Champagne Ardenne

A trip to Champagne-Ardenne must involve a tasting of the region's most famous product - champagne - with tours available to many of the champagne houses located in this countryside region that is full of history.

This sophisticated region of beautiful countryside, sunflower fields, and of course, that wonderful bubbly stuff, is truly enchanting. All champagnes in fact are produced within a relatively small area around Reims and Epernay, and most of the great houses such as Mumm, Piper-Heidsieck, and Moët & Chandon provide guided tours in English of their cellars and tastings of their current vintage. While in Reims you can also visit the awesome Gothic cathedral where twenty five kings of France were crowned, and if you've a sweet tooth, try some of the delicious, locally made sugar tarts.

To the north, the Ardennes forests are a wildlife paradise, and the rivers here offer excellent fishing. To the south you'll find the city of Troyes, with its beautifully preserved 16th century half-timbered houses and spectacular Gothic cathedral. The Museum of Modern Art here displays work by Bonnard, Degas and Gauguin.