Champagne’s sweet, distinctive scent struck the moment we stepped off the train and would continue its surprise attacks as we wondered around the city of Reims in eastern France. Much smaller than Paris, with almost 200,000 inhabitants, Reims played a significant role in France’s monarchial past and continues to be called home to several champagne producers today.
We started our day at the Paris l’Est train station, armed with our train tickets and our Cartes 12-25 which halved the price of our trip from 44 Euros to 22. TGV trains can get to Reims from Paris in as little as 45 minutes but we chose a slower ride to save money for lunch and a tour of G.H. Mumm’s champagne factory.
Lunch was our first priority; we had skipped breakfast to make our mid-morning train. A path through construction of a new trolley system led us to a main street overflowing with restaurants and cafes. After walking around to find somewhere further from the train station—we were hoping for somewhere less touristy—we wound up back at the same main street. We found a 10 euro pizza and pasta bistro that satisfied our cravings with both barbeque pizza and, for the more adventurous, escargot pizza.
After lunch we wondered around the small, winding streets and sporadic squares in search of Mumm’s. We relied on the city maps and the directions of passers-by but it would have been smarter to bring our own directions, we missed our 2:00 tour but got lucky when we arrived just as another English tour was beginning at 2:30. Our guide showed us through the aging tunnels while explaining the history and technique of making champagne. The tour culminated in a champagne tasting which helped significantly in making the 10 euro tour worth its fee.
The rest of the visit required less wondering and allowed for more time in the sun. We headed back into the center of town to visit the Notre-Dame de Reims, an 800 year old cathedral where the kings of France had been crowned. That tradition began in 496 when Clovis was baptized by Saint Remi, Reims’ bishop at the time.
The inside of the cathedral is an impressive 455 feet long and 98 feet wide with a vaulted ceiling 125 feet high. The large scale was designed to accommodate the large crowds that attended the kings’ coronations. Though the cathedral was damaged by German shellfire during World War I, but was dutifully restored and reopened in 1938, though work continues today. In 1991 the cathedral was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our day wound to a close outside the Cathedral but there are many other things to visit in Reims including the Palace of Tau, home to the kings during their coronations, the Basilica of Saint Remi, the Fort de Fresnes, and the Surrender Museum, which stands on the spot where General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht, signaling the end of fighting on the Western Front of World War II.
If you go, and you should, remember to check opening hours and tours ahead of time. We only planned the Mumm tour so we missed out on a potential visit to the top of the Notre Dame de Reims. We also hoped to visit the Surrender Museum but we ran out of time because we got lost earlier in the afternoon. The city is friendly and walkable which makes for a perfect day trip. The main streets and squares are full of lively restaurants and cafes while the cathedrals and parks offer the opportunity for a quieter experience of this historic city.
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