Champagne
Day Tour
from Paris
A day in the kingdom of champagne.
A small-group champagne tasting tour from Paris: the Marne valley by mid-morning, the vineyards and chalk cellars of the Champagne region by noon, a vigneron's cave by dusk. Eight guests. One van. No script.
Your day,
chapter by
chapter.
Six stops. A croissant at dawn, a vigneron's cellar at dusk — and everything in between. Here's exactly how your Champagne day tour unfolds, from Paris through the Champagne region and back.
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01Departure · Paris
Coffee, a croissant, and on the road.
We meet early in Paris. Before you step into the van, we hand you a warm croissant and a café. Then the doors close — and the city gives way to the Marne valley. Ninety minutes east of Paris, the Champagne region begins. Your air-conditioned 8-seat van is your base for the day.
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02Hautvillers · Champagne Vineyards
The village that shaped champagne history.
We begin in Hautvillers, home to the Abbey of Saint-Pierre where Dom Pérignon served as cellar master from 1668 until his death in 1715. We walk the quiet streets, read the iron forge signs that hang above every doorway, and stand where some of champagne's most important thinking happened.
"A village that has barely changed since the 17th century — and knows it." -
03Montagne de Reims · The Vineyards from Above
A blanc de blancs above the chalk.
We stop at a panoramic viewpoint most visitors never find — the Phare de Verzenay or the Mont Aimé — overlooking the champagne vineyards. We pour a blanc de blancs while you look out over the vines. Below your feet lies the chalk that shapes drainage, water retention and vine behaviour.
"Drink what you see beneath you." -
04Reims or Épernay · Grande Maison
Inside the cellars of a great champagne house.
We visit one of the great champagne houses — in Reims, home to Taittinger, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot, or along the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, flanked by Moët & Chandon, Pol Roger and Perrier-Jouët. Miles of carved chalk galleries, millions of bottles ageing in the dark — a guided tour and a formal tasting.
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05Déjeuner
A proper French lunch — or a picnic in the vines.
Every great day needs a great table. We stop for a traditional lunch at a local restaurant, or — weather permitting — a gourmet picnic set up right in the vineyard. Local charcuterie, seasonal produce, bread, a glass of something cold. No schedule to respect. No rush.
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06L'Authentique Vigneron — Independent Producer
A small producer, his cellar, his champagne.
The day ends with its most important visit: an independent vigneron récoltant — a small, family-run producer who farms their own plot and makes every bottle by hand. We visit the chai, walk the cave, understand riddling, disgorgement, and dosage — then sit together and taste while the producer explains every choice they made.
"A rare chance to hear directly from the person who grows the grapes and makes the wine."
Why join a
Champagne
day tour?
The Champagne region sits 90 minutes east of Paris — close enough for a day trip, layered enough to fill a lifetime. Here's what makes a guided small-group visit different from going alone.
Reims and Épernay are the two capitals of champagne — separated by 26 kilometres and very different in character.
Reims is a cathedral city, grand and historical, where Taittinger, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot have been headquartered for centuries. Épernay is smaller and more focused — its Avenue de Champagne is arguably the most valuable stretch of boulevard in the world, with Moët & Chandon, Pol Roger and Perrier-Jouët all facing each other above kilometres of chalk cellars.
Then there are the independent growers. The Champagne region is home to thousands of small vignerons récoltants — family producers who grow their own grapes, make every decision themselves, and remain personally involved at every stage of production.
Visiting both in one day gives you the full picture — the institution and the artisan, the cathedral and the farmhouse. That contrast is what this tour is built around.
Unlike many Champagne tours from Paris, this experience brings together vineyard landscapes, a major Champagne house, an independent grower, and a proper French lunch — all in a single day.
Champagne is more than a drink — it's a place.
The Champagne region has its own terroir, its own architecture, its own chalk. Coming here changes how you understand what's in the glass. You can read about terroir, or you can stand on it.
Small group means real access.
A coach tour delivers 40 people into a tasting room built for 40. An 8-person van takes you into a producer's cellar that isn't on any tourist map — because the producer invited us there personally.
The grandes maisons and the independent growers are two different worlds.
Both matter. The great houses represent champagne at its most technically refined. The independent growers represent it at its most personal. One day covers both.
Your host has skin in the game.
Max created this experience and has spent five years running a cheese and wine shop in Montmartre. Every tour is led by Max, Doriane or Raphaela — all trained sommelières.
Founded by Max.
Led by experts
you can trust.
Max founded EatCheeseWithMax and spent five years building it — first with a cheese and wine shop in Montmartre, then focusing entirely on the tasting room. Over 3,000 guests have come through our 19th-century stone tasting room. Every tour is hosted by Max, Doriane, or Raphaela — all three trained wine professionals, Doriane and Raphaela professionally trained sommelières.
Everything
you want to
know.
A few questions we hear most often — answered honestly, without the marketing gloss.
Yes. The tour departs Paris in the morning and returns in the evening — approximately 11 hours in total, covering the heart of the Champagne region and back.
The day covers Hautvillers, a panoramic stop over the champagne vineyards, a great Champagne house in Reims or along the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, and a private visit with an independent vigneron récoltant.
The tour explores some of the most important locations in the Champagne region, including the areas around Reims, Épernay and Hautvillers. These hillsides, houses and cellars form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Champagne. The exact route may vary depending on the season, producer availability, and the Champagne house selected.
Yes — always. The final visit is with a small vigneron récoltant: a producer who grows their own grapes and makes every bottle by hand. It's a private visit, not a tourist stop.
Yes. Lunch is included — at a local restaurant or, when the weather agrees, a gourmet picnic set up in the vineyard. Either way, it's a proper meal with local produce and a glass of something cold.
Maximum 8. The group is small by design — so you can actually talk to the producers, ask questions, and have a real conversation rather than shuffling through a tasting room with a crowd.
Yes. We design tailor-made Champagne excursions for private parties and larger groups — corporate days, celebrations, or friends travelling together. Tell us your group size and the kind of day you have in mind, and we'll put together a bespoke quote within 24 to 48 hours.
None at all. The tour is designed for curious travellers, not specialists. Your guide — Max, Doriane, or Raphaela — explains everything from first principles: starting, quite literally, with the chalk beneath your feet.
A grande maison blends grapes from hundreds of growers to produce a consistent style at scale. An independent vigneron récoltant grows their own grapes on their own land and makes every bottle themselves. Both are part of this tour.
Transport from and to Paris in an air-conditioned 8-seat van, breakfast (croissant and coffee), all champagne tastings throughout the day, lunch, and all entrance fees. No hidden extras.
We're finalising the calendar. Register your interest now and we'll reach out as soon as booking opens — early registrants get first access to dates.
Join the
waiting list.
The champagne tour is almost ready. Leave your email and we'll reach out as soon as booking opens — with first access to launch dates before the public announcement.
- Maximum 8 guests per departure
- First access to launch dates before public announcement
- One email when bookings open — nothing more
Our Montmartre
tasting is
open today.
The champagne excursion is on its way. In the meantime — we run our wine and cheese tasting in a 19th-century stone tasting room in Montmartre every single day, twice a day. Two hours, eight cheeses, five wines, max twelve guests around a long table. Same spirit. Different address.
Book your spot nowParis Wine & Cheese Tasting
- 8 raw-milk cheeses from across France
- 5 wines — various regions and styles, including one sparkling
- Max 12 guests around a long table
- Led by Max, Doriane, or Raphaela — all wine-trained, never scripted
- 2 hours in our 19th-century stone tasting room in Montmartre
- Free cancellation up to 48h