Our Travel Guide for 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.
Where we stayed
While I fell in love with the location of our Paris Airbnb, it was the apartment itself that I adored in Reims. Our Airbnb was in a charming old building with a spiral staircase, beautiful molding and doors and high ceilings. Similar to Paris, the space was small but functional. The bathroom was actually very large, the bed was comfy (not a sofa sleeper), and it had a kitchen with a mini-fridge, a Nespresso machine and plenty of cups, dishes and silverware. It also had lots of creative storage and a fold out desk space for working. But, the piece de resistance, so to speak, was the truly lovely balcony overlooking the street. We were located on the top floor, and the balcony was narrow but long with two bistro chairs, a table and some plants. We enjoyed our coffee and champagne here every day, listening to french music on our phone and overlooking the rooftops of Reims.
Favorite eats and drinks
The first mention here goes to the wine shop, Cave des Sacres. There are endless wine stores in Reims. We did a little research and Cave des Sacres not only came highly recommended for having a quality selection, reviewers said it had a large inventory too….AND it was close to our Airbnb. I went the first time on my own and then Bret and I went together a couple times. The shop sells bottles upwards of $200, but they also have boxes and boxes of interesting options for $20 and under. It’s fun to just wander and peruse all the bottles. Our first bottle of champagne was the Grain de Folie from Jean-Francois Launay. It translates to ‘touch of madness or fantasy’, and the bottle is what sold me. We bought three bottles over the course of our stay, and they were all delicious. It was fun to sip champagne on our balcony, and it was definitely more cost effective than purchasing glasses at restaurants and bars.
Another favorite spot is Fromages et Vins du Boulingrin (Cheeses and Wines). This shop is cute, and the man in the store was so friendly. He told me all about the cheese selection, and I ended up purchasing a local goat cheese with pepper. Delicious!
And finally, Le Petit Basque. I was familiar with the Basque region of Spain but did not realize it extends into southern France. This spot was located slightly outside the main tourist hub of Reims, and it was fun to see another neighborhood. The place is small and we got there right around the time they opened. We didn’t have a reservation but the guy seated us. We felt pretty lucky, because within the next 30 minutes, every table was full! The portions are generous and the food was delicious.
Can’t miss activity
Hands down, this goes to the Veuve Clicquot tour. It’s located on the edge of Reims, outside the tourist hub, but walkable from our Airbnb. The building and grounds are lovely. We checked in and were directed to a very posh waiting area. Our guide was great, and we got to go into the crayeres (english translation: chalk pit). They’re underground caves, originally dug out when harvesting limestone to use in construction. They were also the spot where citizens of Reims took shelter in WWI and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Veuve acquired them in the early 1900s, and according to our guide, the crayeres 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 we sipped in a tasting room. It was a nice day, so we purchased one more glass each from a cute Airstream trailer and drank them on the sunny patio!
Not worth the hype
Alright, I’m going with the Halles de Boulingrin for this, although it’s a bit of a liberal interpretation of ‘not worth the hype’. We tried to go to the Boulingrin Market twice during our time in Reims. The first time, we discovered it was closed, but we were excited to see it would be open the following morning. We walked over the next day to find there was one vendor selling produce, albeit not in the actual market. It was a table set out in front of the building. The whole market itself was still locked up. We were there mid-week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the market is fully open and lively on Saturdays and Sundays. It may very well be worth the hype should you be there on a more active day! But after reading so much about this unique Art Deco style market, I was a bit disappointed by our specific experience while in Reims.
Getting around
Reims is a smaller and very walkable city. We got everywhere on foot. There is a fairly robust transit system however. The buses and streetcar run regularly, if you prefer to use transit!
Other memorable moments and lessons learned
Watch out for ‘no pictures’ signs! I almost myself kicked out of my favorite little wine shop, Cave de Sacres. I was snapping photos, and the shop employee very sternly cleared his voice and pointed to the sign. Oops. A lesson to carry with me during the remainder of our travels.
I also have to mention here the singular restaurant that we returned to multiple times in Reims, but it didn’t make it my top eats and drinks….Paul. It’s become a running joke that our breakfast location of choice is this ‘quaint little local spot’ (they have 750 locations worldwide — it’s the Starbucks of baked goods :)). But sometimes, you just need an easy button! No guilt if you happen into a chain restaurant during your travels!
