Le Village de la Champagne

Both sophisticated and juvenile days are easy to get to around here, as the site is within easy reach of visits to Champagne cellars and regional wine producers, as well as to the fab Dolancourt theme park of Nigloland. (You'll need at least a couple of days for each, so do plot your time accordingly.) Local town Bar-sur-Aube is – quelle surprise – on the Aube river, on a section of its 248-kilometre meander from the Langres plateau in the Haute-Marne to where it flows into the Seine near Marcilly-sur-Seine in Marne. Gentle riverside walks are a top way to spend an easygoing day, but if it's famed watery bodies you want in the region, get along to the dense woodlands of the Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park: it has around half of the Champagne-Ardenne's 10,000 or so hectares of watery bodies. The best known and biggest lake in the forest is Lac d'Orient, at 2,500 hectares. It's a highly popular place for sailing, wild swimming (with several dedicated bathing areas) and birdwatching, as it's the main reserve of the woodland. For fishing, try Lake Temple, and for adrenalised days, zip along to Lake Amance, the forest lake place for powerboating activities such as waterskiing. For a till ringing day, visit the factory outlets and many other shops of department capital Troyes, 50 minutes' drive away.