Champagne Tasting Tour from Paris: Small Producer & Big House

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (89 reviews) 100% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellation

1/11

Duration10h–11h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Taste champagne the way it's made, not the way it's sold

A full-day champagne tour from Paris led by the owner-operator, an English-speaking expert who routes you through cellar tours at both a major producer and a small grower, tastings at each stop, and Reims Cathedral. The itinerary shifts based on which houses have availability that day, so no two trips run the same way. Children from age 12 are welcome; the minimum age for tastings is 18.

10h–11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Champagne tasting and Reims visit

Depart from Starbuck’s Odeon
Visit Reims Cathedral of Notre Dame
Tour a mid to big Champagne producer
Guided tour of Hautvillers village
Lunch on the richest avenue or picnic at Hautvillers
Visit a small Champagne producer
Return trip to Paris

The Experience

You're picked up at Starbucks Odeon in central Paris and driven to the Champagne region in an air-conditioned vehicle. The route unfolds around what's actually open: a mid-to-large producer like Lanson, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot or Mumm in the morning, or Mercier and Moët & Chandon in the afternoon, depending on their schedules. Each house has its own cellar system and story—the longer you book ahead, the better the chance of landing at one of the more sought-after names. You'll descend into the chalk tunnels, learn how the méthode champenoise actually works, and taste champagnes made there.

Hautvillers comes next, the village where Dom Pérignon developed the techniques still used today. You'll walk through the church and the picturesque streets with the guide, then have time to rest at the picnic area. If the weather holds, lunch is a picnic at the viewpoint overlooking the vineyards—the guide picks up supplies from a local bakery and brings the cloth, glasses and everything else. Otherwise, you'll have free time in a nearby town to eat on your own. A small producer visit follows, often the day's most intimate moment: you'll see the operation up close, learn the details, and taste their champagnes.

Reims Cathedral sits on the route back. The guide walks you through the stained glass—Marc Chagall's windows kept his signature style, and Imi Knoebel's modern panels tell the stories in cubic color—so when you arrive you know what to look for and can move through quickly. The drive back to Paris takes about two hours depending on traffic around EuroDisney; you can be dropped at Notre-Dame Cathedral or your original pickup point. You'll taste at least five champagnes, often seven or more across the two producer visits.

What’s included

Pickup and drop-off in central Paris.
air-conditioned vehicle.
cellar tours at one mid-to-large producer and one small grower.
champagne tastings at both stops, typically five to seven or more in total.
guided tour of Reims Cathedral with stained glass explanation.
guided walk through Hautvillers village and its church.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by Champagne Tasting Tours from Paris

Is this one for you?Book this if you're coming to Paris with a free afternoon or a full day and want to understand champagne beyond the bottle—the owner-operator adjusts the stops to what's available that day, so you're not following a fixed script, and the mix of big-house cellars and intimate small-producer tastings means you see both sides of how it's made.