France's 12th largest city, Reims is famous for having given birth to champagne and for its cathedral, where several kings have been crowned. Located 45 minutes from Paris by train, this city in the Marne department (Grand Est region) is a great place to discover with the whole family, and its 3 Unesco World Heritage sites are not its only assets for a pleasant stay.
Monuments, museums, parks, restaurants... With over 2,000 years of life this City of Art and History offers, in addition to its 3 heritage jewels (the cathedral, the Palais du Tau and the former Abbey of Saint-Remi) numerous activities for the whole family to enjoy. To make the most of it, start by finding accommodation ideally located - there's no shortage of hotels in Reims - and then organize your discoveries according to your desires.
Do you prefer the great outdoors?
Admire the work of urban artists
6 pictorial sequences based on a common color code: that's what this 45-minute walking tour offers, free of charge and at your own pace. Located in the Z.I. Port Sec - La Husselle, one of the longest street art frescoes in France features works by artists from Reims (Céz'Art, Kusek, Wone...), Lille, Marseille and Brest. Among them is the famous portrait painter C215.
Relive a day of royal coronation
On the facades of Notre-Dame Cathedral and Saint-Remi Basilica, the breathtaking Regalia multimedia show awaits history buffs. Video, architectural lighting effects and a bespoke soundtrack all combine to create an unprecedented immersion in the life of a king on one of the festive days that the city has known so well for more than ten centuries. Launched in 2021, the magic of Regalia can be experienced every evening in July, August and September.
Prefer to stay warm?
Take a trip to the stars...
Just ten minutes from the Cathedral by tramway, the Reims Planetarium is sure to spark the imagination of children and adults alike, with a wide range of attractions.
A large museum space, a hemispherical projection room recreating the starry sky and images of the planets provided by space probes, and workshops led by scientific mediators... A chance to find out all about the latest discoveries in astronomy and, perhaps, to inspire a vocation for space exploration?
... or on the road
Opened in 1985, the Reims-Champagne Automobile Museum features over 200 models of vehicles from the 1900s to the 1990s. Beautiful vintage cars, motorcycles, pedal carts, miniature trucks and machines of all sizes and eras, car toys, old enamelled advertising plates tracing the evolution of France's automotive heritage... The association of collectors behind this atypical museum has passed on their passion for this invention that revolutionized human mobility.
Speaking of revolution, the fact that Reims is the most populous commune in France not to be a departmental prefecture (Châlons-en-Champagne is) is explained by the revolutionaries' rejection, in 1789, of the city's glorious past under the Ancien Régime.
Yet more proof of the exceptional destiny of this town, where it's so much fun to stroll through its preserved medieval streets, admire its beautiful Art Deco facades or pass through the door of one of its many Champagne houses.
And to make the most of your stay in Champagne, the 3-star Campanile hotels awaits you.
Enjoy your stay!
Valérie from Comme des Français
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