Things to do in Reims

Reims is a city in northeastern France on the Vesle River and the Aisne-Marne Canal, about 83 miles northeast of Paris. Reims is the center of a major wine-growing region specializing in champagne production, but the city has been known for its textiles since the Middle Ages.

Named for the Remi, a Gallic tribe, Reims, France was one of the principal urban centers of Gaul during Roman times. It is also the birthplace of the French nation and the coronation place of most of the French kings. The city suffered severe destruction during World War I when German forces captured and pillaged Reims for 10 days. The German army then occupied the heights overlooking the city for four years, and periodic bombing damaged or destroyed many of the buildings, including the important Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame. Destruction also took place during World War II. The Germans surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on May 7, 1945, in a hall in Reims, which had served as headquarters of the Allied command.

A masterpiece of Gothic art, the Notre-Dame Cathedral originated in 1211 and was the cathedral of coronations for French kings in memory of the baptism of Clovis by Saint Remi. The Tau Palace, which was the former Archbishop’s Palace built in 1690, today houses the cathedral’s museum with tapestries, sculptures and artifacts from the kings’ coronations. The “Salle du Tau” once used as a banquet hall after coronations, is most noteworthy. Saint-Remi Basilica is the largest Romanesque pilgrimage church in northern France and was built as a shrine to Saint Remi. The Saint-Remi Museum was once the shrine of the Holy Ampula used for French kings’ coronations, now houses the city’s Museum of History and Archeology with impressive collections from Prehistory to the Renaissance as well as a large military history section. These four sites are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Most visitors come to Reims not so much for history but for the pure pleasure of visiting the cellars of its great champagne producers whose bubbly is present at celebrations all around the world. This is the home of the world’s best bubbly. The best of the best is to be sampled at local wineries such as the Maison de Pommery, the Mumm, Tattinger, Moet and Chandon and Veuve Clicquo. All give a guided tour of the cellars and champagne-making process, followed by a tantalizing taste test.

The city today is filled with swank restaurants, ritzy champagne houses, large squares and long, tree-lined avenues. The champagne bottled here is the lightest and subtlest in flavor of the world’s wines. Reims offers a city rich in history and culture, world renowned vineyards and wine cellars, classic Gothic monuments and historic battlefields.