If Epernay, the Capital of Champagne, is in your plans then perhaps, besides visiting Avenue de Champagne, you might consider some wanderings, within the town and beyond. For not only did we enjoy visiting the Champagne houses, for which the city is so well-known, but also we explored the town, and some of the nearby villages. This post will describe some of our wanderings in/around Epernay.
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| Epernay, Capital of Champagne © Spaswinefood |
Epernay is located on the banks of the Marne River, 27 kms southwest of Reims. The town is built on chalk rock. Beneath this chalk rock there are numerous tunnels. These tunnels, where the Champagne houses store their bottles while waiting shipment, are more than 48 kms long.
Out and About Epernay
During our three-day stay, besides our many delightful walks down the Avenue de Champagne, we explored the area around town center, the oldest part of the town. We shopped at the local shops, dined at a few of the local restaurants, and dropped by the local market. While out for an evening walk we noticed La Banque, a brasserie with a Champagne bar and a terrace.
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| La Banque, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
We made a reservation for lunch the next day. When we arrived it was quite a hot spring day so we decided to dine inside, instead of outside on the terrace.
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| La Banque Brasserie © Spaswinefood |
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| Champagne Bar, La Banque © Spaswinefood |
One of us ordered the menu for the day. The other ordered a la carte.
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| Soup, La Banque © Spaswinefood |
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| Main Course, La Banque © Spaswinefood |
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| A La Carte: Veggie Sides © Spaswinefood |
Yes, we ordered dessert, chocolate of course.
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| Chocolate Dessert © Spaswinefood |
For our lunch wine we ordered the Champagne Flight being offered that day.
Another evening on the way back from town center to our hotel we ate dinner.
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| Exploring Epernay © Spaswinefood |
After exploring we stopped in for dinner.
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| Asparagus Veggie Plate © Spaswinefood |
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| Veggie Plate © Spaswinefood |
A Veggie plate with a rose Champagne was just perfect for me.
For morning coffee one day we started our day at the local bakery, Paul at Rue Gambetta.
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| Paul Bakery, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
The coffee was good and so were the pastries. While it was fun checking out some of the local eateries, with more time we could make a few more discoveries. Besides the Champagne houses you will find that there are wine shops selling Champagne, and Champagne bars in town to visit. I would recommend that you stop at a few.
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| Janisson Baradon Wine Shop, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
French towns are known for their delightful markets. The day before we left Epernay we dropped by Halle Saint Thibault, a local market to pickup some fresh fruit.
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| Halle Saint Thibault, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
We could not help but admire the fresh vegetables available at the market.
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| Mushrooms and More, Halle Saint Thibault © Spaswinefood |
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| Fruits & Veggies, Halle Saint Thibault © Spaswinefood |
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| Aparagus, Halle Saint Thibault © Spaswinefood |
While out and about in Epernay you will find a few churches and historical spots to view.
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| Notre Dame Church, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
Given that Epernay was destroyed many times in the past there are few historical buildings to view. Most of the older architecture is found near town center, with the suburbs having more modern structures.
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| History of Epernay © Spaswinefood |
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| Portal San Martin, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
Still our many walks in Epernay gave us an appreciation for some of the local architecture. Along Avenue de Champagne there are many architectural details to observe, both Champagne houses and other buildings.
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| Late Evening, Avenue de Champagne © Spaswinefood |
During our stay we choose a small hotel located at the end of Avenue de Champagne. We loved exploring Epernay. It's small town charm is amazing. In addition, we toured the region by car, thoroughly enjoying those Sideways moments.
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| Champagne Country Travels © Spaswinefood |
Wanderings Beyond Epernay
Those drives through the nearby countryside were always most delightful. The vineyards of Champagne are quite stunning in the springtime. Indeed I loved seeing the big names in the Champagne world but perhaps the vineyards most captured my attention. While exploring wine country near Epernay our Champagne-Ardene travels took us by vineyards enroute to the towns of Avize, Cramant, Mareuil-sur-Ay, and Vertus.
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| Cramant Vineyards, Champagne-Ardene © Spaswinefood |
It was easy to fall in love with this amazing wine region. Interacting one-on-one with the people of Champagne, eating freshly prepared food at local bistros, picking up fruit at the local markets, and of course discovering the various Champagne styles, is what makes Champagne wine country travels so very special.
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| Champagne-Ardene Country Travels © Spaswinefood |
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| Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne-Ardene © Spaswinefood |
Returning to our hotel located at the end of Avenue de Champagne after exploring nearby wine country was always special. Besides our delightful Epernay stay we loved touring the Champagne-Ardene region by car.
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| Epernay & Beyond © Spaswinefood |
Our travels in Champagne wine country all led to amazing discoveries both in Epernay and nearby villages. I invite you to join me in my travels in the Champagne Region, France and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
Epernay, France
May 2018
© Spaswinefood
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| Spaswinefood, Moët & Chandon © Spaswinefood |
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