Reims: Cathedral, Champagne & Veuve Clicquot
A city-center stay, grand Gothic architecture and an unforgettable journey beneath Reims into the chalk cellars of one of Champagne’s most iconic houses.
Reims feels both monumental and intimate: a city where royal history, elegant squares and centuries of Champagne-making exist within an easy walk—or just beneath your feet.
Holiday Inn Reims – City Centre
We stayed in the historic center at Holiday Inn Reims – City Centre, a convenient base for exploring the city on foot. Shops, cafés and many of Reims’ best-known sights were close by, making it easy to spend the afternoon wandering before dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.
A walk through historic Reims.
Our walk through the city brought together two of its defining stories. At the center stands Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims, a UNESCO World Heritage landmark and Gothic masterpiece closely tied to the coronations of France’s kings.
We also stopped at Fontaine Subé, crowned by its gilded winged figure and surrounded by the everyday rhythm of central Reims. From the city’s grand landmarks, the day shifted naturally toward the Champagne heritage that has shaped the region for centuries.
Beneath Reims at Veuve Clicquot
At Veuve Clicquot, we descended into Les Crayères—the historic chalk quarries now used as Champagne cellars. Cool, dramatic and seemingly endless, the galleries are part of the UNESCO-listed Champagne landscape and hold more than two centuries of the Maison’s story.
Ending with a tasting.
The tour traced the craftsmanship and patience behind the House’s signature Champagne before concluding with a guided tasting. After the scale and stillness of the cellars, that final glass felt like the perfect way to bring the story back to life.
It was more than a visit to a famous Champagne house—it was an immersion in the history, character and unmistakable style of Veuve Clicquot.
“Reims was a beautiful contrast—grand history above ground and an entirely different world waiting below.”Eliza’s final thoughts
Reims at a glance.
A polished Champagne-region stay combining walkable city sights, French history and one extraordinary cellar experience.
- Destination
- Reims, France
- Stay
- Holiday Inn Reims – City Centre
- Landmarks
- Notre-Dame Cathedral & Fontaine Subé
- Essential Tour
- Veuve Clicquot
- Evening
- Dinner near the hotel
- Pack
- Comfortable shoes and warm cellar layers