Spending 2 Nights in Reims (Champagne)

When it came to planning a trip to visit the Champagne region of France, we were really split. On one hand, we’re not exactly champagne people. Both Tom and I will take a full-bodied red wine over champagne any day. On the other hand, being in France for almost six weeks almost demanded that we travel beyond our comfort zone. When I figured out that I could use points to book our hotel, I decided that we would spend at least 2 nights in Reims. We ended up really enjoying our time in Reims, so much so that we’re talking about going back again! Let’s talk about what made this trip good and worthwhile!

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Journey of Doing - If you're thinking about visiting the Champagne region, here are a few reasons to skip the day trip and spend a couple of nights in Reims!

Is Reims Worth Visiting?

Whether you are a champagne drinker or not, I do believe that Reims is worth more than a day trip. (If you’ve been following along on the blog for awhile, you know I’m anti day trip.) The cathedral alone would make it worth a visit. We visited Reims in mid-July, and it felt like we had the place to ourselves most of the time. We thought the architecture was pretty – similar to Paris and Bordeaux. However, we also really enjoyed trying champagne “in situ.” Being in Reims allowed us to try a lot of smaller producers of Champagne – and don’t hate me – but I find them to be better than the famous champagnes that are exported to the US.

I don’t think it’s a place that you need to spend a lot of time in, but two nights in Reims was perfect. It allowed us to slow down for a bit, too. Sometimes when you’re traveling a lot, the days can start to run together. If you visit places that have a lot of must-see attractions, it can start to feel overwhelming. We spent a bit of time sightseeing in Reims, and we spent more time on our balcony watching the light change around the Notre Dame de Reims. I don’t think you need to enjoy Champagne to enjoy Reims either. Many of the French kings were crowns in the Reims cathedral, so there’s a lot of history to enjoy here.

Journey of Doing - what to do in Reims

Getting to Reims

My tips for getting to Reims are largely going to be determined by what kind of traveler your are. Personally, I really liked the flexibility of having a car. The vineyards around Reims are beautiful. When a small champagne producer reached out to me to see if we would be interested in visiting, it was easy to say yes because we could get there on our own schedule. Roads in France are well maintained and it’s easy to get around. (If you want to learn more about driving in France or even putting together some great itineraries, I love the DK Back Roads France and Lonely Planet’s Best Road Trips.

Journey of Doing - weekend in Reims and Champagne region of France

Reims by Train

If you want to take the train from Paris to Reims, it’s super easy. It takes about an hour. The best part about taking the train to Reims is the train station is right in the middle of the city. Sometimes in smaller towns in France (though Reims is NOT a small town), the train station arrives outside of the city, so you have to figure out how to get into town. Not Reims. You’re deposited right in the centre-ville, which makes it easy to sightsee. Many of our friends in Paris have advised that you can take a 9:00 train from Paris, arrive in Reims around 10:00, enjoy a tasting, lunch, and another tasting, and then be back in Paris in time for dinner. It really does seem that easy, but you’ll want to plan and book your tastings in advance.

If you’re looking to come to Reims because you want to visit the large champagne houses (Tattinger, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Moet & Chandon etc.), there are tons of guided tours and day trips from Paris that will offer exactly that. That’s not my style, but it might be yours. I’m not here to judge – just to tell you what your options are. If you want to do something truly special, book

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Things to Do in Reims

I think most people come to Reims for champagne, the cathedral, or history. We came for a bit of champagne and for the cathedral. Unfortunately, we had a hard time finding tours of Reims during the time we were there. (We probably could have done better by visiting the Reims tourist information office, in retrospect. It was pretty rainy though, so we opted to stay pretty close to our amazing hotel and enjoy the spa.

Reims is a great place for exploring a bit of World War I history, as it’s not too far from Verdun. Many tour guides offer trips to Verdun in combination with some champagne tastings, which seems like a strange combination to me – but hey, when in Reims? Do what you want to do. I can’t judge you for that.

If (when?) we go back, I definitely want to visit the Musée de la Reddition (the Museum of the Surrender – World War II history!). You’ll have to visit before May 2025 though because it’s about to close for a year-long renovation!

Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims

The main cathedral in Reims (yes, the one that looks like Notre Dame in Paris), is perhaps one of the most beautiful things to see in Reims. Not only can you experience it without the tourist crowds, particularly if you stay in Reims, but you can also take your time. Personally, I love the Marc Chagall stained-glass windows. The rose window is especially lovely. I haven’t been back to Notre Dame since it reopened in December 2024, but I loved the cathedral in Reims. Up until last summer, the Bayeux cathedral was my favorite, but I’m torn between the Notre-Dame de Reims and Notre-Dame de Bayeux. (You can love more than one place, I promise.) The stained glass in Reims in truly spectacular. (As I type this, I feel guilty for not mentioning the Cathedral de Notre Dame of Strasbourg… AHHHH! I cannot choose.)

If you spend Christmas in Reims, there is a Christmas market in front of the cathedral. (I would definitely come back and spend a weekend in Reims in December for that!)

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Journey of Doing - If you're thinking about visiting the Champagne region, here are a few reasons to skip the day trip and spend a couple of nights in Reims!

Reims Champagne Tasting Room

One of the best wine bars in Reims that we visited was Tresors du Champagne. This bar was recommended to us by one of our favorite sommeliers in Paris. It proved to be the best use of time for tasting champagne in Reims. We were able to walk in and enjoy a tasting. (We opted for a flight, but you can enjoy single glasses as well.) The sommelier will get a sense of your taste and then make recommendations for you. The bottles are suspended from the ceiling and you can pull them down to read more about the champagne and the producer. What we loved most about this tasting is that it entirely focused on small producers. We were able to experience the depth of champagne flavors in a single tasting, and it helped us understand that we could find bottles that we would enjoy. There are truly distinct varietals of champagne, which is not something we had necessarily experienced in the US.

However, when we go back, we will definitely be booking their champagne masterclasses.

Journey of Doing - champagne tasting in Reims

Visiting Champagne Houses

One of the things that I enjoyed while we were visiting Reims was taking a trip out to the vineyards. The vineyards in Champagne are some of the most beautiful in France. We decided to visit Champagne Gardet in Chigny-les-Roses, which was only a short drive from Reims. Francois was an incredible host, and he truly went above and beyond for all his guests. (The man was seriously everywhere!) We had the opportunity to try a variety of champagnes (vintage and non-vintage). Our tasting was in the garden, and it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. We tried a few rose champagnes, as well as blanc de blanc and blanc de noir champagnes. They also offered a variety of zero dosage champagnes, which we really enjoyed.

Personally, I would recommend skipping the more famous Champagne houses focused on visiting the smaller producers. Francois genuinely took an interest in ensuring that all his clients were able to find things they enjoyed and constantly asked for feedback on their preferences. I was truly impressed with the amount of attention he provided all of his guests.

We brought back a couple of bottles to share at our monthly wine dinners. We brought the Charles Gardet Rosé de Saignée Millésime 2013, and it did not last. (I thought the the NV rose was even better, but you might feel different!) The price points are very approachable, which was something that was important to us as champagne novices.

Journey of Doing - Champagne Gardet tasting in Reims
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A Few Smaller Champagne Producers to Try

If you’re not wanting to hire a tour guide to take you around the vineyards, I have a few recommendations on things we tried and loved! If you’re looking for a few other small, independent champagne houses to try, here are some things I’d look for while visiting the Champagne region of France:

  • Marteaux Guillaume – This producer offers some very interesting wines that are different from your run of the mill producers.
  • Vazart-Coquart & Files – Chouilly Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc Brut (2016) was probably my favorite champagne on this trip
  • Forget-Chemin – I liked their club brut champagne (2018)
  • Paul Bara – Their Bouzy Grand Cru 2016 was another one of my favorites on this trip!
  • Hervieux Dumez – The Sacy Premier Cru (NV) was quite refreshing
Journey of Doing - where to try champagne in Reims

Where to Stay in Reims

Usually, when I’m deciding where to stay in a new place, I’m looking for one of two things. One, do I want to stay in the city center? If so, I want to find the best location possible within a city. I don’t want to stay somewhere that I would have to take a bus or tram to be able to sightsee. Two, if I’m staying outside of the city, why would I want to make that hotel my home base? Most of the time, when I’m staying outside of the city center, I’m looking for wine resorts or truly special hotels.

