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Champagne France Tours › Things to DoUpdated 2026-09-18

Things to Do in Champagne France

Hours, prices and access verified by the Champagne France Tours team — last checked 2026-09-18.

The cellars are why you came, but the best free hours in Champagne are above ground. Reims Cathedral costs nothing, the Avenue de Champagne is a public street, and Hautvillers is a village you walk through. Most Champagne France guided tours stop at one of them, and you can see all three on your own.

SightTownPriceHours
Reims CathedralReimsFreeEvery day from 8:00 to 19:30 (19:15 on Sundays)
The cathedral towersReimsEUR 9, free under 18Booked guided climbs; closed 16 November to 14 February
Palais du TauReims—Closed for works until 2027
Basilica of Saint-RemiReimsFreeSelf-guided visits
Avenue de ChampagneÉpernayFreeA public street, 1.5 km long
Château Perrier wine museumÉpernayEUR 10, reduced EUR 6.5011:00 to 19:00 April to October, closed Tuesdays
HautvillersNear ÉpernayFreeThe village and its church

Prices and hours are the sights' own. Only the towers and the wine museum charge, and only the towers must be booked.

Reims Cathedral: free, open from 8 am

Reims Cathedral opens every day from 8:00, and you walk in free. It closes at 19:30, or 19:15 on Sundays and feast days. On Sunday mornings, only the narthex is open until noon, because of the services.

UNESCO calls it one of the masterpieces of Gothic art, for the way it used the new building techniques of the 13th century. Before you go in, stand back from the west front for its carved portals and rose window.

The carved portals and rose window of Reims Cathedral's west front in full sun
The carved portals and rose window of Reims Cathedral's west front in full sun

The towers: booked visits, EUR 9, closed mid-November to mid-February

You can climb the towers only on a guided visit, booked online. It costs EUR 9, and it is free under 18. There are 249 steps, so wear shoes with grip.

  1. Pick the season. From 15 February to 5 May, and from 9 September to 15 November, climbs leave Tuesday to Saturday at 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 h, and on Sundays at 14, 15 and 16 h.
  2. Add the summer slot. From 6 May to 8 September, a 17 h climb is added every day the towers open.
  3. Avoid the closures. The towers shut from 16 November to 14 February, on 1 May, and on the mornings of Ascension and Pentecost.
  4. Book online. Booking is compulsory, so buy the slot before you travel.

Why kings were crowned here

The parish lists 33 kings crowned at Reims. Reims became the coronation cathedral from Henri I in 1027, and it stayed so until Charles X in 1825. UNESCO adds that Archbishop Remi, who lies at Saint-Remi, instituted the anointing of the kings of France.

KingCrownedWhy he matters here
Louis the Pious816The first king on the parish's list
Henri I1027Reims is the coronation cathedral from him on
Charles VII1429On the list between Charles VI and Louis XI
François I1515On the list between Louis XII and Henri II
Louis XIV1654On the list between Louis XIII and Louis XV
Charles X1825The last of the 33

The Palais du Tau, closed until 2027

The Palais du Tau, the archbishops' palace beside the cathedral, played an important role in the coronation ceremony, UNESCO says. It is closed for works until 2027, and only a temporary shop is open. So leave it out of this year's plan.

The Basilica of Saint-Remi

The Basilica of Saint-Remi, south of the centre, holds the remains of Archbishop Remi (440-533). It is part of the same UNESCO listing as the cathedral. You visit it free, on your own, or on a 1 hour 30 guided visit run by the tourist office.

Buses 4, 6, 11 and 40 stop at "St Remi". Pair it with the cathedral: both are free, and both belong to the 1991 listing.

The Basilica of Saint-Remi in Reims, its two towers and long nave
The Basilica of Saint-Remi in Reims, its two towers and long nave

The Avenue de Champagne in Épernay

The Avenue de Champagne runs 1.5 km through Épernay, with about 110 km of cellars beneath it, as champagne.fr counts them. It is part of the UNESCO listing for the hillsides, houses and cellars. Walking it is free.

Moët & Chandon stands at number 18 and Mercier at 68. The Épernay tourist office is at number 7, and most Épernay tours meet in front of it. From the station, you reach the office in under 10 minutes on foot.

Château Perrier's wine museum

Château Perrier, at 13 avenue de Champagne, holds the town's museum of champagne and regional archaeology. You pay EUR 10, or EUR 6.50 reduced. Children under 13 go free, and so does everyone on the first Sunday of the month. The audio guide is included.

From 1 April to 31 October it opens from 11:00 to 19:00, closed Tuesdays. From 1 November to 31 March it opens from 13:30 to 18:00, and 10:00 to 18:00 at weekends, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The park is free and opens every day.

Hautvillers and Dom Pérignon's tomb

Hautvillers is a hillside village 6 km from Épernay and 26 km from Reims. Dom Pierre Pérignon became procurator of its Benedictine abbey in 1668. For 47 years, until he died on 24 September 1715, he ran the abbey's property, its vines and its wine. He lies in the choir of the church of Saint-Sindulphe.

Nobody invented champagne, and champagne.fr says so plainly. Champagne was the first region to try to understand and control the second fermentation. The village tourist office adds that 19th-century legend made the monk "the spiritual father of champagne". The facts are simpler: he managed the abbey's cellars and made its wine better.

The abbey buildings belong to Moët & Chandon and cannot be visited. What you can see is the church, the village streets and the vines. The village has no station, so you arrive by car, bike or tour.

What UNESCO listed, twice

So you can see both listings in one day. Start at the cathedral in the morning and end on the Avenue after lunch. If you would rather someone else drove, Reims champagne tours and Épernay champagne tours stop at them on the way to the cellars.

Want the cathedral and the cellars in one day?

Some full days from Reims start at Reims Cathedral, and some days from Paris stop there on the way to the cellars.

See Champagne France toursTours from Paris

Questions about things to do

Is Reims Cathedral free to visit?
Yes. The cathedral opens every day from 8:00, and entry is free. On Sunday mornings, only the narthex is open to visitors until noon.
Can you climb the towers of Reims Cathedral?
Yes, on a guided climb booked online, for EUR 9 and free under 18. There are 249 steps. The towers close from 16 November to 14 February.
Is the Palais du Tau open?
No. The palace is closed for works until 2027, and only a temporary shop is open. Plan the cathedral and Saint-Remi instead.
Where is Dom Pérignon buried?
In the choir of the church of Saint-Sindulphe in Hautvillers. The abbey buildings next to it belong to Moët & Chandon and are not open to visitors.
Can you walk the Avenue de Champagne for free?
Yes. It is a public street, and you can walk its 1.5 km at any hour. The house visits are the part you pay for and book.

Where these facts come from

Hours and prices come from each sight's own site, the listings from UNESCO, and Hautvillers from its own tourist office.

Champagne days with the cathedral or a hilltop village on the route

Next: see the houses on the champagne houses page, find each sight on the map, or compare every tour on Champagne France Tours.