La Caserne Chanzy
Why we like it: Five-star hotel with a spa in Reims's former Art Deco fire station, opposite the cathedral, with a restaurant, champagne bar and private parking.
Duration1 night
From ParisTGV · 45 min
Best timeMay · Jun · Sep · Oct
Budget€280–420 pp
Getting thereTGV from Gare de l'Est
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to arrive on Saturday morning by TGV and return on Sunday afternoon. Book the cellars, Saturday's dinner and the vineyard excursion beforehand. In winter, check the opening days of the houses.
Saturday
- 19:30Arrival and cathedral
TGV from Gare de l'Est and ten minutes' walk. The coronation cathedral, free: the façade, the Smiling Angel and the Chagall windows.
- 212:00Lunch facing the cathedral
La Grande Georgette, with a terrace on the façade, is open every day.
- 315:00Pommery cellars
Thirty metres underground, 18 km of galleries and a glass of Brut Royal: €30 with an audio guide, €36 with a guide. Next door, the basilica of Saint-Remi.
- 420:00Dinner at the Brasserie du Boulingrin
The 1925 brasserie opposite the covered market: oysters, seafood platter or a €25 set meal.
Sunday
- 19:30Vineyards and Hautvillers with a driver
Sparkling Tour picks you up at the station or the hotel: cru villages, family cellars and tastings. The half day costs €105 per person.
- 215:00Mumm cellars and train home
Next to the station: the Cordon Rouge Experience, an hour and a half with a glass, for €30. Then TGV to Paris.
Reims is the champagne of the great houses, with their cellars in Gallo-Roman quarries beneath the city; the villages around are the champagne of the vineyards and the families who make it. One night is enough to see both sides: on Saturday, cathedral and cellars in the city; on Sunday, a morning through the Montagne de Reims and Hautvillers with a driver, to taste without worrying about driving back. Everything starts and ends at the station, 45 minutes from Paris by TGV.
Where to sleep?
| Hotel | Where | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Continental Hôtel | Place Drouet d'Erlon, 5 min from the station | Coming and going by train without taxis |
| La Caserne Chanzy | Opposite the cathedral | A special night, with spa and views |
Both accept dogs. If you come by car, La Caserne Chanzy has private parking and the Continental a preferential rate in a public car park.
How much does it cost?
Between €280 and €420 per person with the train, one night in a four- or five-star hotel sharing a room, two cellars, the vineyard excursion and meals. The excursion with a driver is what weighs most, and also what is most remembered.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Reims, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Reims
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Fly to Paris and take the TGV to Reims
Reims is done from Paris: you fly to Charles de Gaulle or Orly, with direct flights from the main Spanish cities, and the TGV from Gare de l'Est puts you in the centre of Reims in about 45 minutes. You don't need a car: the cellars and the cathedral are on foot, and you go to the vineyards on an excursion.
- Getting thereParis-Charles de Gaulle (CDG): RER…
- Getting aroundOn foot between the station…
- Where to stayContinental Hôtel, five minutes from…
- ServicesTourist office next to the…
Getting there
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG): RER B to Gare du Nord and on foot to Gare de l'Est
- Paris-Orly (ORY): line 14 to the centre and the metro to Gare de l'Est
- Direct TGV Gare de l'Est – Reims, about 45 minutes
Getting around
- On foot between the station, the cathedral and Mumm
- A 20 to 30 minute walk to Saint-Remi, Pommery and Taittinger
- Excursion with a driver for the vineyards
Where to stay
- Continental Hôtel, five minutes from the station
- La Caserne Chanzy, opposite the cathedral
Services
- Tourist office next to the cathedral
Reims by train
Reims is the easiest day trip by train from Paris: 45 minutes by TGV and everything on foot from the station. Only the vineyards call for a car, and for that there are excursions with a driver.
110–220 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayContinental Hôtel, on Place Drouet…
- Getting aroundTGV from Paris Gare de…
- Where to eatBrasserie du Boulingrin, Monday to…
- ServicesReims centre station, departure point…
Where to stay
- Continental Hôtel, on Place Drouet d'Erlon
- La Caserne Chanzy, opposite the cathedral
Getting around
- TGV from Paris Gare de l'Est
- On foot: station, cathedral and Mumm in the centre; Pommery and Taittinger, 20–30 minutes away
- Sparkling Tour picks up at the station for the vineyards
Where to eat
- Brasserie du Boulingrin, Monday to Saturday
- La Grande Georgette, every day
Services
- Reims centre station, departure point for the excursions
Reims and Champagne by car
By car, Reims is an hour and a half from Paris on the A4 and is the gateway to the Champagne route: the Montagne de Reims, Hautvillers, Épernay and the Côte des Blancs. But every cellar pours glasses: if you are going to taste, have someone who doesn't drink drive, or leave the vineyards for an excursion.
120–240 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayLa Caserne Chanzy, with private…
- Getting aroundA4 from Paris
- Where to eatBrasserie du Boulingrin, next to…
- ServicesIn France, the alcohol limit…
Where to stay
- La Caserne Chanzy, with private parking
- Continental Hôtel, with contracted public parking
Getting around
- A4 from Paris
- In the city, leave the car and walk
Where to eat
- Brasserie du Boulingrin, next to the market
Services
- In France, the alcohol limit for driving is 0.5 g/l
How much does it cost?
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Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingwithout a carif you're driving
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Continental Hôtel
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in a 19th-century mansion on Place Drouet d'Erlon, with 51 renovated rooms, a restaurant and five minutes from the station.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Reims
Brasserie du Boulingrin
What to order: Oysters from Marennes-Oléron or the dish of the day; the €25 all-inclusive formula
Monday to Saturday · closed Sunday
La Grande Georgette
What to order: market cooking by chef Julien Raphanel on the terrace facing the cathedral façade
Open every day, including Sunday
Restaurant at the Continental
What to order: a meal in the dining room overlooking the Square Colbert, between the station and the cathedral
Open from 7:00 to midnight, from breakfast to dinner
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book everything beforehand
Cellars, excursion and Saturday dinner fill up at weekends.
- 2Warm layer
The crayères are cool all year.
- 3Sunday and Monday
The Brasserie du Boulingrin closes on Sunday: dine there on Saturday.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth sleeping in Reims?
Yes, if you want vineyards as well as cellars: Sunday morning is for heading out to the countryside with a driver.
Do you need a car?
No. Everything is done on foot from the station, and you go to the vineyards on the excursion.
How many cellars can you visit?
Two in the city is a good pace, plus the excursion to the producers in the villages.