Visiting Epernay's Champagne Houses Without a Tour
You do not need a tour to visit the champagne houses in Epernay. The biggest names stand on one avenue, 500 m from the station, and sell their own cellar tours by the hour. This guide covers booking them direct, what each charges at its own door, how to reach the villages without a car, and when Epernay tickets still earn their fare.
Do you need a tour to see the houses?
No. Moët & Chandon, at 18 avenue de Champagne, and Mercier, at no. 68, both sell guided cellar tours directly to visitors. Between them lies the Avenue de Champagne, 1.5 km of houses and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing since 2015. About 110 km of cellars run beneath it.
So for the houses alone, you walk. A tour earns its fare somewhere else: in the villages, with the family growers, and on the road, where somebody else drives after the tastings.
How do you book Moët & Chandon direct?
Online, on the house's own site, by date, time and number of people. Moët & Chandon takes visitors without a booking when places remain, but its guided tours are limited, and the house recommends booking ahead.
The visits come in steps:
- The Imperial Moment: 1 hour 30, EUR 48, Moët Impérial and Rosé Impérial.
- Signature: 1 hour 30, EUR 65, with a Grand Vintage.
- Grand Vintage: 1 hour 30, EUR 85, two vintages.
- Two-hour tours: EUR 190, 220 and 460, with older vintages.
- Terroir Treasures: 2 hours 30 in the house's vineyards, EUR 235.
Tours run in English or French, from 9:30 to 17:00 every day, and the shop stays open until 18:00. The 28 km of cellars stay cool, so bring a warm layer.
What does Mercier sell on its own?
A ride. Mercier's 18 km of cellars lie 30 m down, and every visit tours them by driverless train. The shortest, "The Founder", takes 45 minutes with one glass for EUR 25. Longer tastings cost EUR 30, 35 and 45.
Ages 10 to 17 pay EUR 12 and younger children go free, and every minor must be booked. Guided tours run in French or English. Audio-guided tours come in 11 languages, sign language included, and a guide-interpreter costs EUR 10 more.
You can also skip the tour. Mercier's visitor centre serves tastings without a reservation, and its shop is open without a visit. In 2026 it opens daily from 6 April to 15 November, then Wednesday to Sunday until 27 December.
Which other houses can you visit?
Nicolas Feuillatte, in Chouilly on the Côte des Blancs, opens every day, 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:30, by booking only. A tour with one glass costs EUR 20, with two EUR 25 and with three EUR 30. Ages 12 to 17 pay EUR 10, and under-12s go free.
de Castellane, at 63 avenue de Champagne, says its cellars are temporarily closed to the public. You can still climb its 66 m tower, 237 steps, with a guide: EUR 20 with one glass or EUR 30 with two. Its heritage tour, EUR 60 for 1 hour 30, shows the 7,000-drawer label room. On the European Heritage Days, 19 and 20 September 2026, a visit costs EUR 35.
The tourist office also lists Perrier-Jouët's Cellier Belle Epoque at no. 26, Boizel at no. 46, de Venoge at no. 33 and Esterlin, the avenue's only cooperative, at no. 25. Check each house's own site for its visits and prices before you go.
Which houses take walk-ins?
Mercier's tasting bar, without a reservation, and its shop. Moët & Chandon, when a tour has places left. The rest work by booking, and Nicolas Feuillatte by booking only.
If one house is the reason for your trip, book it before you book anything else.
How do the house visits compare?
Here are the houses whose own pages publish their visits, with the cheapest adult ticket at each.
| House | How to book | Cheapest visit | Time and glasses | Step-free access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moët & Chandon, 18 avenue | Online; walk-ins if places remain | EUR 48 | 1 h 30, two glasses | Lift and wheelchair entrance |
| Mercier, 68 avenue | Online, ahead; tasting bar without booking | EUR 25 | 45 minutes, one glass | Lift and wheelchair entrance |
| Nicolas Feuillatte, Chouilly | Booking only | EUR 20 | 75 minutes, one glass | Not stated |
| de Castellane, 63 avenue | Booking; cellars temporarily closed | EUR 20 (tower) | 60 minutes, one glass | Not stated; 237 steps |
Two houses on the avenue, Moët & Chandon and Mercier, give you a lift into the cellars. The how to visit Epernay post covers the walk between them.
