REVIEW · PARIS
Paris: Two Reims Champagne Vineyards with Tastings and Lunch
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Champagne, rail comfort, and medieval stone in one day. This private Reims trip strings together two producer tastings and a guided look at Reims Cathedral without the stress of driving.
I like the structure: you leave Paris, ride the countryside in a private car, then follow a cellar-to-glass path that makes the wine feel understandable, not random.
One thing to plan around: there’s a steep descent in a cellar with 130 steps and no elevator, so it is not wheelchair-friendly.
In This Review
- Key takeaways before you go
- Paris to Reims by high-speed train: less hassle, more tasting time
- Reims in a tight window: Porte de Mars and Notre-Dame Cathedral outside
- The Au Bureau break: a short reset mid-day
- Champagne GH Martel & Co: how the cellar shapes the glass
- Mailly Grand Cru: the second stop that helps you compare
- Lunch in Lude: family-run French cooking to balance all that champagne
- Timing, comfort, and the flow back to Paris
- Price and value: is $712 per person worth it?
- Who this tour suits best
- Should you book this Reims champagne day trip from Paris?
- FAQ
- Where do I meet the guide in Paris?
- How long is the day trip?
- What’s included in the champagne tastings?
- How many wineries are visited?
- Is Reims Cathedral visited inside?
- Is lunch included, and where is it?
- Is the tour wheelchair accessible?
- What languages will the guide speak?
Key takeaways before you go
- Two champagne producers, two different stops so you can compare styles and methods
- A guided, cellar-to-tasting flow with 5 glasses of champagne included
- Reims Cathedral viewing on the outside with a guide who ties it to the city’s story
- Lunch in Lude at a family-run French restaurant to slow the day down
- High-speed train and private car transfers keep the logistics simple
- Cellar stairs (130 steps) matter for comfort and pacing
Paris to Reims by high-speed train: less hassle, more tasting time
The day starts at Gare de l’Est, with the meeting point at the entrance of Burger King. From there, you take a high-speed train to Reims (about 1 hour), and the whole schedule is built so you’re not wasting hours on transfers.
I like this approach because the train does the hard part for you. You get to sit back, arrive fresh, and save your energy for vineyards and cellars.
Once you land in Reims, you’re guided through key city highlights, and then the trip shifts into countryside mode with private car transfers to the champagne areas.
You can also read our reviews of more wine tours in Paris
Reims in a tight window: Porte de Mars and Notre-Dame Cathedral outside
You get a quick guided introduction to Reims with stops that help you understand the place even if you only have a few hours. One early highlight is La Porte de Mars, where the guide gives you context and you get oriented fast.
Then the tour moves to the Reims Cathedral of Notre-Dame. In this itinerary, it’s a guided viewing of the cathedral from the outside. That matters, because from street level you can really study the scale and Gothic detailing without needing to fit a long indoor visit into the day.
A good guide makes this section click. In feedback about this kind of outing, Sebastian has been mentioned as a standout—someone who brings real regional knowledge and keeps the vibe easy. Even so, you should still come with a small mindset shift: this is not a slow museum day. It’s a focused look at monuments, then straight to champagne.
The Au Bureau break: a short reset mid-day
You’ll have a scheduled break at Au Bureau (about 20 minutes). This is the part of the day that people often forget to plan for, but it’s useful. You can use it to grab water, use restrooms, and reset before the cellar hours.
In a day that includes stairs and tastings, that 20-minute pause can be the difference between feeling rushed and feeling ready.
Champagne GH Martel & Co: how the cellar shapes the glass
The first winery stop is Champagne GH Martel & Co, with about 1 hour on site and a guided tour. Champagne education works best when it’s grounded in real space, not slides. A cellar tour does that for you because it connects temperature, aging, and storage to what ends up in your glass.
Expect a guided walkthrough of the winemaking process and then tasting as part of the overall experience. Across both champagne producers, the tour includes tastings of 5 glasses of high quality champagne.
The practical reality you need to know here: you will have to go down 130 steps without an elevator in one of the cellars. Even if you’re fine with stairs, this can feel like a lot after train time. Wear shoes you can trust, take it slow on the descent, and don’t assume you can comfortably catch your breath at the bottom.
If you’re the type who likes to ask questions, this is your moment. You’ll usually learn faster when you point out what you taste—like whether the champagne feels more crisp or more rounded—and then ask how the process creates that.
Mailly Grand Cru: the second stop that helps you compare
After GH Martel & Co, you move to the second champagne visit: Champagne Mailly Grand Cru. You get about 1 hour, with a tour/visit that gives you another producer’s approach to champagne.
This second stop is where you start to understand why champagne lovers talk about differences between houses. Even when you’re drinking the same region, the style can shift based on choices made in the vineyard and how the house handles aging.
