Reims: The Coronation Cathedral, the Chalk Cellars and Saint-Remi
Grand Est, France
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Champagne Connoisseur
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200
XP
+100 France
= 300 total
1 day
Reims: The Coronation Cathedral, the Chalk Cellars and Saint-Remi
200 + 100 XP
The kings of France were crowned in Reims Cathedral for centuries — thirty coronations in all, the last that of Charles X in 1825 — and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, with 2,303 statues on it. The Palais du Tau beside it, which holds the museum of the coronations, has been closed for rebuilding since January 2023, so the high-level tour of the south tower is the way into the fabric now. Across the city the basilica of Saint-Remi keeps the tomb of the bishop who baptised Clovis, and under the Saint-Nicaise hill run the chalk cellars of the champagne houses, on the UNESCO list since 2015.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Stand back from the west front of Reims Cathedral and find Clovis at the centre of the gallery of kings, between his wife Clotilde and Saint Remi, among fifty-six statues each 4.5 m high, then go inside and work out where in the building the thirty coronations happened, the last of them Charles X's in 1825
2
of 4
Go down into the Taittinger cellars on the Saint-Nicaise hill and pick out where the 13th-century abbey cellars give way to the Gallo-Roman chalk pits cut in the 4th century, part of the Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne listed by UNESCO in 2015
3
of 4
Climb the south tower of Reims Cathedral on a guided high-level tour, out into the space between the roof and the vaults and round the outside of the chevet among the sculpture and the roofs
4
of 4
In the basilica of Saint-Remi, count the ninety-six candles on the couronne de lumiere — one for each year of Saint Remi's life — then walk the 126 m of the church to his tomb, and find the plaque in the south aisle naming the three Frankish kings crowned here in 893, 922 and 954
Stand back from the west front of Reims Cathedral and find Clovis at the centre of the gallery of kings, between his wife Clotilde and Saint Remi, among fifty-six statues each 4.5 m high, then go inside and work out where in the building the thirty coronations happened, the last of them Charles X's in 1825
Go down into the Taittinger cellars on the Saint-Nicaise hill and pick out where the 13th-century abbey cellars give way to the Gallo-Roman chalk pits cut in the 4th century, part of the Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne listed by UNESCO in 2015
Climb the south tower of Reims Cathedral on a guided high-level tour, out into the space between the roof and the vaults and round the outside of the chevet among the sculpture and the roofs
In the basilica of Saint-Remi, count the ninety-six candles on the couronne de lumiere — one for each year of Saint Remi's life — then walk the 126 m of the church to his tomb, and find the plaque in the south aisle naming the three Frankish kings crowned here in 893, 922 and 954
Before you go
The Palais du Tau, with the coronation museum and the cathedral treasury, has been closed for rebuilding since January 2023 and is not expected to reopen before 2027. The cathedral itself is open all year, but the high-level tour of the south tower is guided, limited in number and not offered every day — book it before you travel. Champagne house cellar tours must be booked too.
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About Grand Est
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
200 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
300 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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