France – Châlons-en-Champagne (En)
Châlons-en-Champagne is a historic town with UNESCO World Heritage sites, picturesque canals along the Marne River, and local Champagne cellars. What we liked most were the Collegiate Church, the Cathedral, and the town hall square, which is very pretty. But we didn’t see a single vineyard in the entire Champagne region. Ben said we weren’t in Champagne.
Where to stay
We stayed at Camping Châlons-en-Champagne (48.936001, 4.38329 lat, long), the only campsite in town. The campsite has a bus stop at the entrance that takes you to the town centre and several more nearby. There’s also a pharmacy, a bakery, and a small supermarket right next to the campsite entrance. We found the campsite quite expensive; we paid €18 without electricity, but €23 with electricity. We requested a shaded pitch, but the one they gave us was too small, so we had to move to another one with less shade. There are two buildings with showers, toilets, washing machines (€5), and a dishwashing area. It has a very nice dog park. The grey and black water disposal area is good and easy to access. We only used that area and the showers. There’s a restaurant with fairly simple food that’s open all day. It has a room with a pool table, foosball, etc., and another with a TV and books. Outside there’s a ping-pong table and a basketball court. The best thing about this place is its location for visiting the city centre, which is quite far away, so taking the bus is the best option; it only costs €1.20.
What to see
We took the bus right outside the campsite to the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux, a 12th-century Gothic church with a huge carillon of 56 bells, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.
From there, we crossed one canal on the Marne River to reach the Town Hall square. The town hall was built between 1772 and 1776, with the courts on the north side and the prison on the east side.
We went to see the market, which was surrounded by a flea market where I bought a very cute summer dress for 7 euros.
We walked through the streets until we reached another beautiful square, surrounded by typical half-timbered houses.
Then we went to see the cathedral, rebuilt in the 13th century. It is an impressive cathedral with exceptional medieval stained-glass windows. Inside, a stone statue from 1520 stands out, depicting Jesus sitting on a rock, awaiting his punishment and meditating.
We passed by the famous 19th-century Joseph Perrier champagne house.
We finished our tour in the gardens: three interconnected public gardens (Petit Jardin, Grand Jardin and Jardin Anglais) in the heart of the city, classified as historical monuments.
Next stop: Saint-Quentin, known for its 16th-century town hall, basilica, and remarkable Art Deco architecture, which you can see in the following blog.
