Tourist First

Travel notes and advice from around the world. Above, the daily flight from Managua at the San Carlos, Nicaragua, airstrip.
Showing posts sorted by date for query The Champagne towns of Epernay and Reims. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query The Champagne towns of Epernay and Reims. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Friday, June 26, 2026

Contents and Quick Links

  

Travel in 2026: A few weeks to explore Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The red sands at Sossusvlei, desolation on the Skeleton Coast, the granite world of Matopos, Davison's Camp at Hwange National Park, down to basics at Hwange Bush Camp, a camp at the Mana Pools, and a safari resort in a sand forest.  Plus the wet wonder of Victoria Falls. 

 Travel in 2025:  A spring trip to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Old and new favorites in Paris. In Nantes, a switch from building ships to having fun.  Oysters in Cancale. The wonder of Mont Saint-Michel. History lessons in Bayeux. Lupin still inhabits Etretat. The unexpected in Rouen. The best of Lyon. More than mustard in Dijon. Exploring the Champagne towns of Epernay and Reims. The best of Belgium: Brussels, Ghent, Bruges. The joy of architecture in Rotterdam.  Canals and more in Amsterdam.

Travel in 2024:  A spring (November and December) trip to Chile including Santiago,  Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Atacama,  Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.  One night at Usuaia, Argentina. Buenos Aires, in brief.  San Diego's big swinging organ. A family visit to Milwaukee.  A quick visit to Red Rocks outside Denver. A July visit to San Francisco and its oyster bars. Six weeks in Spain, with links to Madrid, Valencia, Seville and other cities. Plus Joshua Tree and Death Valley, two California desert wonderlands.

Welcome to Stephen M. Bailey's Tourist First! I hope these photos and impressions from my travels will help you plan your own trips. 

These blog posts are not updated once they're posted. For example, my post about a July 2019 visit to Venice does not reflect the terrible damage done by flooding in November 2019. And some hotel links may no longer work, though I try to delete them when that happens. Small hotels and lodges, especially in less developed destinations like Nicaragua and Laos, often are short-lived and the ones I've visited may no longer exist. Please leave a comment or email me (stephenmbailey@gmail.com) if you have questions about any post or if you see errors. 

General Travel

In the Air, a Caste System
Here's What I Want in a Hotel Room 
And see what more than 1,000 of my New York Times readers want in a hotel room
Favorite hotels: Tripadvisor's list 
Strategies for Saving on Travel
My 2008 New York Times column on travel in a motor home or RV
My 2004 New York Times article on eco-resorts in the Caribbean (not all are still operating)
It's Easy to Avoid Credit Card Ripoffs Abroad
Road Trip: Though the Rockies on Interstate 70

Weekend Homes
This blog is primarily devoted to tourist trips and vacation explorations, but some people prefer to make the same trips over and over ... to their weekend homes. Instead of a month in Italy, they choose almost every weekend at the lake or in the mountains. Here are some of my New York Times articles about weekend homes: 
A Chesapeake getaway is an HGTV Dream House. 
A weekend home without beeps? Ditching technology.
Owning your own place in Mexico or Canada.
Thinking of a weekend home at a lake?
Dealing (or not) with problem guests.

African Safaris
A 2016 itinerary for Six Weeks in Africa
A 2026 itinerary takes us to Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa
My 2019 New York Times Article on Tips for Your First Safari
The Safari Experience
Botswana: Kalahari Desert
Botswana: Okavango Delta
Namibia: Chobe River
Namibia: The Skeleton Coast's Shipwreck Lodge
South Africa: Sabi Sand Game Reserve
South Africa: &Beyond's Phinda Forest Lodge

Argentina
Buenos Aires: Cafes and More

Australia
Itinerary for 10 Days in Tasmania
Freycinet National Park: Beaches, Trails and Shellfish
Lake St. Clair: Not a Platypus in Sight

Belgium
Brussels: Whimsical City.


