For more information, visit the Reims Tourism Office at www.reims-tourism.com.
City region: Champagne / Grand Est
Population & what they are called: 186,971 inhabitants (2014 census), called Rémois
Access from Paris:
by road: about 1 h 30 min (90 miles) via the A4 autoroute de l'Est
by train: about 45 minutes by TGV from the Gare de l'Est
Famous native daughters & sons:
Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, television journalist and writer
Kyan Khojandi, actor
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, world champion cyclist
Most distinctive and/or unique fact or trait (or little known fact):
Reims was more than 80% destroyed in World War I, but rebuilt in less than 10 years by more than 400 architects.
A bottle of champagne is opened every 10 seconds.
Notable sites:
Cathédrale de Notre-Dame de Reims – for more than 1,200 years the place where the kings of France were coronated
Porte Mars – a beautifully preserved Roman gate
Fort de la Pompelle – tells the story of how the Great War fashioned today's Reims
Top annual events:
La Magnifique Society Festival – electro-pop music festival (lamagnifiquesociety.com)
Les Flâneries Musicales – a month-long series of classical concerts (flaneriesreims.com)
Les Fêtes Johanniques – two days of public holiday in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages to celebrate Joan of Arc (reims-fetes.com/fetes_johaniques.php)
Most notable museums:
Palais du Tau – a palace used as the residence of the kings during their coronations (palais-du-tau.fr/en/)
Musée des Beaux-Arts – five centuries of painting, sculpture, furniture and art objects
Musée Saint-Rémi – set in the royal abbey of Saint-Remi with historic objects from the city's past
Culinary specialties:
jambon de Reims – made from pork shoulder that is brined, cooked in stock, seasoned, pressed into molds and then coated in breadcrumbs
gingerbread – baked out of rye flour and buckwheat honey
biscuits roses – the famous pink biscuit, one of the oldest in France
Local wines & spirits:
champagne – Reims is a center of champagne production, home to the headquarters of large champagne-producing houses, many open for tasting and tours
Bouzy rouge – light red wine that gives pink champagne its color
ratafia – a fortified wine made from leftover champagne pressings
Shopping:
Rue de Vesle – the main commercial street
Grande Boutique du Vin – a comprehensive inventory of more than 150 types of champagne (vinscph.com/en/)
Maison Fossier – has produced the famous pink biscuit for more than 260 years (fossier.fr/en/)
Most popular night spots:
La Loge – food and relaxing dinner music that gives way to a full-blown night club
Le Clos – excellent wine bar with a sizable courtyard
Le Wine Bar – a relaxing bar with more than 500 wines and champagnes
Local population’s favorite activities (or hangouts):
Coulée Verte – a green corridor for jogging and cycling
Parc de la Patte d’Oie or Parc Léo Lagrange – green spaces that lend themselves to relaxation
Montagne de Reims – the vineyard-covered hill south of town, a hiker's paradise of gorgeous forests and numerous wine villages, like Verzenay and its Vine Museum
Local industries:
champagne – it is impossible to separate Reims from its champagne heritage
bioeconomy – agriculture and its ancillary industries, including the industrial development of agricultural resources
In Pop Culture:
local musicians – Reims natives include Yuksek, an electronic music producer, remixer and DJ; and The Shoes, an electro-rock duo
Expérience Pommery – modern art exhibitions in the chalk galleries and cellars of the prestigious
About Top French Cities - www.francepresskit.com
Top French Cities is an association of 29 cities, from regional capitals like Bordeaux to important towns like Avignon and Versailles. They are perfect for young travelers, families and anyone else looking for fun and authentic French experiences that will fit their budget. Most of these cities are university towns with a youthful atmosphere, but all of them reflect the heritage and distinctive flavors of the regions to which they belong. Many are forward-looking too, with historic buildings repurposed to house contemporary art and activity centers like Les Docks in Marseille. Many have created or integrated new, modern museums to contrast with their classical, architectural heritage, like in Nimes, where the cutting-edge Museum of Roman Civilization (Musée de la Romanité) is located across from the historic Roman amphitheater, or in Nantes, where whimsical mechanical creatures are being created, or in the UNESCO World Heritage Site concrete city of Le Havre.