After our wonderful stay in Paris, we took a short (and gorgeous) train ride up to the heart of the Champagne region, which is a little town called Epernay nestled amongst seemingly endless vineyards. We hopped onto a bus at the tiny train station, and in 10 minutes we were just outside our adorable bed and breakfast La Villa Saint Pierre. This charming truly French establishment is run by two lovely women. We were smitten by our guest room with surprisingly sleek and modern designs.
After getting settled we head out for our very first glass of champagne in Champagne. La Villa Saint Pierre is just a 5-10 minute walk from basically everything! We landed at Bar Parisien at an outdoor table, and a friendly local man bought us rosé bubbly. He barely spoke a lick of English, but we managed to get out some French thanks to Duo Lingo! We strolled the streets a bit to familiarize ourselves, and head back to the bed and breakfast. The next morning we were excited for our first and only full day in Epernay.
Our advice looking back... plan at least two full days! We enjoyed coffee, fruit and croissants at La Villa Saint Pierre's restaurant. Oh, how we miss pain au chocolat. We walked to the famous Avenue de Champagne, and stopped in the tourism office for some advice on a vineyard tour. There was even a champagne tasting happening at the tourism office. Heaven? We decided we REALLY wanted to see an actual vineyard and not just a champagne house, so we selected an 8 euro tour of a small private vineyard. To our surprise, we were the only two on the tour at that time, so we basically got a totally private tour of a beautiful vineyard, cellar, and a tasting. FOR 8 EURO. I know you all want to check out Moët and Perrier-Jouët, but definitely add this one to your list! It's called L.Bénard-Pitois. Get off the avenue for a little while and check out those vines.
To quote our Instagram: "The Hills Have Vines." Already know we will be back in Champagne sooner rather than later.
Xx, WanderLust Girls
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