The Côte des Bar scenic drive

The other Champagne, between Troyes and the Pinot Noir

This is the drive to the Champagne most people skip: the Côte des Bar, the southern part in the Aube, a good hour below Épernay. Here the soil is not chalk but Kimmeridgian marl, like nearby Chablis, and the main grape is not Chardonnay but Pinot Noir. No grand cru villages, but rolling wine hills, wide D-roads and villages where tourism is still gentle.

From a real city: you begin in Troyes, the old capital of the Counts of Champagne, with a medieval old town shaped like a champagne cork, streets full of half-timbering and the narrow Ruelle des Chats. Then you head south on the D671 to Bar-sur-Seine, the gateway to the region, and deeper into the vines to Les Riceys, the only French commune with three AOCs and the rare still Rosé des Riceys. By way of Essoyes, where the painter Renoir spent his summers and his studio still stands, you loop back west past Chaource, famous for its soft AOC cheese and a 1515 Entombment.

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 villages and Troyes are free; for the Renoir house in Essoyes and a cellar visit you book ahead.

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.

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The 5 places along the route

1. Troyes

The start · Troyes, the old capital

Troyes is the old capital of the Counts of Champagne and one of the finest half-timbered towns in France. The old town is shaped like a champagne cork, with streets of leaning timber facades, the famous narrow Ruelle des Chats and so much stained glass that the town calls itself cité du vitrail. A good place to walk for half an hour (or half a day) before you drop into the vines.

Practical: the old town is free to see, all year. Park at the edge and walk; the churches with the glass are open by day. As of 12 July 2026.

2. Bar-sur-Seine

The gateway · Bar-sur-Seine

Bar-sur-Seine is the gateway to the Côte des Bar: a small town on the Seine with surviving timber houses, a medieval clock tower and the church of Saint-Étienne, whose Troyes-school stained glass ranks among the best of the region. From here the real wine country begins; the hills all around are planted with Pinot Noir.

Practical: the town and church are free to see; the church opening hours vary with the season. Park in the centre. As of 12 July 2026.

3. Les Riceys

The star · Les Riceys and its three AOCs

Les Riceys is the high point for the wine lover: the only commune in France to hold three AOCs at once, Champagne, Coteaux Champenois and the rare still Rosé des Riceys, a rosé made only in the good years. It is really a cluster of three villages (Ricey-Bas, Ricey-Haute-Rive and Ricey-Haut) in a sea of vines, the southernmost tip of Champagne.

Practical: the villages and vineyards are free to see. Tasting and buying the Rosé des Riceys is possible at the growers, best by appointment; not all houses open daily. As of 12 July 2026.

4. Essoyes

Renoir's village · Essoyes

Essoyes is the family village of Pierre-Auguste Renoir: his wife came from here, he spent his summers here and is buried here. His studio is preserved and can be seen, together with the gardens and a visitor centre, under the name Du Côté des Renoir. A quiet village on the Ource, where wine and painting meet.

Practical: the studio and gardens (Du Côté des Renoir) are a seasonal visit, roughly spring to autumn, ticketed; check the days and price on the official site. The village and the grave are free. As of 12 July 2026.

5. Chaource

Cheese and art · Chaource

Chaource closes the loop and surprises twice: the village gives its name to a soft white-rind AOC cow's-milk cheese, and in the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste stands one of the finest sculpture groups of the region, an Entombment (Mise au Tombeau) of 1515 from the Troyes school. A fine last stop, with the cheese for the road and a church you would not expect in such a village.

Practical: the church can be visited by day (hours vary); the cheese you buy in the village or at a nearby producer. From Chaource it is about half an hour back to Troyes. As of 12 July 2026.

Practical: for a rental car, convertible or motorbike

Direction and loop: drive the loop clockwise, as described here: from Troyes south-east on the D671 to Bar-sur-Seine, then Les Riceys, Essoyes and, along the long, fine stretch through the fields, to Chaource, and back to Troyes. That way you keep the sun and the vines on the good side and end with the cheese.

The roads: this is a drive on through departmental roads, with the D671 as its spine. Smoother and faster than the narrow vineyard lanes of the Côte des Blancs, but just as emphatically without a motorway: the A5 is avoided. The leg speeds of 51 to 56 km/h fit open D-roads. In a convertible this is lovely, flowing driving.

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 growers. If someone rides with you, agree on who stays sober.

Best time: the finest months are May to October; at harvest (September) the Pinot Noir hills turn colour. Troyes, the villages and Chaource are free to see all year; the Renoir house in Essoyes is a seasonal visit, so check the days and price ahead, as with any cellar visit in Les Riceys or Bar-sur-Seine.

Fuel and tolls: fill up in Troyes or Bar-sur-Seine. There are no tolls on this route; it runs entirely on free roads.

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