The Champagne region
The Champagne region lies 120km (75 miles) northeast of Paris, at a crossroads of northern Europe
Reims, the economic capital of the area is 134km from Paris, 392km from London, 275km from Brussels, 122km from Luxembourg and 401km from Dusseldorf.
The TGV East (French high speed train) will shorten these distances from June 2007. So by taking TGV, Reims is situated 45 minutes from Paris, 30 minutes from the Roissy Charles de Gaulles airport, an hour and a half from Strasbourg and three hours and a half from Frankfurt or London.
Many important historical events took place in Champagne
Much of the history of France and Western Europe has been written in Champagne. When Caesar conquered Gaul in 57 B.C. he made Reims the chief town of Belgian Gaul since eight trading routes met here. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the early fifth century, the Frankish king Clovis was baptized by Archbishop St Remi in Reims in 496, establishing Christianity in the West and the city of Reims as the place of coronation of the French kings. In 1429 Joan of Arc crowned Charles VII in Reims. In 1792 French Revolutionary forces won their first victory at the mill of Valmy and the day after this victory, the first French Republic proclaimed. It was also in Champagne and precisely in Reims cathedral the Franco-German reconciliation took place with the President of the French Republic Charles de Gaulle and the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on 8 July 1962.
There are a lot of tourist attractions in Champagne. In this region, wine growers make the world greatest sparkling wine : champagne
You will experience a region, proud of its glorious past, offering all the attractions of a region firmly turned to the future. Main cities, such as Reims, Epernay, Chalons en Champagne offer you many UNESCO World Heritage sites (the Reims cathedral for example), high quality accommodation and also the beauty, the variety of its scenery. This region is also the birthplace of champagne : the magical and sparkling wine of the Kings and celebrations. Surprise yourself ! : push the door of a small champagne producer or a champagne house to admire the thousands of champagne bottles, lying in the cellars dug in chalk! In the freshness and the magic of these cellars, time does its work and it is from the darkness of these cellars that the wine of the light is born : the champagne.
At the heart of this area marked by French history, arts and culture, you will meet men and women, happy to share their passion, their love of this area and their knowledge. Welcome to Champagneand!
