Champagne’s Tourism Boom: France’s Sparkling Region Is on Every Traveler’s Radar
Ten years after Champagne’s vineyards and cellars were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the region is seeing a surge like never before.
Wine tourism here isn’t just growing, it’s booming. Reims, the region’s capital, has recorded a 60% jump in overnight stays since 2016.
Behind those numbers is a transformation that’s changing how visitors experience one of France’s most famous regions.
A UNESCO Label That Changed Everything
When Champagne’s hillsides, houses, and cellars were listed by UNESCO in 2015, it gave global recognition to what locals already knew: this landscape is extraordinary.
Since then, investment has flooded in. Tourists are now coming specifically for wine-related experiences, creating thousands of new jobs and breathing new life into the region.
Reims and Épernay are still the main gateways, but the UNESCO area actually covers 320 towns and villages across the Marne, Aube, and Aisne. That spread helps distribute visitors and prevents the crowding seen in other wine regions.
Reims: The Heart of Champagne’s Reinvention
Reims, long known for its Gothic cathedral and famous Champagne houses, is reinventing itself.
The Pavillon Ruinart, designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, stands beside the brand’s ancient chalk caves. It’s become a showcase of architecture, design, and heritage in one.
Nearby, Taittinger has opened a fine-dining restaurant, Polychrome, located at their historic Saint-Nicaise site in Reims, France. The restaurant is a collaboration with Michelin-starred Chef Charles Coulombeau and is designed to highlight champagne as a versatile accompaniment to food.
And Thiénot, one of the younger houses, has launched “Le 3” – a 5,000-square-meter immersive experience in the city center. The site includes tastings, a future five-star hotel, and a Champagne bar.
Between 2016 and 2023, Reims jumped from about a million overnight stays to 1.8 million – a record high.
New Experiences Across Champagne
The growth extends far beyond the city. In Épernay, the Champagne Museum has been fully renovated. In Aÿ-Champagne, the old Pommery presses are being turned into an interactive museum.
And in Hautvillers, birthplace of Dom Pérignon, work has begun on restoring the historic Abbaye Saint-Pierre. The abbey will reopen in 2028 as a major oenotourism site led by Dom Pérignon under LVMH.
Across the countryside, smaller producers are opening their doors to visitors. Many offer cellar tours, vineyard walks, and tastings that show how different each village’s terroir can be.
Growth vs. Preservation
With success come growing pains. The number of short-term rentals has exploded, especially in Épernay, where listings have multiplied tenfold since 2019.
Towns like Aÿ-Champagne and Hautvillers now limit the number of tourist rentals to keep housing available for locals.
Local leaders welcome the economic boost but admit that housing prices are rising fast. Some residents say it’s becoming harder to find a home than a bottle of vintage brut.
Champagne Deserves a Spot on Your List
For travelers who’ve already seen Paris, Champagne offers something different – slower, more local, and deeply tied to place.
You can tour centuries-old cellars carved into chalk, stay in vineyard guesthouses, and dine in historic estates that still produce the world’s most famous sparkling wine.
Reims is only 45 minutes by train from Paris, yet the pace of life feels entirely different. You can spend the day visiting both grand houses and family estates, then be back in the city by nightfall.
The Champagne region has turned its heritage into a living experience. For many travelers, it’s no longer just a bottle – it’s a destination.