One thing to keep in mind: the pace is tight. This is a private day trip, but it still follows a set schedule, so you won’t have endless time to linger in a tasting room.
Also, cellars and tasting spaces can feel tight by design. If you’re hoping for a lot of sitting time, plan to be mobile. If you buy bottles, you’ll also want to think ahead about how you’re carrying them back to your train.
In earlier experiences with similar day trips, there’s been at least one complaint about convenience when departing with purchased wine, so I’d treat that as a practical warning: when you’re offered shopping time, ask your guide what the plan is for getting you back to the station smoothly.
You can also read our reviews of more tours and experiences in Paris
Lunch in Lude: family-run French cooking to balance all that champagne
Mid-afternoon you head to the village of Lude for a traditional lunch at a family-run restaurant. This part of the day helps you avoid the classic mistake of treating champagne like a tasting event only—without food, everything tastes sharper, and you stop enjoying the nuances.
A French lunch here gives you a chance to reset your palate. It also slows the day down just enough to feel like a real trip, not a schedule sprint.
What you’ll likely appreciate is the way this lunch fits into the rhythm: vineyards and tastings first, then food that belongs in the region and in the day. If your idea of a great tour includes real local eating, this is one of the best reasons to book.
Timing, comfort, and the flow back to Paris
After the second champagne stop, you head back toward Reims and catch the high-speed train back to Paris (about 1 hour). That keeps the evening uncomplicated, which is a major value point for a one-day trip.
Because you’re not driving yourself, you can focus on enjoying. The schedule includes city highlights, two winery visits, and a lunch without turning the day into a logistics puzzle.
If you get a guide like Sebastian—someone praised for being knowledgeable and fun—your day will likely feel smoother. In other feedback, there’s also been frustration tied to guide knowledge and the practicality of the second tasting stop, so I recommend going in with a proactive attitude: ask questions, confirm the plan at each handoff, and make sure you know where you’ll be dropped off when it’s time to return to the station.
Price and value: is $712 per person worth it?
At $712 per person, this isn’t a budget outing. But you’re not just paying for a view and a quick toast. You’re paying for a full day of private guiding plus transportation that would be annoying to DIY.
Here’s what helps justify the price:
- Return high-speed train tickets to Reims and back
- Private car transfers between Reims and the champagne countryside
- A 7-hour private tour with a local guide
- Guided time in two wineries with expert champagne guidance
- 5 glasses of champagne tastings included
- Traditional French lunch in Lude
- City time in Reims, including a guided look at major landmarks
If you compare this to piecing together trains, hiring guides, and coordinating winery visits, the bundled logistics become the real value. You also get a guided structure that makes tasting less confusing.
The main cost risk is expectation. If you mainly want a relaxed, slow, hang-out day with lots of free time at each stop, the pace might feel a bit tight. If you want a well-run champagne education in one day, it can feel like money well spent.
Who this tour suits best
This tour works especially well if you:
- Want two champagne producers in one day, not just one
- Enjoy structured learning—how process connects to taste
- Like a smooth day where train comfort does the heavy lifting
- Want a mix of wine plus a real city stop in Reims, including the cathedral exterior
It’s less ideal if you:
- Are sensitive to stairs, because one cellar requires descending 130 steps with no elevator
- Need a lot of seating time at tastings
- Want a completely flexible schedule without set stops
Should you book this Reims champagne day trip from Paris?
I think it’s worth booking if your goal is a guided, efficient Reims-and-champagne day with two cellar experiences, 5 champagne glasses, and lunch in Lude—all wrapped in a high-speed train day that stays manageable.
Book with extra care if stairs are a concern or if you want lots of downtime during tastings. If you do book, ask your guide early about pacing, cellar access, and how bottle purchases are handled for your return to the station.
If you’re the kind of person who likes tasting with context—how the region and method show up in the glass—this is a fun way to spend a single day on the Champagne route.
FAQ
Where do I meet the guide in Paris?
You meet your guide at Gare de l’Est station, at the entrance of Burger King.
How long is the day trip?
The total duration is 10 hours.
What’s included in the champagne tastings?
You’ll have tastings of 5 glasses of high quality champagne across the two winery visits.
How many wineries are visited?
You visit two champagne producers.
Is Reims Cathedral visited inside?
The cathedral is visited from the outside with a guided look at its highlights.
Is lunch included, and where is it?
Yes. Lunch is included at a traditional French, family-run restaurant in the village of Lude.
Is the tour wheelchair accessible?
No. It is not suitable for wheelchair users because there are 130 steps without an elevator in one of the cellars.
What languages will the guide speak?
The live tour guide speaks French, English, and Spanish.
