Reims is the principal city of the Champagne region and one of the most important historic cities in France. For a thousand years — from Clovis in 496 to Charles X in 1825 — it was the coronation city of French kings, and the Gothic cathedral built to mark that tradition is among the greatest in Europe. It is also the centre of the champagne industry: beneath the city, more than 250 kilometres of chalk tunnels (crayères) were dug by the Romans and later adopted by champagne houses to store their bottles. Tours and tastings are available at most of the major houses.
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame, begun in 1211, dominates the city both physically and symbolically. Its western facade carries over 2,300 statues and the celebrated Smiling Angel; the interior was badly damaged in World War I but has been carefully restored. Next to it, the Tau Palace houses the cathedral treasury, including medieval tapestries and the coronation regalia. A short walk south, the Romanesque abbey of Saint-Remi — older than the cathedral — contains one of the finest museum collections in the region.
Reims is only 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, which makes it an easy day trip, but the city rewards an overnight stay: the student population (over 25,000) keeps the restaurants and bars lively into the small hours, and the champagne cellars are best visited without a train to catch.