The Avenue de Champagne is the showpiece of Epernay and, since 2015, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars. Along a single kilometre of road, from the Place de la Republique to the church of Notre-Dame, stand the grand offices of Moet et Chandon, Perrier-Jouet, Mercier, De Castellane, Boizel and Pol Roger, alongside private mansions built by the wealthy champagne families of the 19th century.
Walking the avenue end to end is the obvious thing to do; tasting at one or two houses along the way is the obvious complement. The avenue is at its best in late afternoon, when the low light catches the pale stone facades, and on the first weekend of December during the Habits de Lumiere festival, when the entire street is illuminated and the houses throw open their doors.