Fort de la Pompelle on the outskirts of Reims is a remarkably intact First World War fort and museum that held an extraordinary defensive position through four years of continuous fighting, its galleries housing one of France's finest collections of German military helmets and World War I artefacts. The fort's moats, tunnels, and earthworks are walkable and the adjacent champagne fields and crater landscape give the visit unusual poignancy. Hotels in Reims provide a base for combining the city's extraordinary medieval and champagne heritage with the region's powerful World War I memorial landscapes.
The greatest country-house hotel in Champagne, Les Crayères occupies a Belle Époque château in a park of centenary trees with two Michelin-starred restaurants — Philippe Mille's Le Parc and the more accessible Le Jardin — a spa, and twenty rooms of devastating elegance. The cellar, built over ancient Roman chalk quarries, is one of the most well-appointed in France.
Perched on the UNESCO-listed Champagne hillside above Épernay with an extraordinary view over the vineyards, Royal Champagne has an infinity pool that seems to float among the vines, a spa, and a restaurant where the ten-course menu is matched to Grand Cru Champagnes from producers whose vineyards are visible from the table.
Chef Arnaud Lallement's three-Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms just outside Reims, L'Assiette Champenoise is technically a hotel but is chosen primarily for the cooking — considered the finest expression of modern Champenois cuisine in existence. The twelve rooms and suites are appropriately elegant.
A reliable mid-market option in the city centre walking distance from the cathedral and the Champagne house cellars. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the breakfast is good, and the location makes it excellent value for visitors who want to spend their money on Champagne tastings rather than a luxury hotel.
A Reims institution since 1913, the Hôtel de la Paix has accommodated Champagne-house owners, visiting dignitaries, and discerning travelers for over a century in its handsome façade on a central boulevard. The brasserie restaurant is one of the best in the city for traditional Champenois food.
The Mercure on the cathedral square occupies a superb position with some rooms having direct cathedral views, and the breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Gothic masterpiece is one of the more atmospheric morning starts available at a mid-range price point in France.
