Reims in a day, cathedral in the morning and champagne underground in the afternoon.

Reims is 45 minutes from Paris by TGV and can be toured on foot from the station: the easiest day trip out of the capital. This plan combines the cathedral where the kings of France were crowned, the basilica of Saint-Remi and two champagne houses in old chalk quarries, with lunch on a terrace facing the façade of Notre-Dame. Book the two visits and lunch before you set out.

The day, hour by hour

8:30 · TGV from Gare de l'Est. About 45 minutes to Reims centre. From the station, ten minutes' walk to the cathedral via place Drouet d'Erlon.

9:45 · The cathedral. Free. The sculpted façade, the Smiling Angel on the left portal and, inside, Chagall's blue stained glass. The Palais du Tau, next door, is closed for works until 2027.

11:15 · Saint-Remi. Twenty minutes' walk south. The Romanesque basilica where Saint Remigius, the bishop who baptised Clovis, is buried. Free and peaceful.

12:15 · Pommery cellars. Ten minutes from Saint-Remi. The Brut Royal visit goes down 116 steps to the crayères, thirty metres underground, and ends with a glass: €30 with audioguide, €36 with a guide.

14:00 · Lunch at La Grande Georgette. In the former Art Deco fire station facing the cathedral, with a terrace onto the façade. Open every day. Go back by taxi or a half-hour walk.

16:00 · Mumm cellars. Next to the station. The Cordon Rouge Experience, an hour and a half with a glass, for €30. It can be requested in Spanish by writing to the house beforehand.

18:00 · TGV back. In Paris around 19:00.

Is it for me?

If you are interested in history and champagne, yes. With two glasses in the day, there is no driving problem because you are going by train. If you prefer vineyards to great houses, swap Pommery for half a day with a driver through the Montagne de Reims and Hautvillers.