Sedan
up to 3 guests · Mercedes C-Class, GLE or Tesla Model Y, depending on availability
- The 1918 day
- €530 (~$595 USD)
- The 1945 half day
- €280 (~$315 USD)
- Extra hour
- €75 (~$85 USD)
Americans in Champagne, 1918 and 1945
A day from Reims at the American sites of the summer of 1918: Belleau Wood, Hill 204 at Château-Thierry, the Oise-Aisne cemetery and the bridge at Fismes. And in Reims itself, a half day built around the room where Germany signed its surrender, on May 7, 1945.
- 8 hoursfour American sites from 1918
- 94 milesand 2 hours 40 minutes of driving in all
- €530 (~$595 USD)per vehicle, by sedan
Summer 1918, west of Reims
In June 1918, the US Marines went into Belleau Wood. In July and August, American divisions fought alongside the French, from the Marne River to the Vesle. Their cemeteries and monuments now stand in villages of the Aisne and the Marne, an hour’s drive from Reims at most.
Linking all four sites in one day only works by car. Your chauffeur drives you from one to the next and waits at every stop: if you want to stay longer at a grave, we shorten another stop.
Twenty-seven years later, Germany surrendered in Reims. On May 7, 1945, its representatives signed the act of surrender in a school that had become Eisenhower’s forward headquarters. That chapter of Reims fits into a half day, described below.
- Length
- 8 hours, door to door
- Route
- about 151 km / 94 mi (94 miles), with 2 hours 40 minutes of driving
- Sites
- two American cemeteries, Hill 204 and the bridge at Fismes
- Admission
- free at all four sites
- Best for
- families of soldiers, history buffs, American travelers
From Belleau Wood to the Vesle in a day
We leave at 9:00 am to reach the cemeteries during their opening hours.
- 9:00 amReims
Heading west
Your chauffeur picks you up at your hotel or your address. Belleau is an hour away, by highway and then the country roads of the Aisne.
- 10:00 amBelleau
The Aisne-Marne cemetery and the wood
Nearly 2,300 American soldiers rest at the foot of the wood, and more than 1,000 names of the missing are carved inside the chapel. On June 30, 1918, the French command renamed the place Bois de la Brigade de Marine, the Wood of the Marine Brigade. Shell craters can still be seen there, around the Marine monument. Allow an hour and a quarter.
- 11:30 amChâteau-Thierry
Hill 204
The American monument looks out over the Marne: a double colonnade, and an orientation table that names the places where the fighting took place. A few miles upstream, in July 1918, the US 3rd Division earned its nickname, the “Rock of the Marne.”
- 12:30 pmChâteau-Thierry
A break for lunch
A restaurant in town, which we book if you like. You pay for the meal there.
- 2:15 pmSeringes-et-Nesles
The Oise-Aisne cemetery
Near Fère-en-Tardenois, more than 6,000 American soldiers, most of them killed nearby in the summer of 1918, rest in front of a pink sandstone colonnade. Among them is the poet Joyce Kilmer, author of “Trees.”
- 3:45 pmFismes
The Pennsylvania bridge
On the Vesle, a bridge rebuilt in 1928 by the State of Pennsylvania in memory of the soldiers of its 28th Division, who fought for the town in August 1918. Fismes is on the way back.
- 5:00 pmReims
The road back to Reims
Half an hour’s drive from Fismes to your hotel.
Times are approximate: the American cemeteries are open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and we order the sites around those hours.
Reims, May 1945: the half day in town
Four hours in Reims, at €280 (~$315 USD) per vehicle by sedan and €340 (~$380 USD) by van.
- Museum of the Surrender
The map room
On May 7, 1945, at 2:41 am, General Jodl signed Germany’s unconditional surrender here. The room has been left as it was, with the maps still on the walls. The museum reopened on May 7, 2026, after a renovation.
- City Hall
Honorary citizen
On May 12, 1945, Eisenhower was made an honorary citizen of Reims. City Hall itself had been through a lot: it burned on May 3, 1917, and did not reopen until 1928.
- Boulevard Lundy
The general’s house
In 1945, Eisenhower stayed in a house on Boulevard Lundy. We stop outside without going in: it is a private home. If time allows, the half day ends at the cathedral, a few minutes away.
Meuse-Argonne and Verdun, quoted on request
At Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, more than 14,000 American soldiers rest in the largest American cemetery in Europe, most of them killed during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in the fall of 1918. The site is about an hour and 45 minutes from Reims by car, and some 40 km / 25 mi (25 miles) from Verdun.
Both fit into a long day, which we quote based on the sites you choose, with the same rule as the 1918 day: one fixed price, mileage included. Our guide Verdun from Reims helps you choose the sites.
Price for the car and chauffeur
One fixed price per vehicle, quoted before you book. It covers the car, the chauffeur and the mileage for the route, whatever the number of guests, up to the vehicle’s capacity.
Van
up to 7 guests · Mercedes V-Class
- The 1918 day
- €630 (~$705 USD)
- The 1945 half day
- €340 (~$380 USD)
- The 1918 day with 7 guests
- €90 (~$100 USD) per person
- Extra hour
- €90 (~$100 USD)
Licensed guide
extra, on request · never on Sundays or public holidays
- Half day, up to 5 hours
- €360 (~$405 USD)
- Full day, up to 8 hours
- €560 (~$625 USD)
- Each hour beyond
- €90 (~$100 USD)
The American sites are free to visit; a museum ticket is paid on site if you add one. For 8 guests or more, ask us for a quote.
What is included, what you pay on site
Included in the price
- The car and your chauffeur, from your address in Reims and back
- Fuel, tolls, parking and the mileage for the route
- Your chauffeur waiting at each site
- Planning and timing the route around the sites’ opening hours
- Your chauffeur’s lunch
Paid on site
- Lunch, at the restaurant
- On the 1945 half day, admission to the Museum of the Surrender
Questions we often get
Can you help us find a relative’s grave?