Britain
Wales: "Retiring" to a Canal Boat

California
Road trip: San Diego to Healdsburg
Anzo-Borrego State Park: A Desert in Bloom
Central Coast: Big Sur and Route 1
Idyllwild: Mountain Retreat
Joshua Tree: A Desert Adventure
Lassen Volcanic National Park: The Landscape of Disaster
Malibu: The Getty Villa and More
Palm Springs: A Fall Getaway
Paso Robles: A Focus on Wine
Point Reyes National Seashore: Isolation on a Grand Scale
San Diego County: Potato Chip Rock
San Francisco: Oysters and Alcatraz

Cambodia
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia
Elephant Valley: Saving Asia's "Living Tractors"
Kep: The Place for Crabs (My Apologies to Chesapeake Bay)
Phnom Penh: Where the Past Is Past
Siem Reap: Gateway to the Angkor Region
The Angkor Temples: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Banteay Srei, and Ta Prohm. 

Canada
Montreal: Frenchy but Not Exotic
Niagara Falls: The Canadian Side, Please
Toronto: First Impressions
Toronto: Second Impressions

Chile
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Spring (November and December)

Colorado

Mont Saint-Michel: The Wonder of It All
Greece
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Athens: Better Than I Imagined
Chania: Walls and Charm on Crete
Delphi: The Oracle is Silent
Heraklion: The Capital of Crete
Hydra: Quiet and Carless
Santorini: Island as Shopping Mall
Thessaloniki: A Party Town With Few Foreigners

Iceland
Reykajavik: Geothermal Wonderland

Iran
A 2016 Family Visit
What to Expect If You Visit Iran

Italy
Itinerary for a Three-Month Visit
Agrigento: Sicily's Valley of the Temples
Alberobello: Home of the Trulli
Capri: Another World
Catania: Gateway to Mount Etna
Lecce: Baroque Wonderland
Maratea: Italy for Italians
Masala: More Than Wine
Matera: Modern Cave Dwellers
Naples: One Night Isn't Enough
Palermo: Beyond "The Godfather"
Pompeii (and Herculaneum): What Vesuvius Wrought
Rome: The Palaces
Rome: The Churches
Rome: The Ruins
Rome: Dining
Rome: Walking
Siracusa: Outpost of the Ancient Greeks 
Taormina: Mountains and Sea in Sicily
Trieste: The Least Italian City in Italy
Trani: On the Adriatic
Venice: A Summer Visit

Laos
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Luang Prabang: Monks and Tourists 

Maine
Georgetown: Do it for the lobsters.

Maryland
Assateague: A Fall Afternoon
Annapolis: My 2008 New York Times article on Maryland's capital city
Baltimore: My 2002 New York Times "36 Hours" article on Charm City
Blackwater: My 2012 American Forests article on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake Bay: A Fishing Trip
St. Michaels: My 2004 New York Times "36 Hours" article
Tilghman Island: Where I Lived for 10 Years

Mexico
Ajijic: Expat-Friendly Town on Lake Chapala
Baja California: Cabo Crowds and Peaceful La Paz

Minnesota
Boundary Waters: My 2011 American Forests article on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Mississippi
Ole Miss: My Alma Mater
Oxford: My 2008 New York Times article on Faulkner, Football and Food  


Montenegro
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Kotor: Small but Choice 


Morocco
Itinerary for a Three-Week Visit
Ait Benhaddou: Kasbahs and Movie Locations

Namibia
Skeleton Coast: Desolation at Shipwreck Lodge 
Sossusvlei: The Red Sands

Netherlands

New York 
Finger Lakes: My 2012 American Forests article on Finger Lakes National Forest
Rio San Juan: Howler Monkeys and River Huts
Selva Negra: Ecology-Minded Coffee Plantation
Solentiname Islands: A Poet-Priest's Art Project
Solentiname Islands: My 2012 New York Times article and a photo slideshow

Panama
Bastimentos: Nature Inn and Chocolate Lodge
Bocas del Toro: Surfers and Backpackers
Boquete: A Coffee Estate in the Mountains
Panama Canal: An 11-Hour Trip Through an Engineering Marvel
Panama City: My 2014 New York Times review of the Panama City Waldorf Astoria 
Kuna Yala: A Cabin on the Water

