Champagne & Parisienne Christmas Markets

We catch the ferry over to Calais and continue to the Mercure Parc des Expositions in Reims.

Champagne & Parisienne Christmas Markets

After breakfast, we make our way to Épernay, the capital of France’s champagne-producing region. We visit the celebrated Mercier cellar for a tour and a tasting, discovering the emblematic blend of the Pinot Noir and Meunier grape varieties. In the afternoon, we rejoin the coach and head to Reims Christmas Market. Set against the backdrop of the magnificent Reims Cathedral, the market features over 140 wooden chalets offering a variety of seasonal treats, crafts and gifts. Wrap up warm and enjoy traditional French delicacies and seasonal treats such as as mulled wine, gingerbread and roasted chestnuts while exploring the charming stalls. There is time to have dinner at your leisure before returning to the hotel.

Champagne & Parisienne Christmas Markets

A special day in the French capital awaits. Paris Christmas Markets are always a magical experience, filled with festive cheer, twinkling lights and many tasty seasonal delights. There’s plenty of free time to soak up the atmosphere, or why not join us on an optional guided city tour to take in all the main sights? We are also treated to a Seine River Cruise, the perfect way to take in the iconic skyline. Later, enjoy an early dinner at your leisure before the coach picks us up to return to the hotel.

Champagne & Parisienne Christmas Markets

We check out of our hotel and head to Calais for our return ferry home, stopping en route in Arras for lunch at your leisure.

Explore the Reims Christmas Market, a festive village of over 140 chalets set beside the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral. Sip vin chaud, sample gingerbread and roasted chestnuts, and browse artisan gifts under the cathedral’s soaring Gothic facade, where choirs, lights, and aromas of spices and citrus fill the winter air.

Once the coronation church of French kings, the cathedral provides a majestic backdrop as you meet Champagne-region producers and makers. Seek out local treats like biscuits roses de Reims and handcrafted décor, and pause for photos and reflection in the glow of seasonal illuminations.

Wander atmospheric Paris Christmas Markets where wooden chalets glow with garlands and lanterns. Browse ornaments and artisan delicacies around Tuileries Garden, the modern village at La Défense, or the intimate lanes of Saint-Germain-des-Prés while the steam of vin chaud mingles with roasted almonds and spiced pastries.

Paris embraces a tradition inspired by Alsace, blending craftsmanship with grand boulevard flair. Between browsing and tasting, admire twinkling illuminations along the Seine and seasonal scenes near the Hôtel de Ville, as carousels and choruses add warmth to crisp winter air.

Cruise the River Seine for a front-row view of Paris’s icons. Glide beneath elegant arches like the Pont Neuf and past the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and the storied quays of the Île de la Cité. Panoramic decks and commentary reveal the city’s shifting skyline and riverside life.

The UNESCO-listed riverbanks unfold as a living gallery of bridges and palaces. By day or early evening, watch facades glow and reflections ripple across the water—an effortlessly cinematic perspective that pairs perfectly with market browsing elsewhere in the city.

Visit Arras Old Town to stroll its twin squares—Grand’Place and Place des Héros—ringed by arcades and graceful Flemish-Baroque facades. Capture the lace-like detail of gables and the proud UNESCO-listed belfry crowning the Hôtel de Ville as cafés and patisseries tempt with regional flavors.

Once a medieval trading hub and later entwined with First World War history, Arras blends heritage with convivial French art de vivre. Explore the handsome streets, consider local specialties for lunch, and enjoy time to browse, photograph, and soak up the square’s elegant symmetry.

Join a guided panoramic tour for a curated sweep of the capital’s greatest hits—Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Opéra Garnier, Les Invalides and more—ideal for first impressions and timeless photo stops.

An expert guide connects eras from medieval Île de la Cité to Haussmann boulevards, sharing stories of revolutions, artistry, and café culture. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a polished orientation before you delve back into markets and riverside scenes.

Discover Épernay’s winemaking heart as you join a guided cellar tour on the prestigious Avenue de Champagne. Descend by lift to descend into chalk cellars stretching for miles and ride through hushed galleries where bottles mature. Learn how Pinot Noir and Meunier shape Mercier’s style before a convivial tasting of Mercier Champagne to appreciate the region’s signature finesse.

Founded in the 19th century, Mercier championed accessible luxury—famously unveiling a colossal oak cask at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. Your visit illuminates the terroir of the Montagne de Reims and the craft behind each cuvée, from grape selection to the patient art of ageing sur lie.