The final post in my Paris series: a train to Reims, Champagne underground, a colorful lunch at Polychrome, and one last stroll through Saint-Germain.
A Champagne Day Trip from Paris
For my last full day in France, I took a day trip to Reims in the Champagne region. I think it took us longer to figure out how to pronounce Reims (“rahas” we think) than it did to take the train there!
We took the Metro to the train station, then boarded a train for the approximately 45-minute ride. Our tickets worked out to about €50ish per person round-trip via SNCF Connect. I love trains, and this ride was so relaxing. It was fun to watch the countryside go by, knowing that a glass of Champagne was waiting at the other end.
I’d recently watched the movie Champagne Problems, which turned out to be a fun little preview of this day.
Lark Linen dress representing! So comfortable.
Touring the Taittinger Cellars
We’d been advised to visit just one Champagne house rather than try to pack several into a day trip, and I’m glad we listened. We took an Uber from the Reims train station to Champagne Taittinger, took plenty of pictures outside, and then headed down for our cellar tour.
The tour was absolutely worth doing. Taittinger’s chalk cellars are about 18 meters underground, and being down there among row after row of bottles was incredible. We learned about the house, how Champagne is made, and how the bottles are stored as they age. Our guide described a network of cellars stretching for miles beneath the Champagne towns. The scale of it all was hard to wrap my head around! It felt a little like a horror movie down there – like a vampire might chase you through the dark hallways – haha!
Of course, I was also looking forward to the tasting at the end. Imagine how pleased I was when our tour finished with two full glasses rather than tiny tastes!
Lunch at Polychrome
Right after the tour, we walked over to Polychrome, Taittinger’s restaurant on the property.
Photo Credit: Taittenger because I was too excited to take a pic!
It has a color theme that runs through the meal, right down to a menu that looked like paint samples. Such a cool idea!
I chose the three-course tasting menu with Champagne pairings. The meal started with four colorful little bites, including a chilled soup, a goat cheese tart, gazpacho, and a carrot bite. Every plate was creative and delicious.
For my main course, I had squash blossoms with shrimp and charred vegetables. Inside the blossom was a silky, prawn-flavored filling that was unlike anything I’d had before.
We also had bread, sauces, vegetables, and even potato chips!
Dessert was all about apricots: apricot sorbet in the middle with a meringue-like topping. I loved it.
After lunch, we took an Uber back into Reims, walked around town for a bit, and caught the train back to Paris.
One Last Evening in Saint-Germain
After a rest and reset, we walked through Saint-Germain, did a little shopping, and passed the famous Café de Flore.
I found a moon necklace that I love and will always associate with this trip. “Phases of the moon = phases of life.” If I ever get brave enough to get a real tattoo, maybe I’ll get a moon. (Also: the Benson song!)
After several nights of French dinners, nobody was in the mood for another one, so we found an Italian café instead: L’Oliveto. I had a St-Germain spritz, which felt only appropriate given the neighborhood.
We shared really good pizza, an eggplant appetizer, and gnocchi.
Five Days in Paris
Before leaving, I worried that five days in Europe might feel too short. Looking back, it felt like the perfect length for this trip. I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, wandered beautiful neighborhoods, saw the Louvre, had dinner on the Seine, and spent a day in Champagne. There were still things I didn’t get to do, but that’s a good reason to come back someday.
It was a short, magical trip and everything I’d hoped for. I’m not sure where I’ll go next, but I hope I can do something similar late next year!
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cyni says
All the pictures you posted of your trip are stunning! I have never been but this has me thinking……
It looks like you had a good time which is very nice to see. Amazing what you did in only 5 days! A lot of nice memories for sure.
I noticed the necklace you were wearing – nice – I usually do this also – I buy a piece of jewellery that I really like as a reminder of my time there.
On another note, I like the black dress you are wearing, looks good on you – where did you get it?
Kath Younger says
Thank you! Here is the dress link.