Paris to Champagne by train

How long is the train ride from Paris to Champagne?

46 minutes from Paris Gare de l'Est to Reims by TGV. Direct trains to Épernay take 1 hour 13 to 1 hour 20.

These are the late-October 2026 timetables on SNCF Connect. They change in mid-December, so check your date.

Sources: Paris to Reims timetable, Paris to Épernay, Reims to Épernay. SNCF also counts trips with a change, which is why its route pages show 16 trains a day and longer average times.

How much is a train ride from Paris to Reims?

From €15 one way in second class if you book ahead. Most dates in late October 2026 showed €27 to €28, with up to €36 out and €39 back on busy days.

The €15 seats are limited and sit on selected trains, so they go first. Paris to Épernay starts at €11 on the cheapest advance offer, with €31 the common fare. There is no OUIGO low-cost service on Paris to Reims, so the TGV INOUI fares on SNCF Connect are the ones to compare.

Book once your tour is confirmed, and book the return at the same time. Fares rise as seats sell, and SNCF's calendars show only the lowest advance fares, so expect to pay more on the day.

Which station: Reims or Champagne-Ardenne TGV?

Book to Reims, the central station. Champagne-Ardenne TGV sits in Bezannes, about 8 km out, and every Reims tour here meets at the central station.

Direct trains from Paris Gare de l'Est run to Reims centre, and that is where the afternoon tour, the three family domains day and the e-bike tour collect you, in front of the tourist office on the station forecourt. Some connecting routes use Champagne-Ardenne TGV instead. From there, tram line B runs into town about every 22 minutes, which can wreck a tight connection.

Champagne-Ardenne TGV is 25 km from Épernay, says the Épernay tourist office, against 28 km for Reims centre. Neither helps you there: for Épernay, take the direct train.

Which train should you take for a Champagne day trip?

The 7:39 TGV for a morning tour from Reims, the 10:28 for the afternoon tour. Come back on an early-evening train; the last direct one left Reims at 19:45 in late October.

Here is how the late-October 2026 timetable fits each tour that starts in Reims. Leave at least 30 minutes between your train and the tour.

The 10:28 leaves you time for the cathedral and lunch before the afternoon tour. France Intense, which runs the domains day, warns that it cannot answer for train delays, so do not book the last possible train. Its listing also flags Sunday mornings in July and August, so check your date first.

Take the 10:28, see the cathedral, have lunch, then two family growers and Hautvillers from 2pm to 6:30pm.

★ 4.8 · 4.5 hours · from $150

Explore the afternoon wineries tour from Reims → Tour details

How do you get from Reims to Épernay by train?

On the local TER, nicknamed the Ligne des Bulles: 34 minutes, roughly hourly, with fares from €4.

The Ligne des Bulles crosses the Montagne de Reims with stops at Rilly-la-Montagne, Germaine, Avenay-Val-d'Or and Aÿ-Champagne. On a late-October Thursday, 15 direct trains ran from Reims, most at :49 past the hour. The tourist office promises a train every 30 minutes; the SNCF timetable shows nearer one an hour, with extras at busy times.

That makes a two-town day possible on your own: TGV to Reims, a house visit, the TER to Épernay, the Avenue de Champagne in the afternoon and the direct train back to Paris from Épernay. The Aÿ stop is handy for the Grand Cru village and its hillside, part of the UNESCO listing. More on the towns in Reims or Épernay.

What is the most beautiful train ride from Paris to Champagne?

The direct line to Épernay. After Château-Thierry it follows the Marne valley through Dormans, wine country most of the way.

It is our pick, not an official scenic route: no SNCF page sells it that way. But it beats the TGV, which spends most of its 46 minutes on a high-speed line with little to look at. The Épernay train is slower, the views are better, and you step out less than 500 m from the start of the Avenue de Champagne.

For the vines up close, take the Ligne des Bulles from Reims to Épernay, or skip rails altogether for a morning on two wheels. Jill M, on the e-bike tour: “The e-bikes made the cycling part of the trip easy. [...]”

Is it better to drive from Paris to Champagne?

Only if someone stays sober. Reims is about 144 km by the A4, 1 hour 27 at best, but France's drink-drive limit is 0.5 g/l and 0.2 g/l for new drivers.

Mappy gives 144 to 177 km depending on route, 1 hour 27 to 2 hours 17 without traffic, and tolls from zero to €12.60. Getting out of Paris on a weekday morning adds more. A car does solve the vineyard problem, and that is its only real advantage over the train.

The catch is the reason you came. Three tastings at three producers can put a driver over the 0.5 g/l limit, and the probationary limit of 0.2 g/l rules out new drivers after a single glass. If nobody in your group wants to be the one spitting all day, take the train and let a tour do the driving.

What is 2 hours from Paris by train?

Reims (46 minutes) and Épernay (about 1 hour 20) are both well inside two hours, and Versailles, Giverny and Tours in the Loire are too.

Times are the fastest direct trains from Paris.

Sources: SNCF Versailles, Giverny transport, SNCF Tours, Seat 61.

Frequently asked questions