I will be coming to France in July with my family and spending time in Normandy, Paris and Reims (we are mixing it up - Champagne and shopping with history and battlefields). I’d love any and all tips you might have about these areas (must dos, food reccos, champagne houses, etc.) I’m specifically looking for a 1/2 day cooking class or wine/cheese tasting in Paris and a place to ride ebikes somewhere on the trip. We are also in Paris on Bastille Day so tips for that are welcome as well!
a former colleague wrote this nice piece about the champagne, so I leave it here for tips and inspiration https://www.omio.com/window-seat/food-drink/a-champagne-guide//
Being in Paris on Bastille Day is not a must in my view. Everything will be closed and lot of security for 2-3 days. I come from Champagne so there are 2 cities I would recommend which is Epernay and Les Riceys (2h south drive from Reims), they both have lot of champagne houses. Reims is fine, but not much to do except the Cathedral. For shopping, there is a huge outlet stores area in Troyes (Designer Outlet Troyes | Plus de 100boutiques jusqu'à -60%. | McArthurGlen) with the main brands in the world, very famous. For food, you need to try the Andouillette (large pork sausage), this is typical from my area, this is very strong and not for everyone. Champagne is not ideal for biking as lot of small villages with the road not made for cycling, but probably very nice in Normandie. Also for battlefield, Verdun is very close from Reims and is for sure the most famous one with lot of history/museum…
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I agree with Toni, Bastille Day in Paris is very crowded and for shopping it is not the best day. However, it is interesting to see the parades and the fireworks. I don’t know the Champagne area very well, but in Paris I would highly recommend to visit the Sainte Chapelle (very pretty church, with incredible windows), Saint-Germain-des-Prés (you can also visit a cute little gothic church there) and a visit to l’Orangerie.
Our son is a firefighter so he’s excited to be in Paris on Bastille Day. I’ll check into cycling near Normandy! They are going to Verdun while I find a Champagne House. We were going to stay in Reims but now maybe I will look elsewhere…such as Epernay and Les Riceys.