Overview
Four days in Chablis — and the late find of the whole search. It turns out the village holds its **Fête des Vins on the fourth weekend of October**, which in 2026 falls on 24–25 October: the 78th edition, with around forty Chablis and Grand Auxerrois houses pouring, the Piliers Chablisiens brotherhood conducting inductions, food stands, and organised walks through the vineyards.
That gives this trip something no other option on the list manages: a genuine wine festival **and** the post-harvest calm we went looking for. The picking is long finished by the fourth weekend, the growers are relaxed, and the whole village turns out to celebrate. The catch is getting there — this is the fiddliest journey of the twelve.
Getting There
| Outbound | Friday 23 October — any London airport to Paris (CDG/Orly/Beauvais), ~1h15, from ~£30–60 |
| Onward | Train from Paris-Bercy to Auxerre, about 2 hours, then bus or taxi the last 20km to Chablis. Realistically 6 hours door to door |
| Return | Monday 26 October — Paris → London, evening |
| Alternative | Eurostar to Paris and the same train onward is more comfortable and barely slower door to door, if the group will bend the fly-out rule |
Day by Day
Friday 23 October — Arrive & the village
- Morning flight to Paris; train to Auxerre, then the short hop to Chablis, arriving late afternoon.
- Chablis is small — a bridge over the Serein, a church, a handful of streets, and the grand cru slope rising immediately behind it.
- Evening: dinner at the Hostellerie des Clos, which has the serious kitchen in town, with a first bottle of Premier Cru.
Saturday 24 October — Fête des Vins, day one
- Straight into the festival: around forty houses and domaines pouring in the village, plus the Grand Auxerrois producers who rarely leave their own cellars.
- The Piliers Chablisiens conduct their inductions in full ceremonial robes — Burgundy takes this sort of thing seriously and with a completely straight face.
- Vineyard walks run from the village as part of the programme; gastronomy stands handle lunch.
- Afternoon ride if the festival allows: an easy 15km down the Serein valley to Chichée and back, to clear the head.
Sunday 25 October — The grand cru slope
- Clocks back overnight — helpful, after a Saturday at a wine festival.
- The ride: straight up onto the grand cru hill above the village — Les Clos, Vaudésir, Blanchot, Grenouilles — then along the ridge and down into the Serein valley through Fyé and Chichée. 25–35km with steady climbs; e-bikes turn the grand cru hill from a grind into a pleasure.
- The festival's second day continues in the village; time a tasting at Domaine William Fèvre or La Chablisienne around the ride.
- Return bikes; final dinner — oysters and Chablis, the pairing that made the region famous.
Monday 26 October — Home
- Morning: the Petit Pontigny cellar, or simply a walk up into the vines for the view back over the village.
- Bus or taxi to Auxerre, train to Paris, evening flight home. A long travel day — start early.
Festivals & Local Events
Fête des Vins de Chablis — 24–25 October 2026
The 78th edition, held as always on the fourth weekend of October. Around forty Chablis and Grand Auxerrois houses and domaines pour; the Piliers Chablisiens hold inductions; there are gastronomy stands, vineyard walks and activities through both days. This is the headline reason to choose this weekend.
Saint-Vincent Tournante — late January
Burgundy's great winter wine festival rotates around a different village each year, drawing tens of thousands. Worth knowing about for a future trip.
Chablis marathon — spring
A vineyard running event through the crus, for a different sort of weekend entirely.
Auxerre and the Yonne
If you base in Auxerre, its own autumn programme of markets and concerts runs through October — the tourist office publishes an agenda.
The Region in Brief
A little history
Cistercian monks from Pontigny Abbey planted and organised these vineyards from the 12th century, and the Petit Pontigny cellar in the village still stands. Chablis owed its early fortune to the river: the Serein and the Yonne carried its wine to Paris, and by the 19th century the vineyard covered some 40,000 hectares. Then came phylloxera, the railways bringing cheaper wine from the south, and the frost of 1957 which left barely 500 hectares in production. What exists today — around 5,500 hectares — is a deliberate reconstruction of something nearly lost.
October weather
Cool and often crisp: typically 6–15°C in late October, with morning mist in the Serein valley. This is the most northerly of the French options and it feels it — pack properly for the bike.
The wines
Chardonnay, unoaked or lightly oaked, grown on Kimmeridgian limestone full of tiny fossil oysters — which is the usual explanation for the flinty, saline quality that makes Chablis unlike Chardonnay from anywhere else. Four tiers: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and the seven Grands Crus on one south-west-facing slope above the village.
The food
Burgundian and hearty against the cold: jambon persillé, andouillette, gougères, escargots, Époisses and Soumaintrain cheeses — and oysters with Chablis, the pairing that made the region's name and still the best argument for the wine.
Where to Stay
Hostellerie des Clos
The serious address in Chablis, with a well-regarded restaurant. Book early — the village has very few beds and the festival weekend fills them.
Hôtel du Vieux Moulin
Small, comfortable, run by the Laroche family, right on the Serein.
Auxerre
A handsome cathedral town on the Yonne with far more rooms, more restaurants and the railway station. Treat Chablis as a day's ride or a short bus hop.
The Wineries
Domaine William Fèvre
Impeccable, precise Chablis across the whole range, with a proper tasting room in the village and reliable visitor hours.
La Chablisienne
Around a quarter of the entire appellation, sold at fair prices, with a big modern tasting shop open all week. The dependable option.
Domaine Laroche
Historic cellars around a 9th-century monastic building where the relics of Saint Martin were once hidden. Visits by arrangement.
The great small growers
Essentially unvisitable, with waiting lists rather than tasting rooms. Drink them at the Hostellerie des Clos instead — that is the realistic way in.
Eat & Drink
| Friday | Hostellerie des Clos — jambon persillé and Premier Cru |
| Saturday | Festival gastronomy stands in the village |
| Sunday | Vineyard picnic; oysters and Chablis at dinner |
| Monday | Gougères for the train |
Useful Links
- Fête des Vins de Chablis — official — the festival, its history and each year's programme
- Chablis Wines — official appellation site — the four appellations, the growers and visiting information
- Chablis & Tonnerrois Tourist Office — local tourist office — accommodation, the festival, vineyard walks
- Bourgogne Wines — events calendar — the whole Burgundy events programme
Practical Notes
- Book accommodation immediately if this is the choice. Chablis has a handful of hotels and the Fête des Vins fills them — Auxerre is the fallback, 20km away with far more rooms.
- The journey is the drawback: roughly 6 hours door to door with two changes. Eurostar plus the same onward train is more comfortable if the group will bend the fly-out rule.
- E-bikes are worth it here — the grand cru slope is short but steep, and it is the whole point of the ride.
- Dress warmer than the other eleven. This is the most northerly option and late October in the Serein valley is genuinely cold in the mornings.
- Clocks change overnight on 24–25 October, mid-festival.