Day Trip from Paris to Reims

The Sample Day

Reims is compact. The tram stop Opéra sits 0.249 km from the cathedral, so the whole core is walkable once you arrive. The plan below assumes the 45-minute TGV ride and builds the day around the three fixed sights, with a cellar visit slotted into the early afternoon when the houses are fully open.

Check the cathedral tower tour slots and book your chosen champagne house in advance. If you would rather not juggle three bookings, the small-group Champagne Day Trip from Paris with Reims and Six Tastings covers the cathedral and two wineries in one booking.

• Morning: take the TGV from Paris, 45 minutes to Reims-Centre or Champagne-Ardenne TGV in Bezannes. If you arrive at Bezannes, continue by tram into the centre.
• Mid-morning: Reims Cathedral. Entry is free, and it is reached on tram lines A or B, stop Opéra, 0.249 km away, or the Citybus stop Cathédrale. Visit length is not stated by Reims Tourisme, so allow as long as the facade and stained glass hold you.
• Late morning: climb the cathedral tower, €9 for adults. Climb before lunch while the light is on the city.
• Lunch: the centre around the cathedral and the Opéra stop has no fixed tourist lunch listed in the official sources, so eat wherever suits your schedule and budget.
• Early afternoon: a champagne house cellar visit in Reims. Official published options include the houses below, and prices must be checked on each house's own ticket office because the listings change.
• Late afternoon: the Basilica of Saint-Remi. Visiting on your own is free, an audioguide costs €6, and tourist office guided visits cost €6 to €9.
• Evening: tram back to Champagne-Ardenne TGV or walk to Reims-Centre, and take the TGV back to Paris.

What to Skip If You Are Short of Time

Skip the Palais du Tau. It is closed for renovation, so it costs you nothing but a glance from outside. The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Reims is also shut for renovation and extension, with reopening planned for 2027. Neither should appear in your plan.

If the day is running late, drop the Basilica of Saint-Remi rather than the cathedral tower. The basilica is free and worth the bus ride out, but the cathedral and one cellar are the two experiences that define Reims. Keep in mind that the Pass Reims Epernay includes unlimited public transport in both cities, and the 48h and 72h versions include a free TER Reims to Épernay return, which matters only if you push on to Épernay.

Reims Cathedral

Reims Cathedral is the reason most visitors come, the church where the kings of France were crowned, and it is the anchor of any day trip from Paris to Reims. Entry is free, with no reservation mentioned in the tourist office listing. You reach it on tram lines A or B at stop Opéra, 0.249 km from the building, or on the Citybus at stop Cathédrale.

A visit length is not stated, so plan your own pacing. The facade and the stained glass, including the modern rose windows, fill most of a first visit. Because it is free, it costs you nothing to return for a second short look before your train, which is a good habit in a day as packed as this one.

The Cathedral Tower

The tower tour at Reims Cathedral costs €9 for adults, according to Reims Tourisme's top attractions listing. It is the only paid element at the cathedral itself. The climb takes you above the town for the view over the city and the surrounding champagne country, and it is the best single spend of the day if you only buy one ticket in the morning.

The official listing does not state the visiting length, the number of steps or a fixed timetable, so treat the €9 as the figure and check slots when you book. Climb in the late morning, after your first pass through the nave, so the rest of the day stays flexible.

The Palais Du Tau

The Palais du Tau, the archbishop's palace that once housed the coronation banquets, stands right beside the cathedral, and that is where your relationship with it ends for now. It is closed for renovation, per Reims Tourisme.

There is no ticket to buy and no interior to see, so the honest advice is to note the facade as you leave the cathedral and move on. Anyone planning a return trip or later should recheck the status before travelling, because the reopening date is a plan rather than a promise.

The Basilica of Saint-Remi

The Basilica of Saint-Remi, where the kings of France were baptised, is the second great church of Reims and sits away from the centre. Visiting on your own is free. An audioguide costs €6, and guided visits through the tourist office cost €6 to €9, which makes it the cheapest guided experience of the day.

The tourist office listing does not state opening hours or the visit length in the material this page draws on, so build it in as the late-afternoon stop and keep the return train time in view. Reaching it means a bus ride or a longer walk from the cathedral quarter, which is why the sample day puts it last.

A Champagne House Cellar

Reims sits on the Saint-Nicaise hill, part of the Champagne listing inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015, and its chalk cellars are the day's third act. The Champagne region has 370 chalk crayères, and 25 km of galleries run under Saint-Nicaise hill, and cellar temperatures hold at 10 to 12°C with 90 to 100% humidity all year, so bring a warm layer.

Named Reims houses in the official material include Taittinger at 9 place Saint-Nicaise, whose cellars lie 18 metres underground in Gallo-Roman chalk quarries, Veuve Clicquot at 1 rue Albert Thomas and Maison Mumm at 34 rue du Champ de Mars, whose cellars spread across almost 25 km. Tour prices are set on each house's own ticket office and are not listed here. For Épernay, the official Moët & Chandon page lists the Imperial Moment tour at €48 for 1 hour 30 minutes and Mercier lists The Founder tour at €25 for 45 minutes, both on the Avenue de Champagne.

The Comparison

The table compares the tour price, the total day length and what each option actually includes. The train fare is a dynamic SNCF price, so it is shown as such rather than quoted. Figure counts come from the tour listings and Reims Tourisme.

The Verdict by Traveler Type

Take the train if you travel light on structure. At 45 minutes each way, the TGV gives you a full day, the cathedral and Saint-Remi cost nothing, and you can book exactly one cellar visit at the house you actually want. This suits independent travelers who are happy to manage two or three bookings. The Weekend Group Pass costs €40 per day for 2 to 5 people on TER at weekends and public holidays, which is worth checking if your group is coming on a regional train instead.

Take the Blue Fox small-group Champagne tour if you want the vineyards outside Reims without a car. The minivan reaches Hautvillers and the family wineries that are awkward by public transport, and the cathedral stop is included. Take the My Winedays day with lunch if a long paired lunch and hotel pickup matter more than the price gap. Neither tour includes tips, and the Blue Fox tour does not include lunch, so budget for it separately. For how Reims ranks against other destinations, see the full list of day trips from Paris.

The TGV and the Tram

The TGV from Paris reaches Reims in 45 minutes. Trains arrive at Reims-Centre in the city, or at Champagne-Ardenne TGV in Bezannes, which connects to the centre by tram. Mainline fares are dynamic SNCF prices and are not quoted here.

To skip the train planning, the Champagne day trip from Paris covers Reims by minivan.