Traveling by TGV from Paris in mid-May for a one day cellar(s)and Reims visit. Can we do this fairly easily by taxi from the TVG station to the city centre - then just walking around? Or do we need to hire a local guide to take us around and pour us back on the TGV 6 hours later?
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The attractions of Reims are all walkable. However, the champagne houses are spread around the city (unlike Epernay where most are along one road) though I remember 3 being within half a mile or so. It might be best to check the tourist office info and/or individual companies web sites, then you can decide which you would like to visit, what you consider walkable, and if you need a taxi between houses. Not very detailed but I hope this assists.
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The centre of Reims is right by the Train station, browsing the forum shows that MANY others have managed this easily just walking, with a little bit of planning ahead, as you will need to book to visit the Champagne Houses I understand.
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Hi the answeres you have received are correct. I leave in a village close to Reims and advise everyone who stays, to walk around Reims you see so much more, that said you only have 6 hours a tour will be 40mins so taxi from tourist office (they will order one for you) may be best option. Visit catherderale first.From the gare its 5mins to the start of main centre of ville, 15 mins to tourist office by the catherdrale. Plenty of places to stop on the way for cafe,toursit office is very good/helful. Depending on which champagne house%26#39;s you wish to visit they are walkable, Pommery being the furthest one from centre, but if you walk you could also stop at Piper Heidsieck enroute and Taittinger,or you take a taxi %26amp; walk back vis visa. look up google maps %26amp; see location of the champagne house.
Check these site. www.reims-tourisme.com or email info same address. Main website for region www.tourisme-en-champagne.com
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I booked the champagne house visits first before figuring out the order of things I wanted to visit, because I can visit the cathedral any time during the day but I had to have reservations to visit the houses. (Some I was told accept walk-ins at some times during the year but it was not guaranteed they could do an English tour spur of the moment).
I%26#39;d suggest setting up times for visits first (leaving 90minutes or so for each visit) so you get those in, preferably back to back to back so you don%26#39;t waste time. I did a 10:30 at Pommery and a 1 p.m. at Ruinart so I could have lunch in between at a nice little place not too far a walk away. All 3 are walking distance.
So I got off the train, hopped a cab to Pommery, did that tour at 10:30, walked to lunch, walked to Ruinart (near Pommmery) and did that tour. After that, I had Ruinart call me a taxi for the cathedral. That is not walkable from that area in my opinion. After visiting the cathedral, tourist office and Place d%26#39;Erlon for a meal, I walked to the train station.
I could have (and should have) scheduled a visit to Taittanger (near Pommery and Ruinart) but worried it would be cramming too much in. Too much worrying on my part. It%26#39;s do-able.
I think that%26#39;s a good way to do it.
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Thanks for the info - will probably follow essentially your itinerary - though will include the Taittinger house and return to Paris for dinner.
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oops, my tour at Ruinart was at 2. 1 p.m. would not give me time to have lunch.
Great little lunch spot we stumbled into -- about a 10 minute walk only. We needed the walk there to walk off the champagne (we got some extra tastings) from Pommery and the walk from the lunch spot to Ruinart to walk off the very generously portioned meal.
I would try to contact the tourism office and have them send you a map. Also, ask them if that know of a small eatery with a sign on the front that says %26quot;The Square%26quot; and locate it on there for you. That%26#39;s where we had lunch.
From Pommery%26#39;s gate, we walked up Boulevard Henry Vasnier to where it intersects with Avenue Victor Hugo. Then we crossed to our left through this huge intersection and the place was a block up continuing in the direction we were going when crossing the intersection. (West)
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Thanks - do you have to call the %26quot;Cellars%26quot; individually for the appointment? Just go to their web site for the numbers?
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I set up everything via e-mail and their online inquiries found on their web sites.
There was a reservation form on one, I think. And I e-mailed someone for the other. It was quite easy. Although you can%26#39;t pick times, just time of day and they%26#39;ll pick the time depending on whether there are other requests for that day. I asked for 1 p.m. for Ruinart, for example, and they gave me 2. Worked out great in the end.
I would pick the one you want to go to most and schedule that first. We chose Pommery because we can get their champagne here, and we%26#39;d only heard the names of Taittanger and Piper-Heidsick, etc. Just make sure you get times for the places you want. We loved both of our tours. Pommery is the big boy on the block, Ruinart is the smaller house that says it focuses more on quality, not quantity. Nice contrast. And Ruinart has really spectacular caves/chalk mines that are registered for historic significance for the art and the history down there.
Hope all goes well. If you%26#39;re trying to do 3, depending on when you get there, you could do 10:30, 2 and 3:30. That would be ideal. If you take the 7:57 train out of Gare de L%26#39;est you can do an earlier first visit, even. We took the 8:57 train though.
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Thank you to all the posters on this topic, very helpful. My wife and I will be visiting this summer and are planning a Day in Reims. So a few questions for those who have more experieince that us.
1. Is the Veueve Cliquot tour walkable from the train station?
2. Are any of the tours, considered the best?
Thank you.
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