Epernay Champagne tour with tastings and lunch: small group

Hautvillers and Avenue de Champagne in one afternoon, with tastings built in

A small-group Champagne tour from Epernay led by an English-speaking guide, visiting the UNESCO vineyards of Hautvillers and the prestigious estates of Avenue de Champagne, with five wines tasted across the day and lunch paired with Champagne at a vineyard. The tour runs five hours, starts and ends at the Epernay tourist office, and keeps the group to a maximum of eight people.

Step-by-step itinerary

Champagne tour with tastings and lunch

• Meet guide at Epernay tourist office
• Drive along Avenue de Champagne
• Visit Hautvillers village and church
• Enjoy lunch with Champagne tasting
• Tour small Champagne producer and tasting
• Return to Epernay tourist office

The Experience

You meet your guide at noon at the Epernay tourist office and drive straight to Avenue de Champagne, where the region's most prestigious estates line the street. The guide walks you through the UNESCO World Heritage vineyards and explains how the region's winemaking works—the chalk soil, the aging in caves, the méthode Champenoise that makes Champagne what it is. This is not a museum tour; you are standing in the working landscape where it happens.

Next comes Hautvillers, the charming village where Dom Pérignon lived and is buried. You walk through it with time to photograph the church and the views across the vines. Then you arrive at a Champagne estate for lunch—a proper meal paired with a selection of Champagnes, not a tasting-room snack. After lunch, you visit a small, family-run Champagne house to see how they work differently from the big names you saw on Avenue de Champagne. You taste five wines across the whole day. By 4:45 pm your guide drops you back at the tourist office in Epernay.

The group stays under eight people, which means the guide can actually talk to you and the estate visits don't feel like a crowd. You are picked up and dropped off in Epernay itself, so if you are staying in the town or nearby, the logistics are already solved. The tour runs in English and suits any fitness level.

What’s included

• English-speaking expert guide.
• five Champagne tastings throughout the day.
• lunch with Champagne pairings at a vineyard estate.
• visit to a small family-run Champagne producer.
• pickup and drop-off at the Epernay tourist office.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by À La Française

Is this one for you?Spend your afternoon walking the UNESCO vineyards and Avenue de Champagne with an expert guide, then sit down to lunch and tastings at a family estate—everything timed and routed for you.

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Top questions

What is Hautvillers and why does the tour stop there?

Hautvillers is a UNESCO-listed village in the Champagne region famous as the home of Dom Pérignon, the Benedictine monk credited with perfecting Champagne production. You walk through the village, see the church where he lived, and get views across the vineyards—it is a working piece of Champagne history, not a museum exhibit.

How many Champagnes do I taste on this tour?

You taste five Champagnes across the day: some during the introduction at the first estate, more paired with your lunch, and the rest at the small family-run producer you visit afterward.

Is lunch included, and what does it consist of?

Lunch is included and served at a Champagne estate with a selection of Champagnes paired to the meal. If you have dietary requirements, let the operator know at booking so they can arrange it.

Does the tour include hotel pickup, or do I need to get to Epernay myself?

The tour starts and ends at the tourist office in Epernay at noon and 4:45 pm respectively. Hotel pickup in Epernay is available on some options; if you are staying in Paris or elsewhere, check which pickup location suits your booking.

What is the group size, and will I be with other travelers?

The tour is a small-group experience with a maximum of eight people, so it stays intimate enough for the guide to engage with everyone and for the estate visits to feel personal rather than crowded.

Are children allowed on this tour?

Children from age 4 are welcome on the tour when accompanied by an adult. Children under 10 are not permitted, so check the age of anyone in your group before booking.