Champagne Trip

Overview

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Who doesn’t love Champagne? Any occasion instantly becomes a party whenever a nice bottle of bubbly is opened. The entire world simply adores this exclusive wine. And if you like it too, but have no idea how Champagne is made, then this day is definitely something you do not want to miss! Expat Club traveled to Northern France already over a dozen times since 2014. Today we visit as a group the lovely house of De Castellane in the morning, and you have the opportunity to also visit various smaller houses in the #1 Champagne village of Hautvillers. In the later afternoon we spend some time in the capital Reims with its impressive Basilique and its stunning Cathedral where French Kings used to be crowned, and where now a unique stained glass window pane by Marc Chagall can be seen.

Trip description

We’ll be visiting the beating heart of the Champagne region and industry, go underground into two magnificent champagne cellars, have a nice lunch together. Needless to say that we taste a range of delicious glasses and discover the beautiful landscape filled with vineyards. Oh, and as cherry on top we also visit Reims city center, with one of Europe’s most historic Cathedrales.

Several dozens of people loved this trip so much that they joined a second or even third time! In fact, if you have joined before or if you couldn’t make it last-minute, we would love to invite you again with a 25% discount! Please contact us if you want to join again. Our friends from Cheeseweb have written a nice review on one of the editions, which you can read here.

Our first stop is Épernay, the epicenter of the Champagne industry in the middle of the Marne valley. Some of the most famous brands can be found in this little town, most of them along the prestigious Avenue de Champagne: Moët & Chandon, Esterlin and Perrier-Jouët.

As a group we will visit De Castellane Champagne. This is a lovely traditional house, with big old cellars, an in-house production facility and even an actual museum. We will enjoy a guided tour here, learn all about the production process, and of course taste a flute of delicious Brut champagne. If you would like additional glasses of different Champagnes, that is also possible.

After the De Castellane tour we drive towards “le berceau du Champagne”, or the “cradle of the Champagne.” The small village of Hautvillersis only a few kilometers away, but here we will find ourselves quickly in the middle of the hilly vineyards. It is known for the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon, who is said to have invented the sparkling Champagne. He is buried in the village church.

In Hautvillers we have reserved a private room in Restaurant de l’Abbaye for our group. You can join us for lunch, which includes a main dish (Sauté de poulet en crème de ratafia OR Poisson du jour) + bread + one glass of wine/beer/soft +water + Café Gourmand (delicious small deserts!). Please select during checkout whether you would like to have the chicken, fish, vegetarian or vegan during the check-out process. This restaurant knows how to prepare a good meal as it is part of the Association Française des Maîtres Restaurateurs.

In Hautvillers you can also buy good affordable bottles of Champagne in several smaller houses. You can visit these on your own or in smaller groups. These houses welcome guests for a tasting, so it’s a perfect place to spend a few hours. One shop has a wide selection of top-class champagnes, some of which very exclusive (and un-affordable) but definitely worth checking out. This particular trip we spend extra time here, so you can explore the entire village and several houses. We also organise a guided tour through the village that will lead you along the most important producers, takes you into the vineyards and tells you about the life of Dom Perignon that lived here (surcharge €8,50).

The third part of the day we spend in Reims, the biggest city and administrative capital of the Champagne-Ardenne region. There are several prestigious houses here, such as Veuve-Clicquot, Pommery, Mumm and the oldest and most prestigious house Ruinart. You can see amongst other things the magnificent Gothic Cathedral where all French kings were coronated. It is very large and has the most beautiful stained glass panels, including one from Marc Chagall. This is also the right time to eat something before heading back to the bus, which leaves by 20h15. The bus returns to Brussels Midi by 23h30.

Program

As with all Expat Club trips, our program has been carefully designed. We normally don’t deviate much from our schedule, but all times below are still indicative and may change if required by circumstances, such as traffic conditions. In the rare case we have to adapt our program, rest assured that your host, the driver and welcoming Champagne house and restaurant, are doing their best to give you the most optimal experience.

07h00 – Departure
11h15 – Visit to De Castellane Champagne
12h40 – Departure to Hautvillers
13h00 – Lunch at Restaurant de l’Abbeye
14h00 – Guided tour through Hautvillers (optional)
15h00 – Free time, visit to Champagne houses
16h30 – Departure to Reims
17h00 – Guided bus tour along Champagne houses
17h15 – Visit to Basilique Saint-Remi
17h45 – Visit to Cathedral de Reims
18h00 – Free time
20h15 – Departure to Brussels
23h30 – Estimated arrival

Transportation

We leave at 06h45 from Place Schuman, followed by Louise and Gare du Midi by luxury 4* coach with on-board toilet, AC, flat screen TVs & DVD, bar and reclining comfort seats with extra leg space and leg rests. We know this is very early, but we really cannot leave later as it is a long drive and it wouldn’t make sense to shorten our time in the Champagne or come back after midnight (and closure of public transportation). In other words, we need the extra time in the morning! So just get up very early for once and take an extra nap in the bus. Due to the distance, there will be a second bus driver to safely get us to and from the Champagne region, in accordance with E.U. regulations.