Where to drink Champagne in Épernay?
If Champagne is the reason you came to Épernay, you’re in exactly the right place. The city sits at the heart of the Champagne wine region, and its famous Avenue de Champagne is lined with Champagne Houses, historic mansions and entrances to an underground network of cellars stretching for around 110 kilometres.
But Épernay isn’t only somewhere to visit a Champagne House and leave with a bottle. Champagne is part of the city itself – from a glass during the day to an aperitif before dinner or a bottle shared over a long meal.
Start with the Avenue de Champagne, which runs for more than a kilometre through the city. The avenue has been at the centre of Champagne commerce since the 18th century and became officially known as the Avenue de Champagne in 1925. Today, it forms part of the UNESCO-listed Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne.
What makes Épernay particularly fascinating is what you can’t see from the street. Beneath the avenue and surrounding streets are around 110 kilometres of cellars, holding close to 200 million bottles. That underground world is a big part of why Épernay feels so different from simply visiting a city with a lot of Champagne on its menus.
Once you’ve had your fill of Champagne history, the city is easy to explore on foot. You can move from the avenue into the centre for lunch, a glass in the afternoon or dinner, then return to the Champagne district later in the day.
And if you want to understand more about what you’re drinking, Château Perrier is now home to the Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology Museum, with around 2,500 objects covering the region’s wine and archaeological heritage.
Good to know
Épernay is a good place to slow down and actually spend time with Champagne rather than treating the region as a quick tasting stop. The vineyards surrounding the city are part of a much larger wine-growing landscape, while the city itself gives you the chance to experience Champagne through its cellars, architecture, food and drinking culture.
If you only have a few hours, the Avenue de Champagne is the obvious starting point. If you have longer, give yourself time to explore beyond the avenue too – the city and surrounding vineyards have much more to offer than a row of famous names.
