Reims offers several cultural and historical perspectives: Gothic art, collections on the history of the city and region, Roman heritage, and the history of Champagne. If you are looking for a hotel in Reims, you could start by asking which of these themes you would like to shape your stay. The sites each have a different focus—from the cathedral’s architecture to a preserved map room and a former shipping cellar.
Gothic art and the history of coronations
Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic art. The Palais du Tau adds its own historic architectural features to this focus: it preserves its 13th-century palace chapel and 15th-century banqueting hall. The palace also houses the Museum of the Cathedral’s Works and Treasury. Its outstanding exhibits include objects associated with the coronations of the French kings. Architecture, collections and coronation history come together here, though they do not tell the same part of the story.
From regional history to the Renaissance
The Musée Saint-Remi presents significant collections on the history of Reims and the region in 17 galleries. Their time span runs from prehistory to the Renaissance, alongside an extensive section on military history. The chapter house offers a different perspective: considered a masterpiece of Romanesque art, it houses around 30 small sculpted capitals created around 1130. A broad historical span is thus set alongside individual, datable works of art.
The Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix tells a distinctive artistic story. Léonard Foujita designed and entirely decorated it between 1965 and 1966. His design combines Japanese culture with references to the Italian Renaissance. Those buried there are also part of the chapel’s history: Foujita and his wife Kimiyo are interred there.
Roman heritage and Champagne history
The Porte de Mars is a monumental Roman arch, built around the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. It is considered the longest arch in the Roman world and measures 6.4 metres high and 32.4 metres long. These figures give a concrete sense of the structure’s size, while its period of construction also places it within Reims’ Roman history.
Champagne history is told through a variety of evidence. Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims is one of three component sites of the UNESCO World Heritage property “Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars.” Le Cellier tells a different story: the building was constructed in 1898 for the Champagne house Mumm as a shipping cellar for bottles ready to be dispatched. After restoration, it has hosted cultural activities since 2015. This takes you from a World Heritage property to the original use of a single building and its later cultural use.
Architecture and markets
The Halles du Boulingrin also combine an architectural highlight with a range of offerings. They are among the rare examples of Reims architecture associated with modernism. The Halles host a covered market, an organic market, a book market and a craft market. This selection brings together different interests under one roof: food, books and handmade goods sit alongside the architectural history of the Halles. Which of these cultural and urban themes interests you most can help shape your choice of where to stay in Reims.
Discover more destinations: Montmirail, Witry-Lès-Reims, Baslieux-Châtillon, Épernay, Avize, Vauclerc, Saint-Imoges, Matougues.
For the broader travel overview: Marne.
