Paris to Champagne by train

Is there a high-speed train from Paris to Champagne?

Yes, to Reims. The TGV INOUI from Paris Est takes about 45 minutes. Épernay has no TGV, but direct regional trains take about 1 hour 15.

The figures below come from SNCF's route pages and the TER Grand Est timetable, checked in October 2026. Counts change by day and direction, so treat them as a guide.

Ignore Champagne-Ardenne TGV station in Bezannes if you start in Paris. It serves high-speed trains from other cities, sits outside Reims and is linked to the centre by tram (Reims Tourisme). Your train from Paris Est arrives at Reims-Centre, in town.

How do you buy train tickets to Reims and Épernay?

On SNCF Connect, the app or website. TGV fares rise as the train fills; book the TGV early and the regional trains whenever you like.

SNCF's lowest fares are one way, second class, on selected trains and online only. Popular morning TGVs and summer weekends sell their cheap seats first. Book the outbound TGV as soon as your cellar slot is confirmed. A TGV ticket is for a set train, so a missed train can cost you a new ticket, depending on your fare.

Regional TER trains, like Reims to Épernay, are simpler and you can buy on the day. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, Reims Tourisme mentions a one-day Weekend Group Pass for 2 to 5 people on the fluo Grand Est regional network (Reims Tourisme). For a couple hopping between Reims and Épernay, it can beat two return tickets.

The last train back matters more than the first one out. SNCF's route pages list the last daily departure from Reims to Paris at about 7:40 p.m. and from Épernay at about 7:50 p.m. (Reims, Épernay). Timetables change by date, so check yours before you book a late cellar slot.

How do you get from Reims station to the Champagne houses?

Walk to the cathedral and to Mumm. For the houses on Saint-Nicaise hill (Pommery, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Ruinart), take a taxi or a city bus.

Reims-Centre station sits on the edge of the old town, and most of the centre is walkable in under 15 minutes. The cathedral is an easy walk. Mumm, on the north side of the centre, is the closest big house to the station.

The other big names are grouped on the Saint-Nicaise hill, on the south-east side of town beyond the Basilica of Saint-Remi, which Reims Tourisme puts about 20 minutes on foot from the cathedral (Reims Tourisme). Walking there is possible, but with a timed slot to catch, a taxi from the station is the safer choice. City buses serve Saint-Remi from the centre. Once on the hill, Pommery, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart are close to each other.

Our tip: book one house on the hill, not two in different parts of town. A cellar visit runs 1 to 1.5 hours, and the walking adds up after a tasting.

Can you walk between Champagne houses in Reims and Épernay?

In Épernay, yes: the houses line the Avenue de Champagne near the station. In Reims, only within a cluster, such as the houses on Saint-Nicaise hill.

Épernay is the walker's town. Épernay Tourisme says the centre is compact and most sights are within walking distance of the station (Épernay Tourisme). The Avenue de Champagne starts at the tourist office at number 7, with Moët & Chandon, Mercier, de Castellane and others along it. Under the avenue and the town run more than 110 km of cellars (Épernay Tourisme).

Walk-in tastings exist too. Épernay Tourisme says several Champagne bars and boutiques on the avenue pour without a booking, and some close between noon and 2 p.m. in the low season (Épernay Tourisme). Guided cellar tours still usually need a reservation.

Between towns and villages you need wheels. Hautvillers is a few minutes from Épernay by car, and the growers of Aÿ and the other villages are spread across the slopes. That is where a tour earns its price.

What does a DIY Champagne day by train look like?

Early TGV to Reims, the cathedral and one cellar in the morning, lunch, then the TER to Épernay for the avenue, and an evening train home.

This is the plan Épernay Tourisme itself suggests for one day, with the caveat that it is only a brief introduction to both towns (Épernay Tourisme). Times are an example; build yours around the cellar slots you can get.

If that feels rushed, pick one town. Reims for the cathedral and the big names, Épernay for the avenue and the vineyards close by. Reims or Épernay helps you choose.

What do you pay for on a DIY Champagne day by train?

Train fares, one or two cellar visits, lunch and maybe a taxi. The total stays below the lowest-priced small-group tour from Paris.

Two cellar visits with a glass or two each give you three or four pours, against six to eight on a tour. The train wins on price and freedom. The tour wins on glasses poured, the growers and the absence of timetables. The six-glass small group is the closest tour to a DIY budget.

What do you miss without a car?

The villages and their growers, the vineyard walks and Hautvillers. You can patch some of it with a house shuttle or a taxi.

Champagne has about 16,000 growers and nearly 400 houses (Comité Champagne). The houses are in the towns; most growers are not. Hautvillers, the hill village where Dom Pérignon was cellarer, has no station. Neither does the Pressoria museum in Aÿ's vineyards nor the slopes most tours stop at for a glass among the vines.

A few workarounds exist. Nicolas Feuillatte, in Chouilly, sells a shuttle from Épernay station with a guided tour and three Champagnes, and plain tours if you get there yourself (Nicolas Feuillatte). Taxis from Épernay can reach Hautvillers. Each one adds cost and planning, and you still taste in a big cellar rather than a family press house.

Reims Cathedral, a family winery, Nicolas Feuillatte and Hautvillers in one day, with three glasses at each house.

11 hours

Explore the six-glass small group → Tour details

Train or tour: which should you pick?

Take the train for one famous cellar and the cathedral at your own pace. Take a tour for growers, vineyards, lunch and six or more glasses.

Frequently asked questions