Epernay Tours FAQs
Prices, who pours, where the tours start, the train from Paris, children, the harvest and the houses' own calendars. Ready for your Epernay booking? The answers below settle most of what you need first.
One answer matters more than the rest: who pours. A big house gives you its cellars and its own guide, and you can walk to the biggest ones from the station. A family grower pours in its own cellar, in a village outside town. Every tour card says which you get.
How much does an Epernay champagne tour cost?
From $19 for an hour in Vollereaux's cellar in Pierry and $57 for two hours in a vintage van, to $257 for an afternoon with growers and lunch. Days from Paris run $262 to $400 per person, the private half days $298 to $333 per person with a two-person minimum, and the Moët & Chandon day on foot $632.
Do I need a tour to visit Moët & Chandon?
No. Moët & Chandon sells its own cellar tours at 18 avenue de Champagne, from EUR 48 for 1 hour 30 with two glasses, and Mercier, at no. 68, starts at EUR 25. A tour earns its fare when you want the family growers in the villages, a glass among the vines, or a driver so nobody at your table has to drive.
Which tours include Moët & Chandon?
The Moët & Chandon day on foot starts with the house's cellar tour and tasting, then visits de Castellane and Mercier, with lunch between. Some days from Paris name Moët & Chandon only as one possible house, subject to availability. If that one house is the reason you are going, book its own visit on the avenue as well.
Where do Epernay tours start?
Most start in front of the tourist office at 7 avenue de Champagne, under 500 m from the station. The private half days collect you within 6 km of Epernay, the jeep wherever you choose, and the Reims days at the Reims Centre station forecourt. Vollereaux's cellar hour starts at the house in Pierry, and you make your own way there.
Can I do a champagne tour from Paris?
Yes. The days from Paris collect you from your hotel or meet at a Paris café at 7:00 am, and last 10 to 12 hours with about two hours' drive each way. Or take the direct train from Paris-Est, 1 hour 20 minutes, and join a tour at the Epernay tourist office.
How long is a champagne tour?
An hour at Vollereaux, 2 to 2.5 hours in the vintage van or the jeep, and 3.5 hours for the private half days and the Bubble tour. The afternoon with lunch and the e-bike day take 5 hours, the Moët & Chandon day 7, and the days from Paris 10 to 12.
Is lunch included on a champagne tour?
Yes on the afternoon small-group tour from the tourist office, the e-bike day, the Moët & Chandon day, the three-domains day from Reims, My Winedays' day from Paris and Go Go Tours' cathedral day. The private half days, the vineyard rides and the Reims wineries tour include no food. On Go Go Tours' small-group day, a traveller found lunch was a group meal at EUR 50 each.
What is the difference between a champagne house and a grower?
A house (NM on the label) buys grapes as well as growing its own; a grower (RM) makes champagne only from its own vines. On a tour, a house means a big cellar and the house's own guide, and a grower means the family pouring at its own table.
Can children go on a champagne tour?
On some. The vintage van states no age limit and the Impériale bus carries sodas for minors, but the afternoon tour is not for under-10s, the e-bike day and the Reims wineries tour not for under-12s, and one day from Paris not for under-16s. Mercier admits 10 to 17s at EUR 12 and younger children free.
Are Epernay tours wheelchair accessible?
Every listing that answers says no, and the rest do not say. Mercier's cellars have a lift and a special entrance for wheelchair users, so a direct house visit is the accessible option. Ask the operator before you book if you need step-free access.
When is the champagne harvest in Epernay?
In 2026 picking opened on 17 August in Epernay, 15 August in Hautvillers and 14 August in the Côte des Blancs villages, by the Comité Champagne's commune dates. Each village opens on its own date, so ask your operator what you will see in the vines that week.
Can I cancel a booking?
Every tour refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before it starts, except the Moët & Chandon day on foot, which is non-refundable. Each card states its own policy.
Which is the best champagne tour in Epernay?
For a first afternoon, the small-group tour with Hautvillers, growers and lunch. For the vines in two hours at the lowest fare but one, the vintage van; from Paris, My Winedays' day with a major house, family producers and lunch.
Can I visit the abbey where Dom Pérignon lived?
Not inside: the abbey buildings at Hautvillers belong to Moët & Chandon and are not open to visitors. His tomb is in the church of Saint-Sindulphe, open all year, and most tours that visit the village stop there.
How do I get from Paris to Epernay by train?
