When you plan your visit, chose a central place for your stay, so you can walk to Le Palais, the best café in town, for breakfast, a ten o'clock flûte of Champagne, or a chat with proprietor Jean-Louis Vogt whose grandmother established the brasserie in 1930. A genial man, Vogt loves to meet new customers, and he has a special fondness for Americans. Vogt has been to New York once in his life, and he never fails to mention his visit to the Blue Note jazz club every time I see him. I admit that I do spend many hours there whenever I am in Reims, reading the papers, sipping Champagne with friends or business acquaintances, or gazing at the art works that grace the walls and ceilings of the brasserie: paintings, sculptures, photos, stained-glass windows and many other objets stand out against the homey patterned wallpaper.
  Soon you too will consider Café du Palais your base in Reims, and if you are hungry, Vogt will recommend his pain chic, a humorous response to fast-food: It is a magnificent sandwich made with a crisp baguette and stuffed with ham, cheese and p‰té in a neatly organized succession. He also provides regular lunch fare with a regional twist.
  But would I still visit Reims if it weren't for Le Palais and my own nostalgia? Absolutely. Here's why:

The Streets of Reims From the Café du Palais, walk to the Place d'Erlon to look at the wonderful and little known eclectic collection of art deco fa�ades. Rebuilt after WWI, it is a truly original and rare ensemble of 1920's architecture that catches the eye with its bas-reliefs, its iron and floral patterns, and the occasional neo-gothic evocation of Reims' pre-war medieval houses. Pick up bread and pastries at Wa•da's, turn into the narrow Passage Subé, a gallery with numerous shops, and walk towards Place du Forum. On your way, stop at Fossier's to pick up fresly baked massepains - fabulous local pastries made with almond paste - and at La Petite Friande's for dark chocolate corks filled with marc de Champagne. Both shops are located on the Cours Langlet. On Place du Forum, you will discover a Roman underground market place, as well as possibly the best food shops in Reims: butchers, cheesemongers, fishmongers, wine in Les Caves du Forum - located in underground galleries - and fruit and vegetable shops. Here also stands the house where Joan of Arc stayed when she escorted the future Charles VII to his crowning.
  On a Saturday, walk to the Boulingrin to take a look at the 1930's vaulted Halles - a unique early concrete structure which barely survived destruction a few years ago and has not yet been renovated - and to amble among the street merchants who display their wares here once a week. Among my favorites are the cheesemonger Bruck in his mobile shop, the local goat farmers who offer fresh yogurt and cheeses, the florists and the artisanal honey producers, the mara”chers from the nearby Ardennes countryside, the oyster seller from Calais and the Arabic stalls for spices, dates and bric-ˆ-brac. From the marketplace, you can admire another of Reims' striking Roman vestiges, the Porte Mars. The richly decorated gate was built at the end of the second century and comprises three arcades, a large one for chariots and carts in the middle, and smaller ones for pedestrians on each side.
  On the other side of the Forum sits the elegant Place Royale, a striking 18th century square that evokes the commercial prosperity of Reims on the eve of the industrial age. From there, stroll to the majestic cathedral whose towers dominate the city. You will be astonished by the height and the elegance of the flying buttresses that support the choir of the cathedral. It's arguably the best example of religious gothic architecture anywhere, and is said to have inspired Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, as well as the builders of New York's St. Patrick's and St. John the Divine. Entering the cathedral is imperative, to discover its magnificent 13th century stained glass windows and statuary, but also to breathe in its awe-inspiring atmosphere when the late afternoon light brings the colors and the characters of its windows to life. From the square in front of the cathedral, the visual impact of its towers and fa�ade can only be compared to that of the World Trade Center, and for that matter, many upset Rémois - the local inhabitants - evoke the fire of the cathedral in the dark hours of WWI when they comment upon the monstrous destruction of the Twin Towers. Maybe their keen interest for all things American harks back to those days when American soldiers fought on their soil and American generosity helped rebuild their city. As a result, don't be surprised to stumble upon such names as Andrew Carnegie for Reims' main library and Franklin Roosevelt for the school which hosted the US headquarters and the German surrender at the end of WWII.

