CHAMPAGNE
DAY ONE
9AM – Arrive in Reims (pronounced rass for some mysterious Gallic reason) after a 45-minute TGV journey from Paris and dump your bags at Grand Hotel Continental, just a three-minute walk from the train station.
10AM – Grab a coffee and head out for a two-hour tour of historic Reims. You can join open bus tours via the Reims Tourism office (reims-tourism.com) or opt for a more sedate walking tour via Paris Champagne Tour (parischampagnetour.com).
From 1914 to 1918, Reims endured a barrage of artillery shelling as the Germans lobbed all manner of exploding objects from the surrounding hills, obliterating 80 per cent of the city’s buildings. Rebuilding
