with each house or grower
- Lunch, drinks and any bottles you buy
- Any other entrance fees along the way
- Guided commentary: your chauffeur drives, waits and keeps the day on time, but is not a tour guide. In the cellars, the houses' own guides take over.
Champagne tour price by vehicle
Full day from Paris — Reims, Épernay and the vineyards, about 9 hours.
| Vehicle | Capacity | Price for the day |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan (Business Class) | 3 passengers, 2 suitcases | €749 |
| Van (Business Van) | 7 passengers, 7 suitcases | €899 |
| First Class | 3 passengers, 2 suitcases | €1,030 |
Per vehicle, not per person. Shared between seven in the Van, the day comes to about €128 each; between three in the Sedan, about €250 each. Transport only — chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, tolls and waiting. Cellar visits and tastings are paid to the houses.
Practical tips for your Champagne day
- Book the cellars first, the car second. The major houses work by reservation and tastings sell out from spring to autumn. Secure your slots, then send us the times — the pick-up in Paris is set to match.
- Two visits is the right pace. One house in Reims and one in Épernay (or a grower) leaves time for lunch and the vineyard road. A third is possible, but lunch becomes a sandwich.
- Check opening days out of season. Some houses open fewer days in the quieter months; confirm on each house's official website before choosing your date.
- Dress for the chalk. Cellars stay at around 10°C all year and involve stairs: flat shoes and a light layer, even in July.
- Reserve lunch. The well-placed restaurants in Épernay and among the vines fill up at weekends.
- Bottles travel in the boot. Buy what you like at the cellar door; it rides back to your hotel with you. Flying home? Check your airline's rules for bottles in luggage.
Is a private Champagne tour worth it?
Yes, if you are two to seven people who want to taste without anyone drawing the short straw behind the wheel; if you want Reims and Épernay and the vineyards in one day, which is hard to stitch together by train and taxi; or if you want a small grower as well as a famous house, which is hard to arrange on a fixed group itinerary. Shared among a group, the cost per person drops quickly — about €128 each for seven in the Van — with your own route and your own timing.
Probably not, if you are travelling alone on a budget and only want one house in Reims: the TGV from Gare de l'Est takes about 45 minutes, the station is in the centre, and it will cost you far less. Our Reims chauffeur service can also meet your train for a shorter day of visits. It is also a long day for young children — three hours in the car, and cellars built around tasting. And if nobody in your group drinks, a rental car would do the job.
Photos
Frequently asked questions
How far is Champagne from Paris?
Reims is about 1h30 by road and Épernay around 1h45. With a private chauffeur you travel door-to-door and can visit both, plus the vineyards, in a single day.
Which Champagne houses can I visit?
Reims is home to Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Mumm and Pommery; Épernay's Avenue de Champagne to Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët and Mercier. Cellar visits and tastings are booked with each house; we build the route around your reservations.
Are tastings included?
Tastings and cellar visits are paid to each house directly and reserved in advance. We provide the private door-to-door transport and waiting, so no one has to drive.
What is the price?
The full day with a private chauffeur costs €749 in a Sedan (up to 3 passengers), €899 in a Van (up to 7) and €1,030 in First Class (up to 3). The price is per vehicle, not per person, and covers transport, fuel, tolls and waiting. House tasting fees are separate.
Is a Champagne tour a good wine tour from Paris?
Yes. Champagne is the closest of France's great wine regions to Paris, about 1h30 by road to Reims. Burgundy is around three hours away and Bordeaux five to six, so Champagne is the wine region that fits comfortably into a day trip with real time to taste.
Can everyone in our group taste?
Yes. The chauffeur does all the driving, so nobody in your party has to stay sober for the road home. That is the whole point of going by private car rather than driving yourselves.
Can we visit a small grower as well as the big houses?
Yes. Tell us which grower you have contacted and at what time, and we plan the route so you can combine a grande maison with a family estate in the villages. Growers generally ask visitors to get in touch ahead.
Does the chauffeur guide the visits?
No. Your chauffeur is a professional driver, not a tour guide: they drive, wait and keep the day on schedule. The commentary in the cellars comes from each house's own guides.
What time do we leave and get back?
Most days start around 8:00 from your Paris address and end around 17:00, about nine hours in all. The timing follows your cellar reservations, and longer days can be quoted on request.
Can we bring bottles back to Paris?
Yes. Bottles bought at the houses travel in the boot to your hotel. If you are flying home afterwards, check your airline's rules for carrying bottles.
Plan your Champagne day
Tell us your dates, group and the houses you'd love — we confirm your price and build the route.
Plan my Champagne day ↗