7 Best Tours and Day Trips from Reims

Most of the best things to do in the city of Reims have to do with exploring the surrounding wine country. The city is a major tourist destination because it is considered the cultural capital of the Champagne region, where the world-famous sparkling wine is produced.

So in this post I'll briefly explain some of the best tours and excursions in the city.

One of the most recommended excursions for tourists arriving in the city of Reims is to take part in a tour that leads to the site where the main cellars of Moët & Chandon are located. If you haven't heard of this name, you should know that it is a world reference when it comes to quality champagne. For this reason, this type of tourist experience is aimed at learning about the history of this company as well as the process behind the production of this alcoholic beverage.

The excursion as such is usually reserved for a limited group of people, usually no more than 10 participants. From the outset, it is also a guided event because a specialist in the history of champagne as a beverage is always on hand. As well as the history of the companies that made this type of wine a world reference of quality.

It is definitely an exclusive experience in which the comfort of the participants is always taken care of and you also have to know that the tour service includes the tasting of about 10 different types of champagne that belong to the cellar of Moët & Chandon.

Interesting details

• Price: from 250 euros per person.
• Duration: about 8 hours in total.
• Means of transport: most of the time it is a minivan which includes all the comforts.

If you are interested in touring the countryside around the city of Reims in a slightly less conventional way then you should opt for a guided tour on an electric bike.

Clearly this is a favourable alternative for those who are used to cycling quite a few kilometres, but it is certainly a highly recommended way to get in direct contact with nature as well as to entertain yourself during a visit to the Champagne region, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The meeting point is always somewhere in the city centre of Reims and from there you start a bus ride through the woods near the city to reach the village of Epernay.

The electric bike ride also includes a visit to some family-run wineries and a stop for lunch at a traditional French restaurant. The church where Dom Pérignon is buried is also part of the tour itinerary.

Both wine tastings and lunch are usually included in the price of the experience along with the accompaniment of the local guide who usually speaks English. Just like all other tours.

Details of interest

• Price: from 175 euros per person.
• Duration: 7 to 8 hours in total.
• Means of transport: the transfer from Reims to Épernay is usually by minibus and the rest of the experience is by electric bicycle.

This tour is the perfect opportunity to explore the world of champagne at its source. During the tour, you will visit some of the most important wineries in the region, where you will learn about the history and the meticulous process of making this drink. You will also tour the vineyard landscapes that have made Champagne one of the most famous wine regions in the world.

One of the key points of the tour is Épernay, considered the "Avenue du Champagne", where the most prestigious houses, such as Moët & Chandon and Perrier-Jouët, are located. You will also visit smaller, family-run wineries, where you will discover artisanal techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. On each visit, you will have the opportunity to taste different varieties of champagne and understand how climate, soil and production method influence its taste.

The tour also includes a stop in Hautvillers, a charming village where Dom Pérignon, the Benedictine monk who perfected the champagne production method, lived. At his abbey, you will learn about his contribution to the drink and enjoy spectacular views over the vineyards.

Interesting details

• Price: from €120 per person.
• Duration: approximately 4.5 hours.
• Means of transport: minibus with specialised guide.

Discover Reims in a complete experience combining history, culture and champagne tradition. This day tour will allow you to visit the most emblematic places of the city accompanied by an expert guide and, in addition, you will visit the prestigious Vranken Pommery winery, where you will learn about the champagne making process and enjoy an exclusive tasting.

The tour begins with a visit to the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its imposing Gothic architecture and for having been the coronation site of the kings of France. Along the walk, you will discover the importance of Reims as the capital of champagne and the history of Dom Pérignon, the monk who perfected its production.

After exploring the city, enjoy a traditional French lunch before heading to Vranken Pommery, one of the most important champagne houses in the region. Here you will tour its impressive underground cellars and learn about the secrets of this drink while tasting some of its best varieties.

Interesting details

• Price: from 315 euros (including guide, transfers, hotel pick-up, lunch and champagne tasting).
• Duration: approximately 8 hours.
• Means of transport: air-conditioned vehicle.

For those looking for a more personalised experience, a private tour is the best way to get to know Reims and the Champagne region at your own pace. This tour allows you to choose your stops according to your interests, combining history, culture and oenology with an expert guide.

The itinerary usually includes Épernay and Hautvillers, where you can visit both grand champagne houses and family-run wineries, depending on your preferences. If you are interested in history, you can delve into the legacy of Dom Pérignon and explore the vineyards that have made the region famous. You can also choose to spend more time in the city of Reims, visiting its cathedral, squares and vibrant historic centre.

As this is an exclusive tour, you will have more opportunities to interact with local winemakers and experts, who will tell you secrets about champagne production that you would be unlikely to learn on a group tour.