Given that we would be coming off of a week in apartments, I knew I would want some creature comforts. There were two hotels that fit the bill for me: Domaine Les Crayères and La Caserne Chanzy Hotel. Domaine Les Crayeres is a Relais & Chateux property, and it will definitely stay on my list of places to stay in the Champagne region. When I realized that I could use my Marriott free night certificates at La Caserne Chanzy, my decision was made. (I also had no problem using my suite night awards in Reims.) These hotels have two vastly different vibes, so you’ll have to do your own research.

Journey of Doing - romantic nights in Reims

La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa

In a lot of ways, La Caserne Chanzy feels like a boutique hotel. It’s in the center of Reims. Staff is fantastic, and the spa is a lovely benefit. (I feel like I need a spa every couple of days when we’re traveling.) The spa has a pool area, a sauna, a hammam, as well as treatments. We made daily appointments to use the sensory pool and sauna. I got a massage and was very happy with it, too.

When we arrived, we were treated to a glass of champagne and some cashews at the bar. Our welcome gift in our room included a La Caserne Chanzy branded fragrance. (This was such a special touch! I haven’t seen a hotel offer this in years.) We didn’t take advantage of breakfast though. (We’re really bad at that sometimes.)

Looking back, we were super fortunate that the weather in Reims wasn’t great while we were there. This made it easy to sit on our balcony at La Caserne Chanzy and just enjoy the view. We bought a couple of bottles of champagne, some baguette and cheese, and enjoyed an apertif on our covered balcony. (You’ll notice I don’t have any restaurant recommendations on this post yet. Honestly, it was our best nights in Reims. Nothing else we did in the evenings even came close. It was perfect for 2 nights in Reims and we could have easily stayed longer. As we sit here today contemplating yet another summer in France, Tom will tell you that if we could have the same room in Reims, he would go back. (File that under things I would not expect!)

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Room 508 – Reims Cathedral View Room

The rooms are comfortable with distinctive, modern character. (People complain about that, but I feel it’s a theme in Reims.) As I mentioned, we used our suite night awards with Marriott to upgrade our room to a skyline view room. This means that we had a view of the Reims cathedral at every single moment. The bathroom was large, particularly by French standards… and personally, I was REALLY excited for a large walk-in shower with great water pressure and plenty of hot water. While yes, the vanity may have been small by US standards, it was perfectly fine for the two of us. Everything else made up for it. Bath amenities were Vinesime and made from chardonnay grapes. If that’s not on brand for a hotel in Champagne, I don’t know what would be!

One thing that was challenging about this room is that we didn’t have a good space to work. Tom had some work to do while we were in Reims, and there wasn’t a great desk space. We made it work through the small table and the console under the TV though. I am noticing that more and more hotels are getting rid of desks, so it’s just something to be aware of if you know you will need to work here. Our room had fantastic natural light, which was really nice, too.

Booking La Caserne Chanzy Hotel in Reims

If you are interested in booking La Caserne Chanzy Hotel in Reims, and you don’t have Marriott Titanium status (like me!), I’m happy to book it for you. It’s part of the Marriott Luminous collection and the available perks to booking with a luxury travel advisor include:

  • Welcome amenity
  • Complimentary upgrade, as available
  • Complimentary breakfast daily for two guests
  • Early check-in and late check-out (when available)

We did utilize valet parking for our stay. They let us drive up to the hotel, park and unload, and then they took the car from there. It made everything very easy. (We seem to almost always travel with a wine suitcase now – it gets heavy! It’s worth it for the savings though!)

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Our Road Trip Itinerary for France

As a reminder, we spent almost six weeks traveling around France by car. If you’re wondering where our trip to Reims fit into our itinerary, I’ve listed the entire itinerary below. Looking back, I would have definitely flipped Reims and the Alsace, as it required a bit of backtracking. That said, Alsace wasn’t part of our original itinerary. The original plan was to go back to the Hyatt Etoile for an Eiffel Tower view room for Bastille Day or spend two nights in Versailles for fireworks and fountains. From there, we were going to go Rouen for a few days before heading back to Paris. We decided to add the Alsace at the last minute. (We wanted to be there for Fete Nationale.)

For most of our trip, we had a car, which we picked up from Gare Saint-Lazere and returned to CDG before ending our trip in Paris for a few days. (We took the RER back to our hotel from the airport.) We flew in and out of CDG from Dallas.

Follow along with Sara!

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