Where to drink Champagne in Paris?
Paris is one of those cities where you don’t need a special occasion to drink Champagne. You can have a glass during the day, stop for an aperitif before dinner, or open a bottle as part of a long evening that has no particular plan. Champagne bars, wine bars, grand brasseries, palace hotels and neighbourhood spots – the options are everywhere, and they suit every kind of mood.
Rather than recommending just a handful of venues, we’ve created a complete Paris Champagne City Guide that’s regularly updated as we discover new places.
Explore our complete Paris City Guide
Table of contents
- Why Paris is the world’s Champagne capital
- What makes Paris special for Champagne lovers
- The best neighbourhoods for Champagne in Paris
- Champagne brunch in Paris
- Planning your Champagne day in Paris
- Frequently asked questions
- Explore the Paris City Guide
Why Paris is the world’s Champagne capital
Champagne is made in the region of Champagne, but the culture of drinking it was largely born in Paris. The city’s cafés, grand restaurants and palace hotels have been pouring Champagne for centuries, and that relationship runs deep.
Today Paris has everything from iconic hotel bars – Bar Hemingway at the Ritz, where Champagne and cocktails share the same legendary space – to dedicated Champagne bars like Cave Pétillance and Bubblebliss, which offer hundreds of different bottles and a focus on Champagne alone. Add in Michelin-starred restaurants like Le Cinq, Le Taillevent and Jean Imbert au Plaza Athénée, and the city’s relationship with Champagne feels less like a lifestyle choice and more like a founding principle.
Paris is also the best place outside the Champagne region itself to explore grower Champagne – small, independent producers who grow their own grapes and make their own bottles, often in tiny quantities. Wine bars in the Marais and Oberkampf area regularly feature bottles you simply won’t find elsewhere.
What makes Paris special for Champagne lovers
The range is extraordinary. Very few cities in the world offer the combination of iconic grand venues and genuinely adventurous independent wine bars that Paris does – and both can be found within a short walk of each other.
On one end of the spectrum: Caviar Kaspia, where caviar and Champagne are the point, and where a table feels like an event. On the other: a neighbourhood wine bar in the 9th arrondissement with 600 references from grower Champagne producers and a blackboard menu that changes daily. Both are legitimate Paris Champagne experiences, and both are worth your time.
Paris also has the remarkable detail of Champagne served on the Eiffel Tower itself. That’s not something you plan every visit, but knowing it exists says something about the city’s relationship with bubbles. Here, Champagne isn’t a luxury you save for special occasions – it’s simply what you drink.
The best neighbourhoods for Champagne in Paris
Paris rewards neighbourhood exploration, and the Champagne scene is spread across the city.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés has a long-established wine culture and a relaxed, literary atmosphere that suits a long afternoon glass. The Marais is where you’ll find wine bars with a more adventurous selection – natural wines, grower Champagnes and bottles from producers you’d never find on a mainstream list. The 6th arrondissement has elegant restaurants where Champagne is part of a serious dinner. And in the 11th, a younger, more neighbourhood-focused bar scene has been building for years, with Champagne increasingly part of the offer.
Our Paris City Guide covers the full city, so wherever you find yourself, there’s likely a Champagne spot nearby.
Champagne brunch in Paris
Brunch in Paris is a weekend institution, and Champagne is a natural part of it.
Whether it’s oysters and a glass at a classic brasserie, a leisurely hotel brunch with views across the rooftops, or a late-morning spread of charcuterie, cheese and bread at a wine bar, Paris offers more brunch-with-Champagne options than almost any city in the world. It helps that French food pairs beautifully with Champagne at every time of day – the acidity and freshness are as good with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at 11am as they are with a tasting menu at 9pm.
Our Paris City Guide includes venues that serve Champagne by the glass throughout the day, not just in the evening.
Planning your Champagne day in Paris
Paris is big enough to spend weeks exploring and compact enough that a single day can cover a remarkable amount of ground.
A good Champagne day might move from a midday glass at a wine bar in the Marais, through an afternoon aperitif at a classic brasserie terrace, to dinner at one of the city’s grand restaurants where the Champagne list runs to many pages. Or you could keep it simple: one great spot, a few bottles shared slowly, and a long evening that drifts wherever Paris takes you.
If your visit is specifically about Champagne, the region is close. Reims is just about 45 minutes by TGV from Gare de l’Est – easy enough for a day trip, though an overnight in Reims or Épernay lets you explore the Champagne Houses and vineyards properly. Paris makes an excellent starting point for exactly that kind of trip.
Frequently asked questions
Explore our curated Paris City Guide to find Champagne bars, restaurants and hotels serving genuine Champagne across the city. Highlights include Bubblebliss, Cave Pétillance, Bar Hemingway at the Ritz, Caviar Kaspia, Canard & Champagne, Le Cinq and Le Taillevent.
It depends what you’re looking for. Bubblebliss offers over 250 different Champagnes with expert guidance – one of the most focused selections in the city. Bar Hemingway at the Ritz is legendary for atmosphere. Cave Pétillance is dedicated entirely to Champagne by the glass and bottle. Our City Guide helps you find the right fit for your mood.
Yes – and Paris is one of the best places in the world to discover it. Several wine bars in the Marais, Oberkampf and the 9th arrondissement specialise in small, independent Champagne producers. Ask the sommelier or bartender – they’re usually delighted to introduce you to something unexpected.
Absolutely. Reims is about 45 minutes by TGV from Gare de l’Est, making it one of the easiest day trips from Paris. Épernay – the heart of the Champagne region – is a short additional journey from Reims. An overnight stay gives you much more time to visit Champagne Houses and explore the vineyards properly.
Paris has Champagne served from a bar on the Eiffel Tower itself. Beyond that, the 7th arrondissement and the Seine riverbanks have plenty of restaurants and wine bars where a glass with a view is entirely possible. Check our Paris City Guide for current recommendations by area.
Explore the Paris City Guide
Whether you’re in Paris for a weekend or a longer stay, our City Guide will help you find the city’s best Champagne experiences – from legendary hotel bars and Michelin-starred dining rooms to neighbourhood wine bars and dedicated Champagne spots where the selection goes deep.
You can also browse the Champagne Hunters Map to discover Champagne bars, restaurants, hotels and Champagne experiences around the world.
Know a great Champagne spot that’s missing? Suggest a place through the map and help fellow Champagne lovers discover their next favourite glass.
If your curiosity is leaning towards real Champagne, you’re in the right place. Explore our map to find spots near you that pour genuine Champagne by the glass or bottle, and join a community of fellow enthusiasts chasing the same sparkle around the world.