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FOLLOW THE CHAMPAGNE TRAIL
 For a sparkling short break, consider a trip to the department of France called Aube en Champagne.
That's the region south of Reims and Epernay, or south-east of Paris, which bottles over a quarter of the French output of bubbly.
If your dream of a French short break is to link up the maximum number of vineyards, the locals make it easy by charting a Champagne Route. Just follow the green and white signs, and you can taste your way around the cellars.
The Aube region has been making a special pitch for UK visitors, who now represent 50% of non-French tourists. Last year, 100,000 Brits arrived - either on short breaks, or as a stopover en route to the Med.
Travel Facts
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TRAVEL FACTS
Getting there:
By Eurostar to Paris, transfer to Gare du Nord, and there's an hourly direct train to
Troyes.
Try flying to Paris Charles de Gaulle by BMI, and renting a car at
the airport.
More information:and brochures
Aube en Champagne Tourist Board - 34 Quai Dampierre, 10000 Troyes. Tel: 0033-3-25-42-50-00.
Email: bonjour@aube-
champagne.com
Web: www.aube-
champagne.com
French Tourist Office, 178 Piccadilly, London W1J 9AL. Tel: 09068-244-123 (calls cost 60p a minute)
www.franceguide.
com
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The River Aube itself is a tributary of the Seine, running roughly parallel with a large wooded area called Forest of Orient sandwiched in between.
The regional capital is Troyes (pronounced 'trois', like French for 'three'). That's the best starting point or base for exploring the Aube Champagne country.
Troyes has grown since Roman times, protected by city walls and a sharp curve of the Seine. The curious result is a town plan shaped like a champagne cork.
The city grew rich from medieval trade fairs, some lasting for two months. They specialised in woollen cloth from Flanders and silks and spices from Italy.
For a camera-happy tourist, Troyes ranks nearly top in France for streets of half-timbered buildings of oak beams and cob. Five hundred wealthy merchant houses were built in the decade following a fire in 1524 which destroyed most of the city.
 All these affluent buildings have been well preserved and restored, and the cobbled
pedestrianised streets have kept their
historic style. Tourist leaflets map out strolls around the old centre.
Troyes stayed prosperous through textile trading, and switched to stocking manufacture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even today, the town makes a third of all French woolly socks.
But Troyes is now much deeper into retail business, with mammoth clothing discount centres. Two million people a year flock to 170 cut-price designer outlets which offer big discounts on high street prices. Sales during January and six weeks in June-July can save up to 70% off clothes and soft furnishings.
What else to do in Troyes besides strolling around, going shopping and
drinking champagne? On the culture-vulture front there's a Museum of
Modern Art, housed in the former bishop's palace alongside the
cathedral.
But I much preferred a Museum of Tools, claimed as the world's finest
collection of handmade tools from the 18th and 19th century. The exhibits
are displayed around two floors of a magnificent town mansion built in
1556 by a rich merchant. The tools are grouped into crafts like metal
working, wood, stone and leather. Don't miss this one!
Meanwhile the 136-mile Aube Champagne Route awaits. Very tempting brochures are available from the tourist office, including one sub-titled
"The Aube and its hidden treasures."
Another called "Escapades 2007" offers choice of two-night
half-board packages priced around £90 per person in a double
room, to include a gastronomic and a regional dinner. Several of the
hotels also include a free bottle of champagne, a visit to a cellar and
wine tasting.
The majority of wine growers are "harvest-producers" who
harvest, make and sell their own champagne. Their ancient villages are
charming, with narrow through roads which are clogged with grape-laden
tractors during the September harvest.
Cellar tours and tastings are mostly by appointment, usually free or with
a modest charge of around £2.
Typical was the 18th-century Chateau of Bligny which included a "clos"
- a walled vineyard - within the castle park.
On a larger scale was a visit to the Drappier company which makes 12 types
of champagne, exporting a million bottles a year. The vaulted cellars were
built by the Cistercian monks of neighbouring Clairvaux Abbey, founded by
St. Bernard in 1115.
The village of Essoyes is another worthwhile stop. The Impressionist
painter Renoir married his favourite nude model who was born here. The
artist liked the village and its countryside so much that he bought a
house as a summer retreat.
Here
was the atmosphere, scenery, colours and light that inspired his best
work. He also enjoyed the company of the local wine-growers. His garden
studio is open, entry 2 euros. Renoir and his wife are buried in the local
cemetery, and his great-granddaughter still lives in the family house.
A leaflet maps four waymarked circuits which follow in Renoir's footsteps.
You can see nature through the artist's eyes, and spot some of his
painting locations. The routes vary from 3 to 14 kilometres.
Colourful hotels and restaurants are located in the Forest of Orient
which covers 70,000 acres and includes three man-made lakes designed to
regulate the flow of the River Seine.
One lake is kept for wildlife and bird-watchers. Another is dedicated
to sailing and windsurfing, while the third features motorised water
sports which are forbidden on the other two. Throughout this forested area
there is more half-timbering, including spectacular churches.
Copyright: Reg Butler
Where else to go in France
ANNECY - French coach touring
by TGV train
BRITTANY COAST
- St Malo and the Emerald Coast
BURGUNDY - Go
cruising by luxury barge
LOIRE VALLEY - The Garden of
France
MENTON - where
lemon trees bloom year-round
NICE - exploring the Riviera
PARIS - Open season for
loving
PARIS - See it
dressed up for Christmas
"Books to read - click on cover pictures" or
click on the links below
Michelin
Green Guide: Alsace Lorraine Champagne - In its classic pocket
format, this is a prime choice for touring the region, and understanding
its history.
AA
Road Map Champagne-Ardennes - Covers the region in a single sheet map.
Destination
Champagne - The Individual Traveller's Guide to Champagne, the Region and Its Wines.
by Philippe Boucheron
Champagne
for Dummies by Ed McCarthy - a good-humoured guide to the product
in all its authentic variations, with a global assessment of other
sparkling wines.
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