Reims Travel Guide

A masterpiece of Gothic architecture and UNESCO World Heritage site where 25 French kings were crowned. Built over two centuries with stunning rose windows, intricate sculptures, and soaring nave. The cathedral survived WWI destruction and remains a symbol of French grandeur.

Former archiepiscopal palace adjoining the cathedral, now a museum housing royal coronation treasures and religious artifacts. Features the Archbishop's apartments, Gothic tapestries, and statuary from the cathedral's renovation.

One of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in France, this basilica housed the shrine of Saint Rémi. Features stunning stained glass, ambulatory with radiating chapels, and historical significance in Reims' religious heritage.

Tour prestigious champagne cellars carved into ancient chalk quarries beneath Reims. The UNESCO listing covers the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars as a cultural landscape, including Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims; it does not certify every cellar or tasting. Each house features unique histories and architectural styles.

Housed in a former royal abbey, The museum is closed for expansion and renovation; check its reopening status before planning a visit., sculpture, and decorative arts. Collections include works by Matisse, Monet, and contemporary artists representing diverse artistic movements.

Ancient Benedictine abbey featuring Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Houses religious artifacts and showcases monastic life through the centuries with beautiful cloisters and period rooms.

Reims' main square featuring classical 18th-century arcaded buildings surrounding an elegant plaza. The equestrian statue of Louis XV anchors the space. Perfect for cafés, shopping, and people-watching in the city's vibrant heart.

Historic street connecting the cathedral to Place Royale, lined with shops, galleries, and restaurants. Features Belle Époque buildings showcasing architectural evolution of Reims through centuries.

Grand tree-lined plaza with monuments and sculptures celebrating Reims' history. Vibrant public space for events, dining, and recreation, surrounded by Belle Époque facades and contemporary establishments.

Beautiful public park spanning 14 hectares with lakeside paths, botanical plantings, and recreational facilities. Features formal gardens, walking trails, and scenic viewpoints perfect for leisurely strolls or family outings.

Contemporary peace garden combining modern design with natural elements. Features water features, meditation spaces, and symbolic plantings celebrating themes of harmony and reconciliation.

Tree-lined botanical garden pathway featuring seasonal plantings, ornamental shrubs, and flower beds. Connects historic districts while providing peaceful walking through curated natural landscapes.

Professional sommelier-guided tastings through prestigious champagne houses featuring vineyard walks, production facility tours, and cellars with historical significance. Learn terroir, production methods, and vintage variations.

Expert historian-led explorations of the cathedral's Gothic architecture, coronation history, and stained glass artistry. Tours explain medieval craftsmanship, restoration post-WWI, and symbolic meanings of architectural elements.

Culinary walking tours discovering local markets, artisan producers, and regional specialties. Taste champagne biscuits, local cheese, pastries, and traditional Reims cuisine while learning food culture and market traditions.

Sister city featuring champagne houses along Avenue de Champagne. Drive the scenic Wine Route through vineyard villages like Hautvillers, Ay, and Oeuilly with stunning countryside views and additional champagne producers.

Picturesque champagne village famous as birthplace of Dom Pérignon. Explore the abbey, charming streets, vineyard terraces, and family-run producers offering personal tastings and authentic champagne experiences.

UNESCO World Heritage Gothic cathedral featuring one of the tallest Gothic interiors in France. Located 120km away, this architectural masterpiece rivals Reims Cathedral in grandeur, offering comparison of regional Gothic styles.

Reims's main Christmas market fills the long pedestrian square of Place Drouet d'Erlon with wooden chalets selling mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, regional cheeses, and the city's famous biscuits roses de Reims. In December 2026 the market is expected to run on its usual schedule, opening in the final third of November and continuing through the holiday period into early January, similar to prior years.

Local artisans sell ornaments, toys, and gifts alongside the food stalls, and string lights turn the square into the favourite evening stroll for both visitors and Champagne-house workers. Weekday evenings are noticeably calmer than weekends. The market sits an easy ten-minute walk from Reims train station, making it simple to combine with a Champagne cellar tour earlier in the day.

A seasonal Ferris wheel and an outdoor patinoire (ice rink) typically set up alongside the Christmas market on Place Drouet d'Erlon each winter, giving views over the market chalets and the square's Belle Époque facades. The wheel usually operates through the same window as the market, roughly late November into early January 2027, weather permitting.

Skate rental is available on site and no advance booking is normally required, though queues build up on weekend afternoons and school-holiday days. Its a good stop after browsing the market stalls, especially once the lights come on at dusk. Families with young children should check opening hours locally, as the wheel and rink sometimes close earlier on weekdays than on weekends.

