5 GOOD REASONS TO COME TO CHAMPAGNE
#VINEYARD #UNESCO #NATURE #HISTORY #HERITAGE
CHAMPAGNE AND ITS MANY FACES GIVE YOU MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE UNIQUE MOMENTS!
With your family or friends, or as a couple, you will be sure to find a formula to suit you: a trip that is sparkling, bucolic or relaxing... our sources of inspiration are endless!
AN EXCEPTIONAL VINEYARD
CHAMPAGNE OWES ITS NAME TO ITS WINE, UNIQUE AND LIKE NO OTHER, SYNONYMOUS WITH FESTIVITIES AROUND THE WORLD!
Because tasting is above all a human encounter, oenologists and Champagne winemakers welcome you to their cellars or hillsides and introduce you to their secrets... The Champagne Tourist Route offers visitors around 400 kilometres of signposted itineraries to discover the complex art of marrying grape varieties or vintages to offer you an infinite variety of tastes! The Champagne region is also the largest area labelled "Vignobles & Découvertes" (Vineyards and Discoveries) in France with 8 territories and more than 30,000 hectares, this too is a guarantee of quality of welcome over more than 500 wine-tourism services!
The prestigious champagne houses of Reims or the famous “Avenue de Champagne” in Epernay are also waiting for you to explore. Just think, under your feet, hundreds of kilometres of cellars carved into the stone closely guard millions of bottles…
GASTRONOMY, WHERE TRADITION MEETS GOURMET
Indulgent treats or refined dishes, be tempted by a high level of gastronomy in Champagne! Discover its prize-winning restaurants, its generously appointed tables where local products have been crafted with love and creativity.
Biscuits roses (pink biscuits) and croquignole biscuits, lentils, Champagne snails… discover Marne and awaken your taste buds !
Cabbage, game and grains are the traditional ingredients in the cuisine of Champagne. But flavours from Marne also include champagne lentils, fine and slightly pink, Reims ham, seasoned with champagne, moulded and coated in breadcrumbs, "Sainte-Menou” pig's trotter simmered slowly and then bread-crumbed.
Few cheeses adorn tables in Marne, a few small delicious farm-produced goats’ cheeses should be tried…
Unesco sites...
Marne department has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the combination of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Palais du Tau, Basilique and museum Saint Remi de Reims, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle with stages from the college museum at the Cloître Notre-Dame en Vaux in Châlons-en-Champagne and the Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Epine.
The inscription of the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars in 2015 made Champagne’s identity international by highlighting its hillsides (the most ancient vineyards), its buildings constructed by the Champagne houses and its numerous cellars sculpted into the limestone which house such a precious nectar…
THE DEPARTMENT WITH THE MOST FLOWERS IN FRANCE
With 176 communes labelled from 1 to 4 flowers, Marne is the department with the most flowers in France! With 11 communes rated 4 flowers at national level, you can find excellence in these places which have become unmissable for those who love flowers and gardens.
Here flowers are part of the art of living, they are for all to see and for the enjoyment of our visitors. To explore our flower heritage, don't hesitate to take one of the "Flower trails", real themed pedestrian circuits through towns and villages, leading you to discover many treasures…
Gardens are a delight for the eyes but also the other senses, enjoy rare moments by visiting Marne’s parks and gardens, passionate gardeners will share with you their little corners of nature and perhaps a few of their secrets!
A RICH AND VARIED HERITAGE…
Whether you love large open spaces, curious experiences or sports, Champagne has something to sate your appetite!
From the Der lake, one of the biggest artificial lakes in Europe and an exceptional ornithological reserve, passing by the Faux de Verzy, real curiosities of nature, there are many sources of wonder.
Champagne also has 2,000 kilometres of marked walking routes. Here pathways skirt along the vineyards or take you through the history of the Great War at the heart or the deep Argonne forests... Those who love cycling won’t be left out: many cycling routes and circuits are available!
FOCUS ON UNESCO SITES
Discover these priceless riches by visiting the sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage!
Coteaux historiques de Champagne
Within the area of Champagne making, the property inscribed on the List of UNESCO’s World heritage is composed of 3 flagship sites: avenue...
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
Notre-Dame de Reims is one of the major creations of Gothic art in Europe. Included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, this 13th...
Collégiale Notre Dame en Vaux
This church is a listed Unesco World Heritage site due to its association with the Routes of Saint-James-of-Compostela. It is a jewel of...
Palais du Tau - Fermé pour travaux
A listed Unesco World Heritage site, the palace was the former residence of the bishops and then the palace of the archbishops of Reims...
Basilique Saint-Remi
This Romanesque Benedictine abbey was transformed during the Gothic period and became a parish church during the French Revolution. It is a...
Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Epine
The building is a place of pilgrimage which is a listed Unesco World Heritage site. It has a remarkable lace-like flamboyant Gothic-style...