Yes. Give us their name before your trip: we build the route around the right cemetery. On site, staff from the American Battle Monuments Commission, which maintains these cemeteries, walk you from the visitor building to the grave.
Are the American cemeteries open every day?
Yes, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, except on December 25 and January 1. Admission is free and no reservation is needed.
When is the Museum of the Surrender open?
Every day except Tuesday, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm; it is also closed on January 1, May 1, November 1 and December 25. If you are in Reims on a Tuesday, save that day for the 1918 tour.
Is the chauffeur a tour guide?
No. Your chauffeur knows the roads and the sites, but is not a licensed guide. For historical commentary on site, we add a licensed guide on request: €360 (~$405 USD) for the half day, €560 (~$625 USD) for the full day, never on Sundays or public holidays.
We are staying in Paris. Can we still do this?
Yes, and Belleau and Château-Thierry are both on the way between Paris and Reims. Since the day then starts from Paris, the drive is added to the price of the day: we send you a quote.
Can we combine history and Champagne?
Yes. The 1945 half day leaves the afternoon free for a cellar tour, and the Reims cellars themselves served as shelters during World War I. Tell us what appeals to you: we suggest a plan and a price.
How do we book?
Send us the date, the number of guests and your pickup address, through the form or by phone. We reply within 2 hours during the day with the plan and the fixed price. Your booking is confirmed once you sign the quote.
How do we pay?
By card (secure payment link) or by bank transfer, when you book. We do not take cash. We can issue the invoice in your company’s name.
What languages do your chauffeurs speak?
Our chauffeurs speak French and English. A Japanese-speaking guide is available on request, at extra cost.
What if we need to cancel?
Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before pickup. Between 48 and 24 hours, half the price is due, and the full price after that. Details are on our cancellation and refund page.
More days in Champagne
- Full day
From Coronations to Chalk Cellars
The cathedral of kings, Saint-Remi Basilica and the chalk cellars, without leaving Reims. €560 (~$625 USD) per vehicle.
See the day From Coronations to Chalk Cellars - Half day
Champagne Crayères Tour
Chalk quarries turned Champagne cellars, listed by UNESCO, in a half day. €280 (~$315 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Champagne Crayères Tour - Half day
Champagne Discovery Tour
A great house in Reims and a family grower, in four hours. €280 (~$315 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Champagne Discovery Tour - Full day
Avenue de Champagne
A day in Épernay: the avenue on foot, the cellars of a great house, a smaller house, then a grower on the Côte des Blancs. €580 (~$650 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Avenue de Champagne - Full day
The Champagne Widows
A day in the footsteps of the widows who ran the great houses, from the chalk cellars of Reims to the Marne Valley. €660 (~$740 USD) per vehicle.
See the day The Champagne Widows - Full day
Nothing but Chardonnay
A day with the growers of the Côte des Blancs, tasting Chardonnay from one village to the next. €660 (~$740 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Nothing but Chardonnay - Full day
Under-the-Radar Champagne Growers
Three growers on the Montagne de Reims who make their Champagne from the grapes of their own vines. €560 (~$625 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Under-the-Radar Champagne Growers - Full day
Grape Varieties & Grands Crus
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier, each tasted where it grows best, in one day. €660 (~$740 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Grape Varieties & Grands Crus - Full day
From Chalk to Vine
The morning in a chalk cellar, the afternoon on the Montagne de Reims, by a windmill, a lighthouse and the twisted beeches of Verzy. €560 (~$625 USD) per vehicle.
See the day From Chalk to Vine - Half day
Wine Workshop in Hermonville
A blending workshop near Reims: you make your own wine and leave with the bottle. €320 (~$360 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Wine Workshop in Hermonville - Half day
Disgorging and Dosage
A half day with a grower on the Côte des Blancs, to see how disgorging works and taste what dosage changes. €320 (~$360 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Disgorging and Dosage
Each day is priced per vehicle and planned around your dates.
Guides to help you plan your visit
One date, and we map the route
Tell us your date, the number of guests, your pickup address and, if there is one, the name of the soldier you are coming to honor. We reply within 2 hours during the day with the route and a fixed price.
Google reviews
What our clients say
4.9
★★★★★
52 Google reviews
52 Google reviews
★★★★★ 5.0 on Tripadvisor · 3 reviews
★★★★★
Louis and his team were outstanding! The communication was quick, clear, and accurate. Our driver Abdellatif was on-time and professional. 5-star service. Louis checked in through our day. We will always use VTC Reims for our annual trip…
GCGlen Campbell
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
We had a wonderful experience in September. We decided to visit France for my wife’s bday week on rather late notice. I wanted to include some special visits as we both enjoy champagne. We were able to get a wonderful Dom Perignon tour w…
TDThomas Donahue
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
Thank you to Louis for helping us schedule and to Cyril for giving us the best day trip to Reims/Champagne/Hautvillers. We had 3-4 things we really wanted to do and see, other than that we let them take the wheel (literally), and we had…
NWNikki Wyatt
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
VTC Reims is an excellent car service for the Champagne region. I contacted them on the plane to France and received very fast response from Louis. It must’ve been middle of the night for them and yet they were prompt and booked my priva…
WLWendy Liu
September 2026
September 2026
★★★★★
I hosted a group with private transfer from Paris to Champagne and also travel to vineyards all over Champagne. First class service by Cyril and his team. Beautiful vehicles and willing to accommodate some late changes in our schedule. I…
MMMatthew Massey
June 2026
June 2026
★★★★★
On time. Efficient. Perfect service.
JWJennifer Wilwant
October 2026
October 2026
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