Reims is a city in the historic Champagne-Ardenne region of northeastern France. It is the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine region, and many of the renowned champagne houses have their headquarters there. It is known as the “city of coronations”, and later on we’ll see why.
This interesting city is located just 140 kilometers from Paris, so it can be a great option for a day trip from the French capital.
You can get there from Paris by train, which takes about 40 minutes, or by bus, which takes almost two hours.
►Check train fares and schedules to Reims for your dates
But let’s quickly get started with our tour of the city. Shall we begin?
We are in the Champagne region. This French wine region is located in the north of France, in the Grand Est region. Its vineyards stretch mainly across the Marne department.
In this area you’ll find the city of Reims, Epernay, Hautvillers, Verzenay and Châlons-en-Champagne, among others. ►Tour along the Champagne route.
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What to see and do in Reims
Place Drouet d’Erlon
Place Drouet d’Erlon welcomes us as we arrive in the city. This is the heart of the city, presided over by the Subé fountain, and it’s where you’ll find cafés and restaurants with a lively atmosphere. Our accommodation was in this area.
We chose to spend one night in Reims before setting off on the Champagne route. The hotel we chose was the Hotel Bristol Reims.
Very comfortable, with a great location for heading out to explore the city, and a good breakfast. To give you an idea, we paid almost €100 for a double room with breakfast in June. As always, prices vary depending on lots of factors, so check for your dates.
Or you can try this Skyscanner hotel search tool
After dropping off our bags, we set off on foot toward the cathedral.
Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Reims is a Catholic cathedral.
Built in the 13th century, after Notre-Dame de Paris but before Strasbourg Cathedral, it is one of the most important Gothic buildings in France.
In 1991, it was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It has played a central role in the history of France. It was here that Clovis, ruler of the Franks, accepted Christianity in the 5th century, and it was chosen for the coronation of many French kings.
It has witnessed the coronation of thirty-three kings in just over 1,000 years. More recently, in 1962 to be precise, Franco-German reconciliation was made official with a mass in the cathedral in the presence of General de Gaulle and German Chancellor Adenauer.
Admission to the cathedral is free, but climbing its towers is not.
The guided climb (in French) costs €9, but it’s included if you have the Reims Tourist Pass.
The pass will not be on sale for use between January 1 and March 31, 2023, since municipal museums will be free to enter during that period.
Palace of Tau
Right next door is the Palace of Tau, an archbishop’s palace that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. It is associated with the kings because, as we mentioned, they were crowned right next door in the Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral.
Built between 1671 and 1710, it is now a museum featuring statues, liturgical objects, exceptional tapestries and grand halls.
Admission costs €8 and is included if you’ve purchased the Reims City Pass. ►Tickets for the Palace of Tau
We bought the pass because we planned to do several activities in the city, so it would pay for itself. The 24-hour pass costs €23.
It also includes transportation by minibus, which will take you to several sites, including the champagne cellars.
Vranken Pommery Champagne House in Reims
Because of everything mentioned above, you’ll find several of the world’s most famous champagne houses in Reims, and it’s tempting to take a tour of one of them.
Some tours are guided and others use audio guides. What’s hard to find is tours in Spanish, as activities are generally offered in English and French.
The cellars are many meters underground, and touring them is quite interesting.
Find wine experiences and winery tours in the Champagne area
In this city, we chose to tour the Vranken Pommery winery. The tour is audio-guided, with options in English or French.
Although we chose to visit Pommery, here you’ll also find the Mumm, Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot houses, among the most renowned.
If you’re a big fan of wine tourism, you might choose more than one. We chose to do one visit here in Reims and another during our visit to the town of Epernay to discover how champagne is produced.
The house was founded in 1858 by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno, and its main business was the wool trade. Under the leadership of Alexandre’s widow, Louise Pommery, the firm turned to champagne production and soon became one of the most important champagne brands in the region. Champagne Pommery was the first house to market a brut champagne, in 1874.
Reims Champagne Automobile Museum
Now let’s head to the Automobile Museum. Opened in 1985, this museum is one of the five most important automobile museums in France in terms of its collections.
Today it is run by an association of mechanics enthusiasts who own several of the vehicles on display, and the exhibition is renewed periodically.
Cars and motorcycles from 1903 to the present day are on display, some of which were produced in only a handful of units. The museum has 250 vehicles, and a visit is estimated to take an hour and a half.
It’s open every day from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5/6 p.m. depending on the season, except on Tuesdays, when it is closed.
Admission is €10, but it’s included in the Reims tourist pass.
It’s certainly not a must-see in the city, but if you’re a fan of cars and their history, it’s sure to win you over.
►Musée Automobile Reims-Champagne website
Porte de Mars
Our steps will take us wandering aimlessly through the city. That’s how, upon reaching Place de la République, we’ll discover the Porte de Mars.
Built at the end of the 2nd century, the Mars Gate is the only one of the four monumental arches that gave access to the city of Durocortorum to have survived. Durocortorum was the name of the city of Reims in Roman times. It was the capital of the Remi tribe and the second-largest city in Roman Gaul.
This ancient monument is one of the longest in the Roman world.
The Museum of the Surrender
Close by, you can visit the Museum of the Surrender. The museum is located in the building where the German army’s surrender was signed in May 1945.
Admission is €5, but it’s included if you have the tourist pass.
Boulingrin Market
It became the city’s main food market in 1929 and, after an ambitious restoration with Art Deco touches, reopened its doors in September 2012. In addition to selling food, it hosts exhibitions and cultural events.
A stroll among its stalls can be a nice option.
Reims City Hall
In France, city halls are called Hôtel de Ville. The Hôtel de Ville of Reims has housed the municipal institutions since 1499.
Place Royale and Place du Forum
Our steps now take us to two squares: Place du Forum, which was very lively because there was live music there.
And very close by, we find Place Royale
Basilica of Saint-Remi
The Basilica of Saint-Remi, together with Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral and the Palace of Tau, which we’ve already seen, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
It was founded in the 6th century and, since 553, has housed the relics of Saint Remigius, the bishop of Reims who converted Clovis. The Basilica of Saint-Remi has withstood the test of time, especially during World War I. The damage was so severe that its restoration took 40 years, until 1958.
Opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is €6 and includes an audio guide; entry is also included in the city’s tourist pass.
Located in the former Abbey of Saint-Remi, the Saint-Remi Museum is another option to visit in the city. Admission is €5.
Video and map of Reims
►Want to see what other day trip options you have from Paris?
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience and is completely objective. This article contains affiliate links
