Épernay is filled with jewels worth visiting, and more than enough bubbles

Épernay, in northern France, is one of the most famous places in the world that you’ve probably never heard of. Situated right in the middle of the Champagne region, Épernay is its heart.

This part of France has been legally protected since 1936 by legislation that sets out the boundaries of the Champagne terroir. There are about 370 champagne houses and 16 000 vineyards within it and the region produces about 9% of the world’s sparkling wines.

Épernay is effectively its capital, with many of the famous names in the industry lining the Avenue de Champagne — regarded by some as the most expensive piece of real estate in the world, owing to the vast cellars full of champagne beneath the road itself. The first wines in the area were grown early in the fifth century, with bubbles being added in the 14th century during the second fermentation, with the term “wine of Champagne” coined over 100 years later, in 1493. In 1668, Dom Pierre Pérignon, a Benedictine monk, introduced wine blending, but it was only in the 18th century that many of the champagne houses we know today really started to appear.

Among them were Moët (1743), Clicquot (1772), and Piper-Heidsieck (1785). Now, over 360 million bottles of champagne are made in the region each year. It has also become a popular tourist attraction, which is not surprising given that much of the culture and tradition surrounding champagne can be experienced in one area, even one street.The Avenue de Champagne was once part of the main route between Paris and Strasbourg.

Today, it is home not just to cellars and famous labels but also to numerous cafes and restaurants — and beautiful architecture. If you like chocolate with your champagne, you can indulge your tastebuds at Le Chocolat d’Emmanuel Briet, which sits at one end of the avenue. The main attraction, though, is the champagne houses dotted along the 1km main road, including Perrier-Jouët, Collard-Picard, Pol Roger, Dom Pérignon, Mercier, Veuve Clicquot, and Moët & Chandon.

At the Museum of Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology, you can explore the tradition of creating champagne, and just what makes the terroir so special. You can also book a cellar tour to venture below the avenue into the 110km of tunnels that house over 200 million bottles of champagne. It’s hard to know which time of the year is best to visit Épernay — after all, any time is champagne time.

It is beautiful and warm in summer, with the chance to saunter along the Avenue de Champagne or take it all in from a tethered hot-air balloon. There are plenty of summer events, but go later in the year and you can experience the Fascinating Vineyards & Discoveries Weekend in October, or the spectacular Habits de Lumière (“Clothes of Light”), a festival of food, champagne, and parades the first weekend in December.

Most of the year the pace of life in Épernay is relaxed — until the grapes ripen in late summer/early autumn. Then, for around two weeks, the roads are filled with tractors and trailers full to the brim with grapes as winemakers rush to get the harvest in. All of this happens within just a couple of hours’ drive or a train ride from Paris. Fortunately, there are plenty of tours available, so you don’t have to drive too much and can enjoy the thing the region is most famous for — its champagne.