Map of Champagne from above, Bar-sur-Aube: The Forgotten Capital marked with a wine glass

Landmark · Champagne

Bar-sur-Aube: The Forgotten Capital

Côte des Bar's Pinot Noir bastion — these full-bodied, fruit-forward reds fought a 1911 riot just to use the word "Champagne."

What to do there

TourBar-sur-Aube: The Forgotten CapitalBefore Reims, there was Bar-sur-Aube - the medieval capital of Champagne's fairs. The 11th century Saint-Pierre church, the Renaissance cellars, the half-timbered houses. This town was where Italian merchants met Flemish weavers, where champagne money first started flowing. Now it's a quiet base for exploring the Aube's vineyards.

Places to see nearby

Museum Mémorial Charles de Gaulle Opened 2008 at the foot of the Lorraine Cross in Colombey, this memorial spans 1,600 sq meters across de Gaulle's life from WWI to death—multimedia displays of speeches, dioramas, archives, the Thirty Glorious Years, and his austere grandeur philosophy.