What it cost us to travel in the Champagne region of France

Time for a trip to Champagne country! This wasn’t part of our original plan, but knowing how much I love Paris, Bret asked if there was anything else I wanted to do in France. He also knows I love bubbles and suggested we look into the Champagne region. Turns out, it was a short train ride from Paris – and it was taking us in the right direction for our next stop, Belgium. We were specifically looking into the town of Reims, France. When we discovered one of our favorite champagne houses, Veuve Clicquot, was located there, it was settled!

City to City transit (this will account for planes, trains, buses, etc, that we use to get from one city to the next. We’re tracking local transit, like metro rides within a city in a separate count): $38.00 ($19.00 a person) 

We took a 45 minute high speed train from Paris to Reims. It was great! Low cost, easy to navigate and we really did move FAST. 

Accommodations: $54.34 a night

I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable accommodations in Reims turned out to be, after the prices we saw in Paris. Our place was small but SO CUTE. It was about two blocks from all the main shopping and dining areas. It had a lovely balcony that overlooked the street, which was the perfect place to sip coffee in the morning and champagne in the evening (or afternoon, who am I kidding?).

Average Daily Spend (minus accommodations): $111.55  ($55.78 a person/day)

a breakdown of what this went to below!  

Local Transit: $0.00 

Reims is a smaller town – I believe the population is around 200,000. We walked everywhere, although I will say they have an impressive streetcar and bus system.  Many people used it, and both ran regularly. 

Food and Drink (this will include all meals and drinks at restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and bars):  $65.86/day

Food and drink were again, relatively affordable in Reims. Our first day we shared a baguette sandwich, a big salad and drinks for around $14. Our most expensive dinner was at a place called Le Petit Basque. I was familiar with the Basque region of Spain but did not realize it extends into southern France. We had a delicious paella and shared a glass of sangria for around $25 total. It was a very generous portion of paella, meant to serve more than one. We left feeling very full!

Breakfast was pretty standard - two espressos and quiches ran around $14. A couple mornings, I opted for pastries or bread and jam which was a little less expensive. Our Veuve tour included one glass of champagne each, and we purchased two more. Those were each around $14, so $28 total. Outside of that, we tried to limit drinking at bars or restaurants and have champagne at home instead. There were plenty of local bars serving beers for around $2-3, if you’re looking for a budget friendly drink.  We also did a couple less expensive meals like kebabs and croque monsieur! 

Groceries, toiletries, etc. (this will include any meals and drinks consumed on our own, outside a restaurant or bar, plus toiletries and household items): $22.03/day  

Most of this we spent on champagne and cheese :). We found a really cool wine shop that sold almost exclusively champagne. Cave de Sacres sells bottles upwards of $200, but they also have boxes and boxes of interesting bottles for $20 and under. We saved a bit of money by buying champagne to drink on the cute balcony of our Airbnb, instead of purchasing glasses at restaurants. 

I also bought some local cheese from a charming shop and some baguettes and snacked on that from our place. 

Tours: $70.00 

We spent more on tours in Paris and Reims than we intend on doing in most spots. $60 of this was for two tickets to the Veuve Clicquot tour. This was definitely a splurge, but I love champagne and this tour was super interesting. We got to go into the crayeres (english translation: chalk pit). They’re underground caves, which Veuve says have the ideal environment for producing champagne. We also learned all about the woman who effectively made Veuve what it is today. Turns out Veuve Clicquot means ‘Widow Clicquot’. She took over the business in her late 20s after her husband passed away. The tour also comes with a glass of bubbles at the end, which retails for around $14.

The other $10 we spent on a two tickets to tour the Museum of the Surrender, where the first signing of the Nazi surrender in WWII occurred. You can step into the very room where the signing took place. 

Souvenirs and Gifts: $1.00 

We paid for a candle in honor of my Aunt Janine at Notre Dame de Reims.