Direct trains from Paris-Est take 1 hour 20 minutes. Epernay station is under 500 m from the tourist office and the avenue, through the Hôtel de Ville garden. Check times and fares with SNCF for your own date.
How many glasses do you taste?
Three at Vollereaux, five on the afternoon tour from the tourist office, six on the Reims wineries tour, seven on the Moët & Chandon day and nine on the three-domains day. The Connoisseurs pours six champagnes and three regional spirits, the Must-sees and the Bubble tour three of each, and My Winedays' day from Paris at least eight.
What are ratafia, fine and marc?
They are the Champagne region's own aperitif and spirits. Aÿ-Champagne Experience pours them after the champagnes on its private half days and the Bubble tour.
Is a vineyard tour worth it if I have seen a cellar?
It shows what a cellar cannot: the slopes, the villages and a glass in the open. The jeep, the vintage van, the e-bike and the Impériale bus are built around it.
How much is the jeep tour?
It is $229 per jeep for up to three people, not per person. The ride lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, with pickup where you choose and a bottle of champagne opened in the vines.
What is the Impériale bus?
An open-top double-decker hired whole for up to 15 people, for 2 or 3 hours through the vineyards with three sabered bottles. It passes the houses without stopping, and the fare is $1,521 for the group.
Do private tours need a minimum?
Aÿ-Champagne Experience's private half days are priced per person with a two-person minimum. The jeep and the Impériale bus are one fare per vehicle, for up to 3 and up to 15.
Can I join a tour on my own?
Yes, on the shared tours: a traveller who booked the afternoon from the tourist office alone was paired with two others. The private half days need at least two people.
Can I start from Reims instead?
Yes. The Reims days start at the Reims Centre station forecourt, and the TER “Ligne des Bulles” links Reims and Epernay every 30 minutes, about half an hour station to station.
Is the Moët & Chandon day guided?
Each house's own guide leads its visit: Moët & Chandon, de Castellane and Mercier. The product includes no guide of its own and no transport, because the houses and the restaurant are a short walk apart on the avenue.
Can I buy champagne on a tour?
At most stops, yes: the growers and houses sell at the cellar. On the vintage van, a bottle to saber yourself is EUR 15 extra. A traveller on a day from Paris found no chance to buy, so ask your guide early.
What is the Avenue de Champagne?
The Avenue de Champagne is a 1.5 km street of champagne houses, part of the UNESCO World Heritage property since 2015. About 110 km of cellars run beneath it, and Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, de Castellane and Mercier all stand on it.
Is the Musée du Vin de Champagne worth it?
The museum at Château Perrier, on the avenue, covers the region from its soils to today. Entry is EUR 10, EUR 6.50 reduced, free under 13 and free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month. From April to October it opens 11:00 to 19:00, closed on Tuesdays.
When are the houses closed?
Mercier opens daily from 6 April to 15 November and Wednesday to Sunday until 27 December, and closes from the evening of 30 December. Moët & Chandon lists 9:30 to 17:00 daily. Nicolas Feuillatte, in Chouilly, opens every day by booking only.
What is Habits de Lumière?
Epernay's three-day December festival on the avenue: 11 to 13 December 2026, with video-mapping and shows on the Friday and Saturday evenings. Moët & Chandon sells a Habits de Lumière dinner at EUR 520.
What happens on 14 July?
The Soirée Blanche fills the Avenue de Champagne. The tourist office changes its hours for the evening, so check them before you plan the day.
Where do I park in Epernay?
The Jard underground car park, entered from rue Eugène Mercier, is 150 m from the tourist office and the first hour is free. The streets around the office are paid.
Did Dom Pérignon invent champagne?
No. In the Comité Champagne's own words, nobody invented champagne: Champagne was the first region to set out to control the second fermentation. Dom Pérignon improved the wines of the abbey at Hautvillers by blending, and his tomb is in its church.
Is it cold in the vineyards?
In winter, yes: the mean daily maximum is about 6 °C in January at Météo-France's Mailly-CIVC station. The van and jeep tastings happen outdoors, so dress for the day.
What should I wear in the cellars?
A warm layer and shoes with grip. The chalk cellars stay at 10 to 12 °C in every season, and the vineyard tastings happen outdoors whatever the weather.
Still deciding? The tours sit side by side on Epernay Tours, the practical detail is in the visitor guide, and what travellers made of each day is in the reviews.