The champagne heritage route from Reims to Épernay

The story of champagne, in order and on the map

This is the drive for anyone who wants to understand where champagne comes from. No motorway, but a story you follow in the right order: from the place where the wine matures, via the place where the myth began, to the place where it is traded. Two UNESCO listings come together on the way: that of 1991 (the cathedral, the basilica and the Palais du Tau of Reims) and that of 2015 (the chalk cellars, the hillsides and the Avenue de Champagne).

Production: beneath the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims lie the crayères, kilometres of Gallo-Roman chalk pits where the bottles mature in the dark. Ruinart, the oldest champagne house (1729), leads you through them. Nearby stands the Romanesque Basilica of Saint-Remi, with the tomb of the saint who baptised Clovis.

Origin: in Hautvillers, the village that calls itself the cradle of champagne, Dom Pérignon lies buried in the abbey church, the Benedictine cellar master who around 1700 helped refine the method. Then you climb to Aÿ, one of the great pinot noir hills, and finish on the Avenue de Champagne, where some two hundred million bottles lie beneath the trading houses.

The Touren.app promise: a measured route, not a rough sketch. You get the kilometres, the honest driving time, a free GPX for your sat-nav and the route straight into Google Maps. The basilica and the church are free; count on a cellar tour and one visit for a full day.

The route on the map

A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.

Plan your own route

The 5 places along the route

1. Basilique Saint-Remi

Production · Basilica of Saint-Remi

The Basilica of Saint-Remi is the oldest church in Reims: a vast Romanesque abbey church that holds Saint Remi, the bishop who around the year 500 baptised King Clovis and so bound Reims to the French crown. Together with the cathedral and the Palais du Tau it has been a World Heritage Site since 1991. A calm, spacious start for anyone who wants to take the history from the beginning.

Practical: free to visit, all year. Park on the esplanade in front of the basilica. The adjoining museum (the former abbey) is separate and ticketed. As of 11 July 2026.

2. Crayères de Ruinart

The cellars · Ruinart crayères

Beneath the Saint-Nicaise hill stretch the crayères: funnel-shaped chalk pits the Gallo-Romans dug two thousand years ago and the champagne houses turned into cellars. At Ruinart, the oldest champagne house in the world (1729), you descend into them by the original stairways; below, the bottles mature at a constant temperature in the dark. The crayères are part of the 2015 UNESCO listing.

Practical: the Ruinart Visite des Crayères costs around 90 euros per person, lasts about two hours and takes a maximum of twelve people; booking is essential. For something shorter, book a cellar at another house. As of 11 July 2026.

3. Hautvillers

Origin · Hautvillers and Dom Pérignon

Hautvillers calls itself the cradle of champagne, and not without reason: in the abbey church of Saint-Sindulphe lies Dom Pérignon, the Benedictine cellar master who around 1700 helped refine the method. The village clings to the hillside with its famous wrought-iron signs, and the vineyards fall steeply to the Marne. The church is free; the abbey buildings themselves belong to Moët & Chandon.

Practical: the abbey church is free to visit; Dom Pérignon's tombstone lies before the choir. The abbey itself is not open. Park at the edge of the village and walk into the narrow streets. As of 11 July 2026.

4. Aÿ

Grand cru · Aÿ

Aÿ is one of the great names of champagne: a grand cru hill where pinot noir has thrived for centuries, prized by kings and tsars. Above the little town the steep vineyards roll; in its centre stand the façades of old trading houses. At Pressoria, an experience museum in a former press house, the whole story from grape to bottle is told, with a tasting.

Practical: Pressoria costs 18 euros (child 9.50 euros) and is open daily except Thursday, at Boulevard Pierre Cheval 11. The vineyards and the façades are free to see. As of 11 July 2026.

5. Avenue de Champagne

Trade · Avenue de Champagne

The route ends on the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, the boulevard where the great trading houses built their stately façades and beneath which, in chalk cellars fifteen metres deep, some two hundred million bottles lie ageing. The avenue has been a World Heritage Site since 2015 and closes the story: from production in the chalk, via origin in the abbey, to trade on the richest avenue in France.

Practical: the avenue is free to walk, five minutes from the station. House visits are separate, by booking. Park in the paid car parks or the blue zone. As of 11 July 2026.

Practical: for a rental car, convertible or motorbike

Direction and start: the route runs from Reims to Épernay and follows the story from production to trade. Coming from the north, you naturally begin in Reims; if you are staying in Épernay, drive it the other way and read the story back to front.

The roads: the departmental D944 carries most of it, with short climbs on the vineyard lanes up to Hautvillers and Aÿ. It is not a bare motorway but not a mountain pass either: quiet country roads through the fields and the vines. You leave the fast N51 and the A4 to one side. In a convertible you want the roof open on the vineyard stretches.

Tasting and driving: France has a 0.5 g/L blood-alcohol limit, and 0.2 g/L for drivers with less than three years' licence. A glass of champagne goes a long way, so spread your tasting or use the crachoir: spitting after tasting is entirely normal at the houses. If someone rides with you, agree on who stays sober. To taste properly at several houses, a chauffeured tour from Reims or Épernay is the safest choice; drive the route yourself another day.

Best time: this is the winter-proof route of the cluster. The basilica, the abbey church and the avenue are free all year, and the cellars and Pressoria are indoors, so you can drive it well in the low season and winter too. Note: Pressoria is closed on Thursdays, and a Ruinart cellar tour should be booked well ahead.

Fuel and tolls: fill up in Reims or Épernay. There are no tolls on this route; it runs entirely on free roads.

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