or well above average,
Champagne, lying to the
east of the Paris region, is one of the great historic provinces of
France. As far back as the times of the Emperor Charlemagne, in the
ninth century, Champagne was one of the great regions of Europe, a rich
agricultural area that was famous for its fairs. Today, thanks to a
type of sparkling wine to which the region has given its name,
the word Champagne is known worldwide – even if many of those who know
the drink do not know exactly where it comes from.
Champagne, that most delightful of sparkling
wines, was not actually invented in the region. According to legend, it
was monks who bought the method for making sparkling wine up
from the
Languedoc,
in the south of France; but they soon discovered that the chalky soil
and climatic conditions in the Champagne region produced a bright
bubbly wine that was in many people's opinion better than the
sparkling wines produced further south. There was of course more to the
story of champagne than that; commercial success over the centuries had
as much to do with the fact that the Champagne region was close to
Paris and
other great European cities, as with the inherent qualities of the
product. But there is no region in France - perhaps no other region in
the world - whose name has been made so famous by a local product.
The modern region of
Champagne-Ardenne,
capital
Châlons
en Champagne , is not however one of the
most prosperous of French regions; indeed, in terms of GDP,
it is 17th out of the 21 regions of continental France - though 8th in
terms of GDP per inhabitant. The difference is explained by the fact
that in spite of bordering on the Paris region, Champagne is a
relatively sparsely populated region - forming the north eastern end of
what geographers have called the "empty diagonal" of France.
Curiously, the capital Châlons
is by no means the main city in the Champagne-Ardenne region; this
honour goes to the former capital
Reims
(often spelt Rheims in English), one of the great historic cities of
northern France, and four times the size of Châlons.
The Champagne-Ardenne region consists
of four departments - the
Ardennes
(08), the
Aube
(10), the
Marne
(51) and the
Haute-Marne
(52). The region is bordered by Belgium in the north, by
Lorraine in the
east, by Franche-Comté and
Burgundy in the south, and by
the
Paris region
and
Picardy
in the west.
The region is made up essentially of
areas of relatively flat agricultural land and areas of gently
undulating hills. The hills are higher and more pronounced in the north
of the region - the area of the Ardennes - and the south of the region,
an area known as the Plateau de Langres. The central part of Champagne
is an important agricultural area, with vast expanses of cereal
production, and – in particular north of Reims – production of
vegetables and sugar beet. In the north of the Ardennes department,
the landscape is characterised by wooded hills and valleys.
The famous vineyards of Champagne lie on the chalky hills to the south
west of Reims, and around the town of Epernay.
Apart from the former regional capital
Reims, the Champagne region is not a particularly busy tourist
destination. Its rurality, accessibility and low population density
have attracted a number of second-home owners from the Paris region and
from Belgium and Holland - particularly in the hillier areas;
but more often than not, it is a region that tourists pass through,
rather than a destination. Lying on the main autoroutes from Paris to
Germany and from the UK or Belgium to the south of France,
Reims, a university city, has all the feel of a bustling
regional capital; the old city is dominated by the 13th
century cathedral, one of the great gothic cathedrals of northern
France, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Badly damaged in the first
world war, the cathedral has been painstakingly restored to its true
glory. The city is also home to some of the major Champagne producers,
such as Taittinger, and cellar tours are available.
However, for perhaps the most
enjoyable cellar visits and champagne tasting, many visitors will
prefer to visit the smaller town of Epernay, fifteen miles south of
Reims. Lying in the heart of "champagne country", Epernay is home to
many of the most famous champagne producers, including Moët &
Chandon or Perrier-Jouët. The town being small, it is easy to
visit a number of champagne houses or cellars on foot.
Finally,
there is another small area producing champagne, which is quite
distinct from the Reims-Epernay vineyard. The southern champagne
vineyard area lies in the Aube department, between the towns of
Bar sur Aube and Les Riceys.
Among the many
historic sites in France that are less known than they ought to be, the
small hill town of
Langres,
in the south of the region, must be near the top of the list. Sometimes
referred to as the "Carcassonne of the North", the old town is a
remarkable ensemble of historic stone buildings, enclosed within 3.6
kilometres of ramparts, mostly dating from the 13th and 17th centuries.
But parts are much older, as Langres has been a fortified city since
Roman times; and unlike Carcassonne, Langres is not jam-packed with
tourists.
The Champagne region prides itself on historic
links with some of the most iconic leaders that France has ever had -
and in particular Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) , who came from the
village of Domrémy, now in the Aude department, and General de Gaulle,
who is buried at Colombey les Deux Eglises, in the Haute Marne.
Contrary to false information repeated on several websites, de Gaulle
was not born here, and had no ancestral link to the region.
Main
tourist attractions in
Champagne Ardenne
A small
hand-picked selection of hotels in
the Champagne region.
All
these Champagne hotels have been selected on account of their
generally good
user
reviews:
Click hotel name for more details, with online booking and
best rates.
Reims
- Epernay - Troyes area :
Ardennes
area :
The About-France.com choice of
hotels:
About-France.com
takes the hassle out of finding a good hotel; we have read hundreds of
hotel reviews on different websites, excluded hundreds of hotels from
our listings, and only
kept those for which the favourable or very favourable reviews well
outnumber the poor write-ups. As a result, our hotel lists are short and very selective.
Naturally, the type and quality of
service provided will vary according to the type of hotel chosen;
visitors cannot expect the same service or room quality in a two-star
hotel as in a four-star chateau hotel. Our choice lists hotels that are
generally judged to be above average or well above average for their
category.
Visiting
Paris?
See our selection of Paris
hotels |
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- Champagne
cellars visits (51): at Rheims and at Epernay. Travel
underground and see how the precious product is matured.
- Charleville
Mézières (08): capital of the Ardennes department,
birthplace of the poet Rimbaud. Old town.
- Colombey
les Deux Eglises . village with the country residence of
General de Gaulle, who is buried here.
- Epernay:
the "champagne capital", small town in the hills south of Reims, with
many of the biggest champagne producers. Cellar tours, champagne tours.
- Reims:
one of the finest mediaeval cathedrals in France. Once the kings of
France were crowned here. Historic city centre. Basilique St. Rémi,
Roman triumphal arch, Champagne cellar visits.
- Lac
du Der (52) . the biggest reservoir in Europe (48km²),
built in 1967, this lake has become a particularly important area on
the migration routes of water birds. The annual visits of flocks of
cranes draw birdwatchers from all over Europe.
- Nigloland
(10): Near Bar sur Aube: one of the biggest theme parks in
France
- Langres
(52) ; fortified hill town with 3.6 km of ramparts and
city gates. Off the beaten track, the historic
stone-built town centre is a remarkable ensemble. A gem
- Regional
natural parks (51): the Montagne de Reims, hills south of
Reims; the forêt d'Orient, near Troyes.
- River
tourism: the Seine, the Marne, the Aube and various canals.
- Sedan,
Château-fort (08) - purportedly the biggest ancient
fortress in Europe, built in the early fifteenth century.
- Troyes
(10): 13th century gothic cathedral with fine stained
glass; historic city centre.
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