Discover Local Champagne-Ardenne: What to Do Around Mercure Champagne-Ardenne

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Champagne-Ardenne, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Champagne-Ardenne in 5 picks

Reims

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, where French kings were once crowned, anchors a city built around Gothic stonework and champagne cellars carved deep underground.

Épernay

The Avenue de Champagne, lined with the cellar doors of houses like Moët & Chandon, sits at the centre of a town that's essentially one long invitation to taste.

Troyes

A medieval old town of half-timbered houses, with ten listed churches and stained glass windows that have survived since the period.

Charleville-Mézières

Place Ducale is the centrepiece, but the Great Puppeteer Clock and the Rimbaud Museum, set in a former water mill on the Meuse, give this Ardennes town its own character away from the vineyards.

Sedan

Dominated by its château-fort, said to be the largest fortified castle in Europe, rising seven storeys above the town.

Where to eat and drink
Cellar tastings are the obvious draw, but pace yourself: many champagne houses expect a reservation rather than a walk-in, especially in Épernay along the Avenue de Champagne. Away from the bubbles, biscuit rose de Reims — a pink, sugar-dusted biscuit made specifically for dunking in champagne — is a local habit worth picking up.
Vineyards and villages
The Route Touristique du Champagne runs roughly 400km through the region's vineyards, linking Reims, Épernay and Troyes. The Montagne de Reims stretch passes the lighthouse at Verzenay, while the Côte des Blancs — the home of Chardonnay — is lined with villages built like amphitheatres up the hillside.
Getting around
Paris to Reims takes about 46 minutes by TGV, and Reims to Épernay is a short 23km hop, around 34 minutes by train. Troyes and the Ardennes towns of Charleville-Mézières and Sedan sit further out, so a car helps if you're covering the whole region from wherever you're staying across our Mercure hotels here.
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FAQ

Generally yes, particularly the larger houses along Épernay's Avenue de Champagne. Booking ahead avoids being turned away at the door.

About 23km, roughly 34 minutes by train, making it an easy day trip between the two.

Yes — the Ardennes half of the region, around Charleville-Mézières and Sedan, brings forested river valleys, a fortress-castle, and a completely different pace from the vineyard towns further south.

Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Champagne-Ardenne, ideally placed to explore these picks.

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Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Champagne-Ardenne, ideally placed to explore these picks

View hotels