Pennsylvania
Adamstown: My 1999 New York Times  article on Shopping for antiques in Amish country
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

Peru
Itinerary for One Month in Peru
Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu: Mountain in the Rain Forest
Amazon: River and Wildlife Cruise
Amazon: Fatal Fire on a River Cruise Boat
Arequipa: Juanita's Story
Colca Canyon: In Search of Condors
Cusco: The Inca's Capital
Lima: Museo Larco's Amazing Pre-Colombian Pottery
Lima: Ancient Culture, Modern Life
Ollantaytambo: Life Amid the Ruins
Paracas: An Ancient Mystery Beside the Sea

Portugal
Itinerary for a Three-Week Visit
Belmonte: Mountain Retreat
Evora: Cusine and Cork
Douro Valley: Where the Grapes Grow
Lisbon: Riverfront and Seafront
Obidos: Old Walls and New Buddhas
Porto: The Sweet Life
Sintra: Royal Aerie

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Bequia: The Moonhole Experience
Bequia: A Happy Island
St. Vincent: My 2004 New York Times article on Petit Byahaut and Other Eco Resorts
St. Vincent: My 2004 New York Times Slide Show on Petit Byahaut

Slovenia
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Ljubjana: Cozy Capital
Piran: At the Concrete Beach

South Africa
Phinda: Safari Resort in a Sand Forest
Western Cape: Beyond Cape Town and the Wine Regions

Spain
Itinerary for Six Weeks in 2024: Madrid, Valencia and Southern Spain
Valencia: Is There a Better City in Spain for Food?


Tanzania
Zanzibar: As Exotic as Its Name

Thailand
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Bangkok: River Metropolis

Turkey
A 2010 Vacation, Istanbul and Beyond
Aboard a Gulet for a Blue Cruise
Istanbul: Seth Kugel Does It on the Cheap
Istanbul: Visiting a Hamam

Utah
The Marvels  of Arches National Park

Vietnam
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Ha Long Bay: Two Nights on a Junk 
Hanoi: Swarming and Sophisticated
Hoi An: Fine Dining, Fine Silks 

Virginia
My 2008 New York Times article on Virginia's Eastern Shore

Washington, D.C.

Washington State

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park: Morning Glory Pool and Other Wonders   

Zimbabwe
Hwange National Park: Safaris at Davison's and at Hwange Bush






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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

France: A Taste of Champagne Country

 

Dom Perignon, a winemaker at a French abbey in the 1600s,  is celebrated
as the father of Champagne. He may not have invented it, but he  perfected
the methods for making it.  Moet & Chandon puts his name on their
 Champagne in exceptionally good years. This is outside Moet's 
sprawling operation on Avenue de Champagne.


     The Champagne towns of Epernay and Reims were all-new territory for us as we planned our spring 2025 trip to Europe. Although we wanted to visit both of the two main Champagne centers, we had trouble deciding which to stay in (there are about a half-hour apart), but I think it was my fondness for Moet's bubbly that put us in Epernay. Turns out that Epernay, with only about 22,000 residents, is a much cozier and easier place to visit. You really don't need a car in Epernay, though you'd want one in Riems (population 180,000) because most Champagne houses there are not within walking distance of each other. 

       We did have a car, having picked up an Avis rental in Dijon, and GPS easily led us to Clos le Raymi, a small hotel within an easy walk of the Avenue de Champagne. Along this boulevard you'll find Champagne houses one after the other, some that you've never heard of along with superstars such as Moet & Chandon and Perrier-Jouet, which are next to each other at the western end of the avenue. Both have huge, restaurant-like spaces offering Champagne by the glass and in flights along with limited food menus. Without reservations, we sat at tasting bars in both and still had a grand time. Moet, by the way, has a bronze statue honoring Dom Perignon, who is credited with perfecting the wine that lets you drink stars. 

      The only Champagne house we visited twice was Michel Gonet, much farther east on the avenue.  Here we found vintage Champagne with the mushroomy (or earthy) flavor that you'll find in vintage Dom Perignon. We also liked its low-key outdoor seating and the neighborhood party ambiance.

