Reims
Visiting Veuve Clicquot in Reims
In 1805 Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was widowed at 27 and took over her husband's wine house. Within a few years she had changed how champagne is made. Her house still ages its wine in chalk pits beneath Reims.
14 November 20265 min read
Picolo Editorial
In short: Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot keeps its cellars in crayères, old chalk pits on the Saint-Nicaise hill in the south-east of Reims. The classic tour costs around €36 and lasts about an hour with the tasting, while the longest experiences run for several hours. Book on the house's own website, as places go quickly. La Caserne Chanzy, a spa hotel facing the cathedral, is our first choice.
Last checked: November 2026.
The widow
Veuve means widow. The house was founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin married his son François, and after his death in 1805 she ran the house until she died in 1866. She is credited with three things that shaped champagne. The first known vintage champagne came in 1810. Her riddling table of 1816 made it possible to clear the yeast from the bottle, and in 1818 she made the first rosé champagne by blending red and white wine.
The chalk pits
Beneath the Saint-Nicaise hill lie crayères, old quarries that supplied building stone for Reims. Veuve Clicquot uses them as cellars, and the galleries run to about 24 kilometres in all. It stays cool down there all year. UNESCO has listed the hill, its houses and cellars as a World Heritage Site since 2015, together with the hillside vineyards and the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay.
The tours
The house runs several visits. The classic tour covers the cellars and the story behind Brut Carte Jaune, lasts about an hour and costs around €36. There is also an hour on rosé for around €60, and longer experiences with old vintages or the prestige cuvée, La Grande Dame. Expect stairs and uneven floors, and bring a layer.
Before you go
Book early. Some tours fill several weeks ahead.
Combine with Taittinger. It is about half a kilometre away on the same hill. See our guide to visiting Taittinger.
Allow time for the cathedral. From the cathedral to Saint-Nicaise is about 25 minutes on foot, and a taxi is quicker.
Picolo picks the hotel for you
Picolo is the hotel guest's best friend. We take on the role of guide and do the work before you book: we look at the hotels in the area, where they stand, what guests say and what is actually there. Then we choose the one hotel that suits this particular trip best. For a visit to Veuve Clicquot the choice fell on La Caserne Chanzy, because its spa is the best place to warm up after cold cellars. Guests rate it 9.2 out of 10 on Hotels.com.
Our first choice in Reims
La Caserne Chanzy Hôtel & Spa
La Caserne Chanzy occupies the former headquarters of the Reims fire brigade, directly opposite the cathedral. It has 89 rooms and suites, and many of them look towards the cathedral. The Deep Nature spa has an indoor pool, a sauna and treatments. La Grande Georgette, the ground-floor restaurant, serves French food all day, and Saint-Nicaise and the cellars are a taxi ride away.
Frequently asked questions about Veuve Clicquot
How do you visit Veuve Clicquot?
Book a tour on Veuve Clicquot's own website before you travel. The visitor centre is on the Saint-Nicaise hill in the south-east of Reims, and tours lead down into the chalk pits and end with a tasting. The classic tour costs around €36, and places go quickly in high season.
How long is the Veuve Clicquot tour?
Including the tasting, the classic tour lasts about an hour. The rosé tour also takes about an hour, while the experiences with old vintages or La Grande Dame last two to four hours. Expect stairs and uneven floors, and bring a light layer for the cellars.
Who was Madame Clicquot?
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, born Ponsardin, was widowed in 1805 at the age of 27 and ran the house until her death in 1866. She is credited with the first known vintage champagne, the riddling table that clears yeast from the bottle, and the first rosé champagne made by blending red and white wine.
Can you walk from Reims centre to Veuve Clicquot?
Yes, but it is a fair distance, about 25 minutes on foot from the cathedral. A taxi is quicker. Taittinger, Pommery and Ruinart are nearby on the same hill, so you can combine two houses in a day if you book both in advance.
Sources
The history of the house and Madame Clicquot comes from LVMH and Wikipedia. Tours and prices come from Envie de Champ and Nomads. Details of Saint-Nicaise and the World Heritage listing come from Champagne World Heritage. Details of La Caserne Chanzy come from the Michelin Guide and The Hotel Guru. FrDr and Cynwolfe took the photographs, via Wikimedia Commons. Hotel photographs are from Hotels.com (Expedia Group). Last checked November 2026.
Cheers from Reims
Picolo Editorial