7 Best Sights in Champagne Country, France

Unlike most of the area's Champagne tours, at Castellane you get a chance to see the bottling, corking, and labeling plant. During the 45-minute guided tour of the underground chalk cellars, every step of the Champagne-making process is carefully explained. The visit culminates with a glass of Castellane Brut. Above the cellars, there's a museum with an intriguing display of old tools, bottles, labels, and posters. A climb to the top of the iconic 200-foot tower rewards you with a great view over Épernay and the surrounding Marne vineyards.

Founded by Charles Moët in 1743, the world's largest Champagne producer is a must-see if you're in the region. Foreign royalty from Czar Alexandre I and Emperor Napoléon I to Queen Elizabeth II have visited these prestigious chalk-cellar galleries, which run for a mind-blowing 27 km (17 miles). During the tour, which lasts over an hour and takes place on foot, a savvy guide explains in detail the Champagne-making process. There are three sommelier-guided tasting choices, with the high-end option including a glass of Grand Vintage and Grand Vintage Rosé. Reserve a visit online.

Founded back in 1729, just a year after Louis XV's decision to allow wine to be transported by bottle (previously it could only be moved by cask), Ruinart effectively kick-started the Champagne industry. Nicolas Ruinart established the high-end Champagne house in Reims, realizing the dreams of his uncle Dom Thierry Ruinart, who was a close friend of Dom Pérignon himself. Four of its huge, church-size chalk galleries (24 in all, over three levels) are listed as historic monuments. The two-hour guided tour starts with a view of the high-tech production line behind a glass wall, and then takes you through the warren of chalk-hewn caves stacked with Champagne bottles undergoing various stages of maturation. This is the costliest visit in the area; if you're willing to shell out €75, you can taste a cuvée premium and a vintage cuvée prestige Champagne, either a Blanc de Blancs or a rosé, in the stylish tasting room. Visits need to be reserved online, at least two weeks in advance.

Cavernous chalk cellars, first used by monks for wine storage, house 15 million bottles and partly occupy the crypt of the 13th-century abbey that used to stand on this spot. Inside, you can also see a model of the abbey and its elegant church, both demolished during the French Revolution. The 1½-hour guided tour starts with a short film, then continues with a walk through the 4th-century Gallo-Roman cellars and 13th-century vaults of St-Nicaise Abbey, and ends in a huge cave where locals were once sheltered from the Germans. The visit is topped off with a tasting. There are seven categories of tastings; the top-end choice, L'Instant de Grâce (€77), offers three Champagnes, including Taittinger's finest cuvée, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. Tours in English happen just about every hour—check online for times. No appointment is necessary. Due to major restorations Taittinger's cellars will be closed until 2025.

A tour here will take you for a 20-minute ride on a laser-guided electric train with commentary provided by an audio guide that gives insight into the Champagne-making process. Admire the giant 200,000-bottle oak barrel it took 24 oxen three weeks to cart to the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, and the decorative wall sculptures by Gustave Navlet. A panoramic elevator down to (and up from) the cellars is a welcome plus. A chilled glass of bubbly awaits at the end of the tour. There is a choice of three different tastings, and one of the options includes a Blanc de Noirs (made using only black-skinned grapes).

Now the third-largest Champagne producer in the world, Mumm's distinctive Cordon Rouge label with the red slash is proudly held up at every Formula 1 winner's podium. These may not be the most spectacular cellars in the region, but it's a practical option if you don't have much time; you can walk here from the cathedral and the train station. Mumm was confiscated by the French state in World War I because it had always remained under German ownership. Later the state sold it to Dubonnet, and today Pernod Ricard is the proud owner. The 1½-hour visit starts with a short film and then takes you on a journey into the cavernous cellars. A guide leads the way (English tours need to be reserved in advance online) explaining the Champagne-making process step by step. There is also a small museum showcasing ancient tools, machines, and barrels. The tour ends with your choice of three dégustations: a glass of Cordon Rouge (€28), a guided blind tasting of a vintage cuvée (€35), or a Grand Cru tasting of two special cuvées (€50).

This turreted wedding-cake extravaganza on the city outskirts was designed by Jeanne-Alexandrine Pommery (1819–1890), a formidable Champagne widow. The 18 km (11 miles) of cellars (about a hundred feet underground) are reached by a grandiose 116-step staircase. The visit continues with either a self-guided or one-hour guided tour of the cellars, which date to Gallo-Roman times. Along the path, contemporary artwork and installations sit next to the stacks of bubbly. The tour ends with a sommelier-guided tasting of either one or two cuvées. Reserve ahead of time for guided tours. Be sure to also visit the Art Nouveau Villa Demoiselle across the street (also owned by Pommery).