Reims's Gothic cathedral, where French kings were once crowned, gets a festive treatment each December as its floodlit facade and the surrounding square become a natural gathering point for the holiday season. Some years bring projected light shows onto the west front after dark, echoing the summer son et lumière tradition the cathedral is known for.

Even without a scheduled show, the illuminated facade paired with nearby market stalls makes for one of the best free evening experiences in Reims during December 2026. Arrive around dusk to see the transition from daylight to floodlighting, and allow time to walk around to Place du Cardinal Luçon on the cathedral's south side, which tends to be quieter than the main square.

December is a naturally festive time to pair the city's Christmas market with what Reims is truly famous for: Champagne. Major houses near the centre, including Taittinger, Pommery, and Veuve Clicquot, keep their chalk-cellar tours running through the holiday season, often with seasonal tastings or decorated cellars for December visitors.

Tours typically run daily but fill up around the holidays, so booking a slot a few days ahead is worthwhile. Most cellars are a short taxi or tram ride from Place Drouet d'Erlon, making it easy to spend a morning underground among the bottles and an evening at the Christmas market above ground. Its a distinctly Reims way to round out a winter visit that a generic market alone would not capture.

This tight cluster of streets just off the city centre is where Reims goes for its evening out. Wander a few blocks and you will pass wine bars, student-friendly pubs, and small cocktail spots that spill onto the sidewalk on warm nights. It is less polished than the grand boulevards nearby, which is exactly the appeal: relaxed terraces, chalkboard drink menus, and a mix of locals and visitors trading tips on the best coupe of the night. Many bars pour regional champagne by the glass alongside standard cocktails, so it is an easy way to keep tasting without committing to a full house tour. Things get going around 9pm and stay busy until the early hours on weekends. Come hungry too, as several spots serve simple plates of cheese and charcuterie to soak up the bubbles.

A long-running fixture of Reims nightlife, this bar and lounge draws a steady crowd of locals for its late hours and easy-going energy. The interior mixes exposed brick with warm lighting, and the bar staff pour a solid range of cocktails alongside regional champagne. It works equally well as a first stop for early evening drinks or a last stop once other venues wind down, since it tends to stay open later than most cafes nearby. Weekend nights sometimes bring a DJ set or themed music night, pulling the room into a proper party atmosphere. Expect a mixed-age crowd rather than a strictly student scene, which keeps the mood relaxed instead of rowdy. It gets busy fast on Friday and Saturday, so arriving before 10pm secures an easier spot at the bar.

A spacious green park with playgrounds, open lawns, and shaded paths, this is where local families come to let kids burn off energy. Younger children can enjoy the play structures and swings, while older kids have room to run, cycle, or kick a ball around. The park is calm and unhurried, offering a relaxed break from the busy attractions of central Reims. Benches scattered throughout make it comfortable for parents to supervise while little ones play. Ducks and greenery near the water add a bit of nature to explore, and the park is especially pleasant on sunny afternoons. It is free to enter and easy to combine with a picnic lunch.

Beneath the Place du Forum lies a half-buried Gallo-Roman gallery dating to the 1st century AD, once part of the ancient forum of Durocortorum, the Roman name for Reims. The vaulted stone corridors are eerily quiet compared to the square above, and information panels explain how the structure supported the forum's terrace. It's free to enter and rarely crowded, making it an easy stop for anyone curious about the citys pre-medieval past. Bring a light jacket, as the underground chambers stay cool year-round. The site is compact, so it pairs well with a stroll through the surrounding streets rather than standing alone as a destination. Local guides sometimes offer short talks on weekends, but even without one, the atmosphere of standing in a 2,000-year-old passage is worth the short detour from the main tourist track.

This tiny chapel, formally called Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix, was entirely designed and painted in 1966 by Léonard Foujita, a Japanese-French artist who converted to Christianity late in life and treated the building as his final masterpiece. Inside, delicate frescoes blend Japanese brushwork with Christian iconography, covering nearly every surface in soft, luminous tones. The space seats only a handful of visitors at a time, which keeps it intimate and largely missed by bus-tour crowds. Because it functions more like a private art installation than a working church, opening hours are limited, so checking ahead is worthwhile. Photography is usually restricted to protect the pigments. For anyone interested in 20th-century religious art or the unexpected cultural crossovers found in provincial France, this is one of the most surprising stops in Reims.

An Art Deco covered market built in 1929 by architect Emile Maigrot, the Halles du Boulingrin was restored in the 2010s and remains a working food market rather than a museum piece. Its sweeping concrete-and-glass roof was innovative for its era, and beneath it local vendors sell cheese, produce, seafood, and regional specialties on market mornings, typically Wednesday and Saturday. Visiting early lets travelers see daily Reims life up close, away from souvenir shops, and grab a coffee or fresh pastry among locals doing their weekly shopping. Even outside market hours, the exterior architecture is worth a look for fans of interwar design. It sits an easy walk from the cathedral, so it's simple to fold into a morning itinerary without needing a special trip.

