Here we go: off to the Champagne region

If you, like me, don't quite feel comfortable with the idea of flying somewhere, there's only one thing to do: either stay home or go on a road trip. Now, I think road tripping is great anyway, so that's not really a punishment. But everything has its limits, of course. So road tripping towards Andalusia might be a bit too much, especially if you only have a week. The ingredients that make a vacation successful for me are good food and drinks (I'm not too picky either), and you can have that much closer to home. I present to you: the Champagne region. And then Reims and Épernay, or the two places you can choose from. Or combine. And you can get there quickly: from my house in Amsterdam, it's about a four to five hour drive. GREAT.

Tips for Reims and Épernay

Reims is the largest and most famous city in the Champagne region, making it a popular base. Especially if you want more to do around you (Épernay is a small village, for example) and/or if you want to stay a bit longer in this region. Because, uh... Yes, you do want that, I think.

But Épernay is definitely worth a night or two as well, because the best champagne houses are nearby, and that's what you're here for. A practical tip for this: the small champagne houses are often closed on weekends, so plan those trips mainly during the week. The larger ones are open on weekends, so do those on Saturday or Sunday.

The champagne houses you want to visit

Champagne is not really known for being a cheap drink, and even though it's a bit cheaper here than in the Netherlands: expect a champagne tour to cost between €10 and €30 per person per tour. If you want to buy a bottle of champagne, it starts around 20 euros. So that's still quite reasonable. But the more exclusive, the more expensive, of course.

The tour of Moët & Chandon  is of course a must-visit during your trip to the Champagne region. And if you're in Épernay, definitely check out the Avenue de Champagne. The name says it all: this street is full of boutiques with all the champagne you can imagine. Nice to take home. Or to drink during the vacation. At various boutiques, you can also do a tasting, which is very nice (Collard-Picard is a recommendation, in the courtyard).

Geographically, it's handy to think in advance about what you're in the mood for: do you want to visit mainly champagne houses or prefer to go to a larger city and do organized tours from there? If you prefer the former, Épernay is the best base, otherwise Reims is the way to go. Near Reims, there aren't many houses, but many tours are organized from the city. Which, of course, saves some discussion about who should be the designated driver...

Champagne brands like Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Dom Pérignon, and actually every champagne you know (and don't know) can be found here. Including tastings. I say: ON Y VA.