Taxi Lille → Reims

Reims is one of France's great historic cities, inseparably linked to two symbols: the Notre-Dame Cathedral, a masterpiece of Rayonnant Gothic where 33 kings of France were crowned from Clovis to Charles X, and Champagne, of which Reims is the world capital with its prestigious houses — Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Pommery, Ruinart, Mumm — and their cellars carved into the Champagne chalk, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reims Cathedral, with its façade adorned with 2,303 statues including the famous Smiling Angel, is a jewel of architecture and sculpture. The Palace of Tau, former residence of the archbishops adjoining the cathedral, and the Basilica of Saint-Remi, a Romanesque and Gothic masterpiece housing the tomb of Saint Remi who baptised Clovis, complete a monumental ensemble inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Reims, like Saint-Quentin, was largely rebuilt in Art Deco style after the destruction of 1914-18, and the Carnegie Library, the covered market and numerous centre-city façades bear witness to this architectural rebirth. The city is also a gastronomic hub — the pink Reims biscuits, Rethel white pudding and of course food-and-Champagne pairings are essential experiences.