Details of interest

• Price: from €270 per group; the price per person decreases the more people in the group.
• Duration: approximately 1 hour and a half.
• Means of transport: on foot.

If the idea of seeing the headquarters of Moët & Chandon doesn't appeal to you simply because it's not your favourite champagne brand, then you should know that Veuve Clicquot is the final destination of other highly recommended tours departing from the city of Reims. The itinerary of these tours is a little different, as it is usual that a tour through the cathedral of Notre Dame de Reims is also included.

The visit to the Veuve Clicquot cellar is the big star of the itinerary, but that doesn't mean that the lunch that is accompanied by a wine tasting class is not a good entertainment. The visit to the company's underground cellar also includes a tasting of other types of champagne.

You should also know that this type of excursion is one of the best things to do in Reims during the Christmas season. This is because the tour service dinner or lunch is usually geared towards enjoying a themed event inspired by Christmas traditions.

Interesting details

• Price: from 280 euros per person.
• Duration: around 8 hours in total.
• Means of transport: usually a minivan, as they are reserved for very limited groups of people.

One of the longest and deadliest battles in modern history took place near Reims. It is the Battle of Verdun and was an uninterrupted conflict between France and Germany that took place over 303 days during the First World War.

Today the field where the trenches were located has become a tourist destination so that people can understand how these battles were fought. There are also different monuments commemorating this event in which so many people died.

So this site is undoubtedly one of the best things to do in the city of Reims and forms part of its main historical attractions. The price of the excursion includes private transport as well as entrance to the camp and the two existing memorials. There is also the payment of the guide who is available so that the group does not miss any important detail about the history of this event.

Anyway, this is an excursion that does not take up your whole day and, therefore, you can complement it if you are interested in visiting the cathedral of Notre Dame de Reims, which is a very important church that is known for having been the coronation centre of the French Kings for several centuries. So if you complement these two activities in the same day you will be getting a lot of information about one of the most important regions in the North East of France.

Interesting details

• Price: from 380 euros per person.
• Duration: approximately 6 hours.
• Means of transport: most commonly a minibus.

You have different alternatives at your disposal if you wish to book any of these Reims excursions. The best of them all is through an online purchase of the service. This is because this way you can pay by credit card and you may have the option to cancel the experience for free if you give sufficient notice. In addition, you can also find out what other people who have been on the tour have to say about it.

You can also access these types of tours by visiting one of the tourist agencies in the city centre of Reims. The problem with this idea is that there is no guarantee that you will find the possibility of joining these experiences at the exact time of your visit. Especially if your trip occurs during the peak tourist season.

The average duration of all excursions from Reims usually varies between six and eight hours. This is logical, knowing that many of the wine-growing areas are not so close to the city centre.

That's while at the same time wine tastings and lunches are included in the itinerary, which are events that take quite a long time, plus the time it takes to get from one place to another.

However, you should know that these durations are extremely favourable in the logistics of most trips. Especially since the city of Reims itself does not have as many tourist attractions outside of the sites visited on these tours. So it is logical and advisable to focus a large part of the trip on visiting the natural region within which Reims is located.

There are several tips I can give you to enjoy your excursions from Rains, but the best of them all has to do with your clothing. It is essential that you wear clothes that are appropriate for the weather at the time of your trip. The truth is that during the summer the humidity is significantly high while the rest of the year rain, wind and cold can be a daily reality.

These excursions are a recommended plan because the wine cellars and the wine fields are the real reason why the city of Reims is a major tourist destination.

The cathedral and two other buildings are Unesco World Heritage Sites, but the city itself stands out as the honorary capital of the Champagne region. It has an appellation of origin which means that this name can only be used for sparkling wine from this part of France.

So if you are spending 48 or 72 hours in the region it is important that you take advantage of your time to visit the places that have made it world famous, among which are the cellars of large companies and small families that are dedicated to producing champagne, which is of unquestionable quality.

The same goes for the excursion that takes you to the battlefield of Verdun. For many years this site was one of the main centres of commemoration for the misfortunes of the First World War.

A guided tour is definitely a better option than touring the region on your own, as the price includes the transfer and access to the cellars you will visit. In addition, a guide accompaniment is included, so you won't go back home with important doubts about the places you have visited.

So, if you compare, the experience allows you to save money, because the truth is that between what it would cost to rent a car and what you would spend on fuel going from one place to another, a large part of the budget is already gone. In addition, you would have to pay additional entrance fees for the guided tour of the place.

Moreover, the simple fact that you only have to worry about enjoying yourself and not having to worry about any logistical details makes the price of a guided tour recommendable for those who want to enjoy their holiday break to the full.