Reims is where Champagne meets history on a grand scale. This city of around 185,000 people has been the coronation site of French kings since the Middle Ages, and its Gothic cathedral — where Joan of Arc stood beside Charles VII — is one of the finest in Europe. Today, it’s also the de facto capital of the Champagne wine industry, home to many of the region’s most prestigious houses.
The great Champagne maisons line the broad avenues of central Reims: Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Ruinart, and Krug all have their headquarters and cellars here. Several offer tours that take you deep into the chalk tunnels — called crayères — that were carved out in Gallo-Roman times and now store millions of bottles slowly aging toward perfection. The Taittinger and Pommery cellars are particularly impressive, descending dozens of metres beneath the city.
Beyond the famous houses, Reims makes a practical and comfortable base for exploring the wider Champagne region. The Montagne de Reims, a forested ridge south of the city, is home to many of the region’s best Pinot Noir vineyards and a growing number of excellent grower-producers. The city is also well-connected: just 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, with good hotels, excellent restaurants, and a lively market scene.
We often suggest visitors split their Champagne time between Reims and Épernay, the smaller town to the south that sits on the Avenue de Champagne — quite possibly the most valuable street in the world, with billions of euros worth of wine aging beneath it. Together, the two towns give you access to virtually everything Champagne has to offer.