CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNES TOURIST INFORMATION
Tourist information about the individual Champagne-Ardennes departments Ardennes, Marne, Aube and Haute-Marne can be found through every property details page along with tourist information about the local towns, tourist attractions and information about events happening in Champagne-Ardennes.
CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNES TOURISM
There is only one real Champagne and only one Champagne-Ardennes region in France where real Champagne is made and officially called 'champagne. This is the region that invented and continues to produce the world famous wine in the traditional production method using the champagne grape. Travel from Epernay to Reims and discover the wine and the history of the region as well as the important city of Reims and its famous cathedral where kings were once crowned.
Wild life flourishes in its magnificent verdant forests. Its lakes and rivers are a backdrop for every imaginable outdoor activity. There is biking, boating, fishing, hiking, with the list being endless. When in Champagne, don't forget to visit the world renowned champagne houses and caves.
The history of the region goes back to 500 BC when it was settled by the Gauls. This area was then called lower Belgium. However, many of the towns have names that are actually of Celtic origin.
The French Ardennes, which borders Belgium to the east, has been the site of numerous, devastating clashes. It abounds in memories and monuments placed throughout its lush green forests and valleys. The Ardennes house one of Europe's largest fortified castles, Château Sedan. Château Sedan claims to be the largest military structure of its kind in the world. Many Franco-Prussian battles were fought here during the 18th century.
In 1180, Louis was succeeded as king by his son Philip ll. Ultimately, he became one of the most powerful European kings of the Middle Ages. His full name was Philip Augustus. From 1181 to 1186 Philip fought a coalition of Barons in Flanders, Burgundy, and Champagne. At their expense, he increased the royal domain.
In 1214, a coalition of European powers, which included England, challenged France's growing power. Philip's army, however, decisively defeated the coalition at the Battle of Bouvines, and established France as a leading European country.
Champagne-Ardenne is a very sacred place for the connoisseur of fine wines and beautiful countryside. The region abounds in dark, deep forests, reflected in the clear vibrant water of lakes and streams running through schistose and lime-stone rocks, whose smooth undulating contours characterise the Champagne plain. Within this limestone strata, hundreds of miles of rock have been excavated to provide underground galleries for the storing and maturing of wine.
Along 650 kilometers of waterways and lakes, relax in comfort and peace on board a house boat, bateaux-mouches or on a panoramic boat, drifting through a variety of scenes, observing migratory birds and animals who have made their habitat along the banks of the rivers.
Champagne-Ardenne can also be discovered from the air by plane, helicopter or balloon trips. By car or in a coach, you can easily find, off the beaten tracks, numerous splendours : the basilica of l'Epine, the Reims cathedral, where the kings of France used to be crowned, the Sedan castle, the fortified city of Langres, the 16th century old houses at Troyes, the many wooden facade churches in the Champagne bocage, the Meuse Valley, the Triangle Sacré du Champagne, the great lakes, the country of spring water and so on. Sport is also catered for, including golf, horse riding and sail boarding.
