Reims, France

Reims (sometimes spelled Rheims in English), a city in northern France, is perhaps best known for its world heritage listed cathedral, where generations of French kings were crowned. It is also the largest city in the Champagne area and some the champagne cellars located in the city are likewise inscribed on the world heritage list.

Reims, the home of champagne (the most celebrated and celebratory wine in the world), is the main city of the Champagne area. Though it is somewhat hiding in Paris' shadow and does not immediately come to mind when people think of France, it is a charming city, and one that the French hold dear to their hearts. The Reims Cathedral, one of the most beautiful buildings of the European Middle Ages, is filled with history: almost all French kings were crowned there for about 1,000 years. However, most of the city's old houses were destroyed during World War I, and the city was extensively rebuilt in the 1920s in an Art Deco style.