Funded by a grant from American industrialist Andrew Carnegie after World War I devastated the citys original library, this 1928 building is a showcase of Art Deco design, with ornate wrought-iron doors, stained glass skylights, and geometric stone carvings. It still operates as a public library today, so visitors can quietly wander in to admire the reading rooms and architectural details without paying an entrance fee. The building represents an unusual chapter of Franco-American history, built as reconstruction aid rather than a typical tourist monument. Architecture enthusiasts in particular will appreciate the symmetrical facade and period detailing, which has been carefully preserved. It's a short walk from the city center and makes a peaceful, air-conditioned break between busier sightseeing stops, especially on a hot afternoon.

Just outside the city, this restored fort played a critical defensive role in World War I, withstanding repeated German assaults and helping protect Reims from occupation. Today it houses a well-curated museum of uniforms, weapons, and personal soldiers' effects from both French and German forces, along with preserved trenches and underground galleries visitors can walk through. It's far less visited than the citys central landmarks, which makes for an unhurried, reflective visit for anyone interested in military history. The surrounding earthworks and gun emplacements are still visible, giving a tangible sense of the front line that once ran near the city. A car or short taxi ride is the easiest way to reach it, and it pairs naturally with a broader look at the region's WWI battlefield heritage.

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Every year Reims relives the coronation of Charles VII, crowned in the cathedral in 1429 with Joan of Arc at his side. In 2026 the Fetes Johanniques unfold in late spring (check the official dates), filling the historic center with medieval market stalls, jousting displays, and a torch-lit evening pageant. Costumed performers in armor and period dress parade from the Basilique Saint-Remi to the cathedral square, recreating the coronation procession with banners, drums, and heraldic flags. Craft workshops let children try archery and calligraphy, while food stalls serve medieval-inspired fare. The closing procession on the final evening is the highlight, drawing thousands of spectators along Reims's illuminated streets. It is a rare chance to see the city's founding legend brought vividly to life against its actual Gothic backdrop.

This beloved summer concert series turns Reims into an open-air stage for a summer run (check the official dates). Free and low-cost performances span classical recitals, jazz combos, and world music, staged in courtyards, parks, and the Grand Theatre. Many concerts take place at dusk in the Parc de la Patte d'Oie or the cloisters near the cathedral, where the acoustics and setting create an intimate atmosphere. The programme typically mixes rising conservatory talents with established touring orchestras, and a handful of family matinees introduce children to instruments up close. Locals bring picnics and blankets for the outdoor evening shows, making it as much a social gathering as a music festival. It is one of the most anticipated cultural traditions of the Reims summer, running for over three decades.

As the Champagne vineyards surrounding Reims ripen each autumn, the city marks the grape harvest with a weekend of tastings and open cellars around the September harvest (check the official dates). Champagne houses on the Avenue de Champagne and in the Saint-Nicaise district open their cellars for guided tours explaining the pressing and blending process, while the Place du Forum hosts a producers' market with regional cheeses, breads, and sparkling wine by the glass. A grape-picking demonstration in a nearby vineyard plot lets visitors try harvesting by hand under the guidance of local vignerons. Evening tasting sessions pair vintage cuvees with live acoustic music. The weekend captures the agricultural heartbeat behind Reims's most famous export, connecting the city's monuments to the fields that made it wealthy. Advance registration is recommended for cellar tours.

Reims rings in the new year with a free open-air celebration centered on Place Drouet d'Erlon on the night of December 31, 2026 into January 1, 2027. A stage hosts live bands and a DJ set through the evening, building toward a midnight fireworks display synchronized with music over the square's fountain. Cafes and brasseries along the pedestrian strip stay open late, many offering special New Year menus, and the crowd spills out onto the street to countdown together. Families often attend the earlier part of the evening while a younger crowd stays on for dancing after midnight. The illuminated Christmas market stalls, still standing on their final night, add a warm glow to the festivities. It is the liveliest single night of the Reims calendar and a fitting close to the market season.

Each winter (check the official dates for the season), wooden chalets fill the Place Drouet d'Erlon and the cathedral square with a traditional Christmas market. Stalls sell mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, regional biscuits called croquignoles, and handmade ornaments, while a large ice rink draws skaters of all ages near the fountain. In the evenings the cathedral facade is lit with a projected light show recounting scenes from the city's history, drawing crowds who gather on the square each night at nightfall. A carousel and small Ferris wheel add a festive backdrop for families, and weekend choirs perform carols beneath the market's fairy lights. Many visitors combine an evening stroll through the stalls with a look inside the illuminated cathedral. The market's final days overlap with New Year celebrations, keeping the city center animated through the holidays.