Champagne · Alsace

5nights in Champagne and AlsaceWed 16 – Sun 20 Dec · car from Paris Wed 16 to Strasbourg Sat 19, TGV back Mon 21

1ChampagneWed 16 · 2 nights
2AlsaceFri 18 · 1 night
3StrasbourgSat 19 · 2 nights + Mon 21

no hotel booked yet · click a day or a pin to open it 6 open decisions

Itinerary

Wed 16 · Hire carParis → Reims · ~145 km, ~1h45 · one-way to StrasbourgCar to book

Champagne · Wed 16 – Thu 17 Dec

1ChampagneWed 16 – Thu 17 Dec2 nightsCellar visits on two weekdays and Fri morning; Moët & Chandon is closed Tue and WedPick a hotel Reims or Épernay?Book the cellars

Car from Paris. Visits ~$45–110 (€40–100) per person; smaller producers cut winter hours, and some houses aren’t open daily in December: book each one.

Wed 16 · Reims, the cathedral and the crayères

Gothic west front of Reims Cathedral with its rose window — **Reims Cathedral**Where the kings of France were crowned; the west front and its rose window. Christmas market on the square below.Photo Ludovic Péron, CC BY-SA 3.0

Chalk walls of the Ruinart cellars — **Ruinart**The oldest Champagne house (1729), chalk cellars (crayères) listed by UNESCO. Book ahead.Photo G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Champagne bottles of every size on a shelf at Taittinger — **Taittinger**Cellars in the crayères under the old Saint-Nicaise abbey; the alternative to Ruinart.Photo UNTERMVIERENBERGE-2, CC0

Thu 17 · Hautvillers, Épernay, the Côte des Blancs

Hautvillers on its hillside above the vineyards — **Hautvillers**The abbey village of Dom Pérignon, on the slope of the Montagne de Reims above the Marne.Photo October Ends, CC BY-SA 3.0

Mansions and gates along the Avenue de Champagne — **Avenue de Champagne, Épernay**The big houses side by side, UNESCO-listed; Moët & Chandon on Thu (closed Tue, Wed).Photo Michal Osmenda, CC BY 2.0

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger among chardonnay vineyards — **Côte des Blancs**Chardonnay villages: Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Family growers, by appointment, ~10 min from Épernay; another on Fri morning before the drive.Photo Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0

Fri 18 · By carÉpernay → Nancy (lunch) → Kaysersberg · ~380 km, ~4h

Alsace wine route · Fri 18 – Sat 19 Dec

2Alsace wine routeFri 18 Dec1 nightKaysersberg; its market Fri evening; tastings Sat, then on to StrasbourgPick a hotel Book the domaines

Kaysersberg’s market is open Fri–Sun only; 18–20 Dec is its last weekend. Domaines need an appointment; Saturday is the tasting day.

Fri 18 · → Alsace, lunch in Nancy

Gilded gates and fountain at a corner of Place Stanislas — **Place Stanislas, Nancy**The 18th-century square and its gilded gates, halfway to Alsace; lunch here.Photo Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0

Half-timbered house below the castle tower of Kaysersberg — **Kaysersberg**Half-timbered houses under the castle ruin; the Christmas market in the evening (Fri–Sun, 10:00–20:00). Dinner at Le Chambard.Photo Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sat 19 · Tastings on the wine route, then Strasbourg

Town hall of Riquewihr with flower boxes — **Riquewihr**Walled village among the vines; Hugel is here. Ribeauvillé, home of Trimbach, is ~10 min north, on the way to Strasbourg (~1h).Photo Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tastings

Weinbach: Kaysersberg · family estate, by appointment
Trimbach: Ribeauvillé · family house since 1626
Hugel: Riquewihr · family house since 1639, in the village
Zind-Humbrecht: Turckheim · biodynamic, by appointment; south of Kaysersberg, off the way north

Sat 19 · By carKaysersberg → Strasbourg · ~75 km, ~1h · return the car

Strasbourg · Sat 19 – Mon 21 Dec

3StrasbourgSat 19 – Sun 20 Dec2 nightsCar back Sat; the markets lit at night, calm on Mon morning; evening TGV to Paris Mon 21 (~1h50)Pick a hotel

Walk everywhere on the Grande Île; no car needed. Weekend evenings are the busiest: see the markets late Sunday and Monday morning.

Sun 20 · The cathedral, Petite France, the markets at night

West front and spire of Strasbourg Cathedral in pink sandstone — **Strasbourg Cathedral**Pink sandstone, one spire; the astronomical clock inside. Sunday services limit visits in the morning.Photo Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0

Half-timbered houses along the Ill in Petite France — **Petite France**Tanners' houses and canals of the Ill, on the UNESCO-listed Grande Île. Dinner in a winstub.Photo Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lit entrance arch of the Christkindelsmärik at night — **Christkindelsmärik**France's oldest Christmas market (1570), on Place Broglie and around the cathedral; ~27 Nov – 24 Dec (2026 dates not official yet). Lit from ~16:30.Photo Claude Truong-Ngoc, CC BY-SA 3.0

Mon 21 · Wine cellar, Palais Rohan, evening TGV

Cave Historique des Hospices: Wine cellar under the city hospital since 1395, casks and a shop; weekdays ~8:30–12:00, 13:30–17:30, hours to confirm
Palais Rohan: Fine arts, decorative arts, archaeology; open Mon, closed Tue
Christkindelsmärik: Weekday morning, the calmest time
TGV → Paris-Est: Evening, ~1h50; a ~20:00 train leaves time for the lights

Mon 21 · TGV, eveningStrasbourg → Paris-Est · ~1h50To book

Good to know

One-way hirePick up in Paris Wed 16, return in Strasbourg Sat 19; check the one-way fee and Saturday hours.

Winter tyresVosges, 1 Nov – 31 Mar: winter tyres (M+S, 3PMSF) or chains/snow socks on board. Ask at pick-up.

Over the VosgesNancy → Kaysersberg crosses a pass; if snow is forecast, take the motorway via Strasbourg.

Crit'Air stickerStrasbourg is a low-emission zone; you won't need the car in the city.

Christmas marketsKaysersberg Fri evening; Strasbourg crowded on Saturday, calmer late Sunday and Monday morning.

Book cellars earlyThe famous houses sell out weeks ahead; growers need an appointment.

Decisions still open

Champagne baseReims (walk to the houses) or the vineyards above Épernay (quiet)Champagne →
HotelsLes Crayères (a château) or Royal Champagne; Le Chambard in Kaysersberg; StrasbourgHotels →
CarOne-way hire Paris → Strasbourg, Wed 16 – Sat 19, with winter tyres; where to pick it upTips →
Cellar visitsRuinart or Taittinger Wed 16; Épernay and a grower Thu 17; a grower Fri 18 morning; Alsace domaines Sat 19Champagne →
TGV Strasbourg → ParisMon 21, eveningTransport →
Paris, Tue 15 DecStill tentativeTransport →

Hotels, shortlisted: Planning →