     We stopped in at Besserat de Bellefon, which operates a small hotel in addition to its tasting room a block off the Avenue de Champagne at its western end. Once again, excellent Champagne and a nice conversation with an American couple who were visiting from their home in Germany. Nearby is the Place de la Republique, one of the avenue's end points. The other end is at the Place de Champagne, about a kilometer east.

     Probably our best meal in Epernay was our first night, May 29, a Thursday, at Le Central, a brasserie with expansive outdoor seating on the Place de la Republique. It was burgers. While writing this post, I learned that Le Central permanently closed in July and the building that housed it has been gutted for renovation There are a number of other restaurants of all descriptions in the jumble of streets off the Place de la Republique, but we had not made reservations. We had a lunch at an Italian place, a dinner at an Aisan fusion eatery and another dinner at a Portuguese place, but I can't recommend any of those. 

     Our three nights at Clos le Rayme gave us two full days in Champagne country. On Friday, we made the quick drive to Reims, which also has an Avenue de Champagne, but it's a street with a lot of traffic and no appeal for stollers. We had a wonderful lunch and Champagne at Ruinart, possibly the best of all the Champagne houses. Its restaurant and tasting area are tucked into magnificent gardens that abut the property of Pommery, aother major Champagne house. We had to drive back out into the chaos of Reims traffic to reach its parking lot, but it appeared that to be admitted for a tasting we had to pay for a tour that we didn't want, so we left and went back to Epernay. The next day we were back in Reims to return our rental car, and therein lies a tale. 

     When we were planning this trip, we envisioned driving around Champagne country from tasting to tasting. That was not a good plan. For one thing, one of us would hardly be able to drink. And if we had simply stayed within Epernay, we wouldn't have needed a car at all. We should have taken a train to Epernay and skipped Reims altogether. But we had the car, and because of a French holiday, we had to pick it up in Dijon the day before we were leaving, and we had to return it on a Saturday in Reims because we couldn't return it in Epernay where we had booked a Sunday morning train to continue our trip.  (We took a train back to Epernay from Reims.) We should have returned it on the Friday we went to Ruinart because it turns out that the office was closed Saturday and we had to put the car in a public parking garage and leave the keys in a drop box. If we had returned it when the office was staffed, we could have gone with an agent to look over the car. But leaving it as we did, we had little recourse when Avis claimed that we returned the car with hundreds of euros in new damage. Even appealing to a French mediation service was of no use. So now we're resolved to not pick up a rental car without having an agent document every possible bit of damage on the car, and insisting on an immediate inspection in our presence when we return it. Also, I'll not use Avis again. 

    Despite restaurtant and rental car disappointments, we enjoyed Epernay and I'd recommend it to any oenophiles planning a visit to France.  On Sunday, June 1, we took a train to Paris, got on a northbound Eurostar train and were in Brussels in time for a late lunch. 

   Here are some photos from our time in Champagne:

Clos le Raymi is just a few blocks from Avenue de Champagne.  There are just seven
rooms, and that second-level right window was in ours. 

The sign says it belongs to the town of Epernay.
I wonder if some tourists try to steal the signs.

This is near the western end of the Avenue de Champagne.

Chateau Perrier, one of many landmarks along Avenue de Champagne, was built in the mid-1800s
as the residence and cellers for Charles Perrier, the heir and director of Perrier-Jouet. 

The tasting room for Perrier-Jouet is on the other side of the avenue.

This vintage Renault Alpine was parked outside one
of the Champagne houses in Epernay.

Art works are scattered about the gardens at Ruinart in Reims.

The Ruinart sales and tasting space is housed in this starkly modern structure. Our
lunch was on a terrace on another side of this building.

These are Ruinart's Blanc de Blancs,
Champagnes made using only
white  grapes. 

Pommery is practically next door to Ruinart just off
Reims's Avenue de Champagne. We parked here but
left quickly without taking the tour that seemed to be
 the only way to get to a tasting room.

For me, Moet has always been what Champagne should be:
bubbly, dry and with a hint of yeast. In Champagne country
I discovered that many other brands share those characteristics. 



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