Your browser is out of date.
This site may not function properly in your current browser.
Update Now
Reims will put a smile on your face!
Located 30 minutes by TGV (high speed train) from Paris-Roissy international airport and 45 minutes from Paris, the city of Reims owes its fame to its majestic cathedral and champagne. Guided tours are available, as well as opportunities to meet people and share exquisite gastronomic experiences.
Distinguished by UNESCO
Reims is an exceptional and prestigious city. Prestigious thanks to the quality of its heritage and the number of monuments recognised as world heritage by UNESCO: the 800-year-old Cathedral of Notre-Dame and Palace of Tau, the basilica and former Abbey of Saint-Rémi, Saint-Nicaise Hill and the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars, which are exceptional because of their importance in the history of France. Thirty kings of France were crowned in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims between 1027 and 1825, thus earning Reims the unique title of “Coronation City”. Its influence, however, began as early as the first century BCE. You can admire the cryptoporticus under the Forum Square and the Porte de Mars, one of the largest standing Roman triumphal arches in the world.
**Splendours of stone, glass and light **
Among the more than 2,000 statues in the city is the renowned Smiling Angel on the portal of the cathedral, which has become an iconic emblem of Reims. Take the time to go inside and contemplate the newly renovated great rose window and magnificent stained glass. The most recent windows were created by the artists Marc Chagall and Imi Knoebel. To relive the history of this Gothic masterpiece from the time of its construction to the present day, you can attend the impressive music and light show ‘Rêve de Couleurs’ (Colour-filled dream) projected on the cathedral facade all summer and during the winter festive season. Take a leap in time and visit the contemporary chapel designed and painted by Foujita, or stroll through the streets to see the Art Deco architecture dating back to the reconstruction of the city following the First World War.
Reims art of living
Champagne is at home in Reims. The world-famous champagne houses offer guided tours around their deep cellars carved out of the chalk bedrock. You can discover the famous Champagne Houses of Taittinger, Vranken-Pommery, G.H. Mumm, Ruinart, Lanson, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, G.H. Martel & Co and Charles de Cazanove. These enormous underground cathedrals play an important role in the champagne-making process. You can taste the champagne wines at the end of the visit as well as in the city’s many gastronomic restaurants. There is a special festive feeling in Reims in December. You can enjoy this magical atmosphere by joining a torchlight walk around the historic centre, discovering traditional French crafts in the 145 wooden chalets of the Christmas Market around the cathedral.
Visit
