Day trip to Champagne region
 

I'll be visiting the region on a Saturday. I plan on this sightseeing schedule:-

Arrive from Strasbourg at Reims Ville station at 10.11. Visit Notre Dam and the Palais du Tau.

Grab lunch, or a quick bite.

Take train from Reims Maison Blanche at 13.34, arrive in Epernay at 1400. Visit Moet and Chandon at 1500. I perfer Moet to the other Champagne houses and they will be reopened by the time I am in France.

Travel back to Strasbourg by TGV.

I have some questions:-

How far are Notre Dame and Palais du Tau from Reims Ville and Reims Maison stations?

I have a choice of a train that departs at 1638, 1712 or 1903. Is there anything to do in Epernay, or am I best of just heading back earlier. I need to make two connections on the way back and would rather not take the last trains of the day.

Also, the 1712 departure requires a long connection in Champagne Ardenne TGV station, are there shops/restaurants at the station, the connection is for 54 mins so I was thinking if I take this route it would be ideal to have dinner at the station.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you.

Not much in Epernay besides the Champagne Houses but it is a nice enough regional town. Take two tours! All the houses are mainly together, like in Reims.

Prost!

It is about a 15 minute walk from the Reims train station to the Cathedral. If there are cabs out in front of the station, you could take one to make the most of your time - they aren't expensive, six or seven euros.

Champagne Ardenne station has a snack bar and a little newspaper type shop. No place to hang out and have a drink or anything like that, definitely not a place to have dinner.

Rather than the Palais and Notre Dame, would you consider a visit to Hautvillers, the home of Dom Perignon? That is the origin/essence of champagne, non? It was delightful and we enjoyed that village more than the other champagne houses (Pommery for one) in Epernay. But we had more time and travelled by car.

There are loads of things to do listed on the Reims tourist office website so I wouldn't bother with :

Darn. Got cut off. As I was saying, I wouldn't bother with a visit to Epernay when there is plenty to do for a day in and around Reims/ Check the tourist office website to learn all there is to see and do: http://www.reims-tourism.com/

I think your plan is feasible if you want to do it but I think it would be a better use of time to spend the day in/around Reims. There are tours to nearby vineyards or options for hiking/biking to vineyards and houses noted on the tourist office website. Also, it's going to take a lot longer to get back to Strasbourg from Epernay than it will from Reims.

If you didn't know you should buy your train tickets up to 3 months in advance for the cheapest prices.

This website might give you more info about the champagne region, if you're interested:

http://www.champagnediscovery.com/

If you're really a champagne lover the above website will give you great tips on where to visit in Reims, Epernay and numerous local producers throughout the region.

You can also take the tramway from the train station to the cathedral.

There is absolutely nothing at the Champagne-Ardenne TGV station because it is out in the middle of the fields. The snack bar and newsstand are certainly heavily subsidized because there is no way that they can make any money.

<i>How far are Notre Dame and Palais du Tau from Reims Ville </i>
The tram doesn't run currently between the train station and the center because of roadworks. It is replaced by a bus shuttle (Navette in French). The bus stop is right in front of the train station. You get off the shuttle bus at the Opera bus stop which is very close to the cathedral.
If you prefer to walk it should take you no more than 15/20 minutes.

<i>Grab lunch, or a quick bite</i>
The cafés in front of the cathedral are horribly expensive and the food and service is bad. There is a good choice of nice cafés and restaurants at Place d'Erlon on your way back to the train station.

The Maison Blanche station is a little unmanned station very far from the center. Since your train will starts from the main station (the SNCF seems they can't decide wether to call it Reims Gare or Reims Centre), you should take your train at the main station. The supplement for the segment between the two stations should cost about 2 or 3 euros.

Don't miss the WW2 Room or whatever it is called - in an old school house behind the main train station - here was where the Allies plotted the final assault on Berlin - war maps still on the walls - name plates still on the tables - doesn't take long but really interesting to me anyway.

I have a question about the train from Reims to Epernay. When I check online at Captain Train it tells me the train departs from Riems Maison Ville. Obviously, I'd rather depart from Riems Centre, can I just buy the ticket at Riems Centre station prior to boarding? Where can I get a train schedule from? I've booked a tour at Moet fro 3.15 so I need to arrive in Epernay by 2.30 and walk over to Moet.

Any idea what the official name is for the WW2 room? I'll visit that first before heading elsewhere.

Thanks.

<<Any idea what the official name is for the WW2 room? I'll visit that first before heading elsewhere.>>

Its official name is La Musée de la Reddition du 7 Mai 1945, and commemorates the surrender of Germany on that date. The instruments of surrender were signed in the map room of what was then the Supreme Allied Headquarters, and the room has been kept largely as it was at the time of the surrender.

You can buy your ticket at any train station to go anywhere. So yes, you can buy your train ticket at Reims Centre even if you're leaving from Maison Blance. You can buy your ticket prior to boarding. There is no need to find a train schedule. Just use www.capitainetrain.com and see what trains are available at what time from any given station to any other given station on any particular day. BTW, there are trains to Epernay from both Maison-Blanche and Reims Centre. Info about the Musée de la Reddition (Museum of the Surrender) can be found on the Reims tourist office website:

http://www.reims-tourism.com/Discove...iche%29/127587