What does the museum at Château Perrier add?
The story the houses do not tell. The Musée du Vin de Champagne et d'Archéologie régionale fills Château Perrier, at 13 avenue de Champagne, with the region's geology, its archaeology and the making of its wine. It is the one stop on the avenue that belongs to no brand.
From 1 April to 31 October it opens 11:00 to 19:00, closed on Tuesdays. From November to March it opens 13:30 to 18:00, 10:00 to 18:00 at weekends, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Last entry is an hour before closing.
Entry costs EUR 10, or EUR 6.50 for ages 13 to 25, over-65s and groups of ten or more. Under-13s go free, and everyone goes free on the first Sunday of the month. The audio guide is included, in ten languages, and the park behind the house is free to walk.
Can you reach the villages without a car?
Yes, with a little planning. Buses run from Epernay to Dizy, Aÿ, Pierry, Moussy, Chouilly and Mardeuil. The TER "Ligne des Bulles" to Reims stops at Aÿ, one of the villages the tours visit.
Nicolas Feuillatte sells a visit with a return taxi shuttle from Epernay station and three glasses for EUR 60. A family grower's cellar is harder: the growers are spread across the slopes, and a tour is the simple way to reach one.
What is the Esprit de Champagne shuttle?
A small shuttle from the tourist office and the town campsite to cellars, activities and heritage sites around Epernay. It runs from May to October with eight seats a run, and you book it at the tourist office, at 7 avenue de Champagne.
It is transport, not a guided visit. It gets you to the door, and you book each cellar yourself.
Can you cycle to Hautvillers?
Yes. Bikes can be hired near the station. From Epernay, the Véloroute 52 runs through Magenta towards Dormans, with a detour up to Hautvillers, or the other way towards Aÿ. Hautvillers is 6 km away and sits above the valley, so allow for the climb.
In the village, Saint-Sindulphe, the church where Dom Pérignon is buried, is open all year. If you would rather someone else carried the tastings, the e-bike day rides the same slopes with a guide and lunch.
What do you miss without a guide?
Mostly the growers. A family grower is a working estate, and a tour books the visit and drives you there. You also miss the explanations in the vines and a driver after the tastings.
That last one matters. A house visit pours one or two glasses, but a day of visits adds up, and somebody has to drive back. On a tour, nobody in your party does.
When is a tour worth it?
When you want the villages, not just the avenue. Take a tour if you want a family grower, a glass among the vines, lunch with champagne, or a day with no driving.
The cheapest way into a family house's cellar is Vollereaux's cellar hour in Pierry, $19 for three champagnes. The Bubble tour takes you from the tourist office to a grower in Oger for $189. If a house is still the point, book it yourself and add a tour for the other half of your day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a tour to visit Moët & Chandon?
Do I need to book Moët & Chandon in advance?
Can children visit the houses?
Which Epernay houses are step-free?
Can I visit de Castellane's cellars?
Is the Musée du Vin de Champagne worth it?
When are the houses closed?
Tours that add what a house visit cannot
Epernay: Guided Tour of Champagne Cellar with Tastings
An hour in a family house's chalk cellar in Pierry, just south of town, with three champagnes at the end. You make your own way there; the lowest fare in Epernay.
From $19 per person
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Day tour Tasting at Moët & Chandon and 2 Big Houses in Epernay
Seven hours on foot along the avenue: three big houses with their own guides, seven glasses and a three-course lunch. Non-refundable once booked.
From $632 per person
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From Epernay : Bubble Champagne Tour 6 tastings
Three and a half hours from the Epernay tourist office: a grower's cellar in Oger, three champagnes, then ratafia, fine and marc in Cramant. No lunch.
From $189 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: book the house, then add the villages with a tour from Epernay Tours.