Hey family it’s ya favorite expat in Paris! Last weekend ya girl took a trip to the most expensive street in the world, Avenue de Champagne in Champagne, France! Recognized as a Unesco World Heritage Site the Champagne Region is north of Paris. By French & European law, the term Champagne can ONLY be used for wines produced in the Champagne Region, hence, Champagne can literally only come from Champagne.
The main cities in Champagne are Reims and Epernay. Reims boasts plenty of large-scale houses including Veuve Clicquot and GH Mumm. In Epernay you can enjoy Mercier, Castellane, Moet Chandon plus many smaller houses.
When to go to: Spring & summer.
How to get to there:
– Car: 2hr drive on AutoRoute 4 or A4
– Train: The TGV takes roughly 2hrs to get to Epernay & 1.5hrs to Reims. RT Tickets from Paris to Reims & Epernay can run as low as 50€ if purchased at least 4 weeks in advance. For last minute bookings expect to pay from 50€ < 100€. Tickets to travel between Reims to Epernay range from 3€ to 7€ and takes roughly 30 minutes.
– Bus: Flixbus tickets range from 5€ to 15€ and takes roughly 2hrs to arrive in Reims.
Where to stay: Reims because it’s a larger town and there are more public transportation options.
What to do: Drink, taste, tour and sashay your arse all up and down the Ave. de Champagne! The Moet Imperial Tour for 32€ came with a history lesson of the house, cellar tour, and private tasting of Moet Imperial and Moet Imperial Rosé. The Veuve Clicquot Tour, although much shorter, provided a history of the house, cellar tour and private tasting of yellow label Brut and their beautiful Grand Dame Vintage 2008.
What to see:
– Notre Dame (Reims)
– Palace of Tau (Reims) – Palace where the Kings of France stayed during their coronation
– Museum of the Surrender (Reims) – WWII Museum
– The Abbaye d’Hautvillers – Tomb of Dom Perignon and where he worked as a cellar master
Where to eat: L’Oeil de Boeuf (Epernay) –Traditional French cuisine
*More info & photos @ pennilessinparis.com
Latrice Shepherd
Instagram: @pennilessinparis