Ireland

Paris Vatry Travel Guide

Paris-Vatry

Airport Information

Paris-Vatry Airport is located 20 km outside Châlons-en-Champagne. A bus connection called 'Vatry Bus - Vatry Shuttle' is available from the airport to Reims, Châlons-en-Champagne and Disneyland Paris. At Disneyland Paris you will be able to reach a number of hotels directly or connect via Chessy Rail Station. From the Chessy Rail Station you can reach Paris down town via the RER rail network. Bus tickets for all destination can be purchased online www.paris-vatry.com or in the passenger terminal. Rental cars are available via Hertz.

Places to see

Top 5 Things to Do

Aube en Champagne For a sparkling and gastronomic break

AUBE EN CHAMPAGNE is just a hop from Eurodisney and Vatry airport you will find a charming and authentic French way of life in a true paradise.

Here, you will discover Gastronomic cuisine in local restaurants, wonderful landscapes in the Champagne area and friendly wine-growers who will welcome you into their cellars and explain the secrets of their sparkling Wine. Here, in southern Champagne, there are no huge champagne corporations, just small family businesses…i.e. wine-growers from one generation to the next...

Enjoy the best champagne vintages and take the opportunity to explore the medieval city of TROYES, with its charming and authentic architecture, including half-timbered houses, a gothic cathedral, fascinating churches etc. And finally, do not forget to take a few local specialities back home with you, as well as some bargains from the region’s factory outlets… This unique area with its Made in France charm is Aube en Champagne.

Champagne

Champagne ! One word, and everything is said ! Take time to discover the secrets of the most famous wine in the world. Visit the cellars of the winemakers, the world-renowned champagne houses and explore the beautiful landscape along the Champagne Tourist Route of the Marne and the Aube. Take your pick of transport : on foot or on horseback, by bike, car, boat or helicopter, or even in a hot-air balloon! When you are back on earth, learn how to taste champagne and with which meals it should be drunk. Enjoy one or several days of grape-picking and, to become a real connoisseur, visit the specialist champagne museums and join in the feasts and festivals taking place throughout the champagne area.

Symbol of festivity and prestige, champagne is also a work of art, created by passionate and highly-skilled winemakers who mix individual grape varieties coming from different areas and from different vintages to create their own and unique special blend and taste. It is a whole universe to discover, a sparkling and joyful initiation to the pleasures of life.

Reims : the sacred city

Reims is the coronation city of 33 French kings. Notre-Dame Cathedral was the scene for these colourful events. This 13th century Gothic masterpiece is decorated with more than 2,300 sculptures, including the famous Smiling Angel. You can also admire stained-glass windows by Chagall. The cathedral is one of four UNESCO world heritage monuments in Reims. The second is the Palais du Tau, former archbishop’s palace transformed into a beautiful museum. The basilica and the abbey museum of Saint-Remi are the other UNESCO treasures of Reims.

Reims is also well known for its art nouveau and art deco styles (see the Carnegie Library or the Villa Demoiselle). The Museum of Fine Arts, The Museum of the Capitulation and many other visits should also be on your programme.

But of course, you cannot leave Reims without visiting one of the famous champagne houses such as Mumm, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger or Pommery. You will discover the art of champagne making in the very heart of the city.

East of Paris : Disney and surroundings

Within easy reach from Vatry Airport you may explore an outstanding tourist region chosen by Disney to settle the Europe’s main tourist attraction. East of Paris and the landscape of Brie have given birth to the famous “Brie cheese”!! Less than 30 minutes away from the airport France’s most renowned medieval setting, the city of Provins has been classified World Heritage by the UNESCO ! Touring the area, you will fall under the magic spell of France’s most beautiful private estate Vaux le Vicomte chateau, which provoked even the Sun king’s jealousy who was to hire the builder’s artists in order to create Versailles palace!

Following the verdant banks of the Seine river you reach a legendary venue worshiped by every Sovereign and Emperor of France: Fontainebleau Palace nicknamed “House of the centuries and real home of French rulers” by Napoleon the 1st. The palace is settled on the splendid hunting grounds of Fontainebleau forest a “man and biosphere” classified UNESCO site where 20 000 hectares of oak trees, rocks, valleys, sandy desserts and panoramic spots. At only 30 miles from the centre of Paris you enter one of the most outstanding European nature settings.

There are plenty of sites to be discovered such as the Merovingian crypts of Jouarre (8th c.), Meaux, one of the last remaining Episcopal cities in France or delightful artist villages like Barbizon homestead of 19th century landscape painters.

A true kaleidoscope of French history awaits you at few minutes from Paris!!

Charming Places To Stay in Champagne-Ardenne

No holiday is complete without somewhere special to stay, and in Champagne-Ardenne you will be spoilt for choice. From charming guest houses serving delicious local food to luxurious hotels offering gourmet…MORE dining, from the quaint to the elegant to the unusual, Champagne-Ardenne is an ideal destination to soak up the French ‘art de vivre’ – with an added sparkle! For high class living, nothing beats the prestigious, 5-star Château les Crayères in Reims with its sophisticated 2-Michelin starred restaurant and special blend of old world charm and elegance. Located on the Avenue de Champagne at Epernay, the lovely Villa Eugène has been tastefully decorated and furnished in Louis XVI and Colonial styles. The hotel oozes with a simplistic charm. The Maison de Rhodes in historical Troyes, has been lovingly restored to bring out all the charm of the 17th century. The 11 spacious rooms are beautifully furnished and the candle-lit dining-room takes you back to the days of the troubadours.

Ideal for visiting local champagne producers, the Hotel Le Marius, is located in the pretty stone village of Les Riceys. The rooms are comfortable and well appointed with a refined decoration and the restaurant in the hotel’s vaulted cellars specialises in local cuisine.

Other hotels to check out are the original and contemporary, design-led hotel Le Dormeur du Val in Charleville-Mézières ; and, heading into the Haute-Marne, the Grange du Relais in Colombey-les-deux-églises is a pretty and peaceful haven for couples and families alike.