The Countryside If you rent a car from one of the many agencies near the train station, and drive in the direction of Dormans (Ch‰teau-Thierry), then after Tinqueux on the outskirts of Reims, you'll find yourself in the countryside. And although you cannot see it yet, your first destination is in sight: the ancient pilgrimage of St. Lié, a hillock atop the Montagne de Reims. Make a left toward Les Mesneux, leave the plains behind you, and head towards the vineyards and the picture-perfect village of Villedommange with its romanesque country church and narrow streets. As you enter Villedommange, you'll notice one of Veuve Clicquot's pressing houses to the right, while above the village St. Lié overlooks the steep vineyards as well as the wheat plains and beet fields that surround Reims. The breathtaking panorama captures the whole city, with the grey volumes of the cathedral barely discernible in the distance.
  If you're inclined to remembrance and reflection on the folly of war, drive to close-by Courmas for a visit to a small British graveyard nestled among the fields and woods. This place of rest is just one of the numerous and often eery military cemeteries that pockmark the countryside of Champagne and immortalize the American, Canadian and British sacrifices made in the hills of the Chemin des Dames northwest of Reims, and along the battlefields of the Batailles de la Marne westward toward Dormans and Ch‰teau-Thierry. Many German and Italian cemeteries can be seen there as well.
  From St. Lié, retrace your steps through Villedommange and follow the very scenic Route Touristique du Champagne to the east, in the direction of Sacy. The narrow road follows the edge of the vineyards of the Montagne de Reims and winds through the many beautiful and compact villages which dot the landscape. On the local farm houses, many producers display signs to invite you to buy a few bottles of Champagne. You'll also notice several cooperatives set up by local growers to press their grapes and make wine in Ecueil and Chamery. Chamery, with its needle-like church steeple, takes special pride in the displays of flowers orchestrated by its inhabitants, as is the case in many villages of Champagne.
  Up the hills and down the hills, the country road suddenly reaches the highway that links Reims and Epernay in Montchenot. At the crossroads, carefully turn left and stop for lunch at Le Grand Cerf, one of the best restaurants in the region - on a sunny day, make sure to sip a flûte of Champagne on the terrace. After lunch, continue your vineyard excursion to the east, towards Verzenay. You are now in the so-called Grande Montagne, particularly renowned for its pinot noir. Among the villages surrounded by vineyards, Villers-Allerand lies on the Roman Chemin de la Barbarie, Chigny takes pride in its roses, and the village of Mailly-Champagne boasts one of the oldest growers' unions, founded in 1929, during the dark hours of the Champagne trade. Don't hesitate to stop for a tour - and a few bottles of Champagne.
  Just before you reach the famous grand cru village of Verzenay, in a vale, stands the only windmill of the Champagne region. Built in 1823, it served as an observatory during WWI. On the other side of the village, an elegant lighthouse erected in 1909 by a Champagne producer to promote his wines was recently transformed into an interesting museum with a wealth of information about the vineyards and the wines of Champagne. Both the windmill and the lighthouse provide spectacular vistas of the vineyards and the city of Reims in the near distance. From here, the drive back to Reims will take about 20 minutes. Before you reach the center of town, you must stop for a flûte (of Champagne, of course) at Les Crayères, a sumptuous establishment smoothly run by Elyane and Gérard Boyer in the former 19th century mansion of the Princesse de Polignac. I'd like to think that theirs is the cosiest and most intimate Ÿber-bar on earth, absolutely restful and plush, yet surprisingly affordable if you order the special cuvée of the month. I strongly recommend dinner there, but if you cannot, enjoy the bar instead, and, during the season, the terrace that dominates the beautiful and peaceful park.

Champagne Cellars If you have not been conquered yet by the streets of Reims, or its countryside, then go underground. Several of Reims' Champagne cellars are the among the more spectacular and surprising wine cellars you will ever see. These striking subterranean caves can only be found in the city's elevated eastern neighbourhoods of St. Remi - don't miss the Basilica - and St. Nicaise, and they owe their unique and impressive character to their ancient origin as Roman quarries. The chalk blocks were excavated from the surface down by Gaul slaves, and the extraction pits progressively created underground pyramids, some of them over 30 feet deep. Nothing but a narrow opening can be seen at the top, and it is said that most of the mining slaves never came back out from the depths of these pyramids. The caves were then connected to each other, creating a vast labyrinthine network of galleries, which was used by the locals to take refuge from the invaders - the first hordes of barbarians attacked Reims in 257, the last in 1940. In the 18th century, the galleries were used as prisons, mushroom caves, andÉ cellars. The Champagne house of Ruinart (1729) was the first to discover the potential of these galleries as a place for ageing its wines, back in the early days of sparkling Champagne. Ruinart was followed by Forest-Fourneaux (now Taittinger), Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin, Heidsieck, Henriot and Pommery. In the case of the latter, its late 19th century winery and offices were built in a style reminiscent of British architecture, with Gothic and Tudor features, in honor of the clientele of the house at the time, and form a large and curious ch‰teau flanked by two round towers. Other cellars in the center of town, near Boulevard Lundy and the Boulingrin - Krug, Lanson, Mumm, RÏderer - are worth visiting, too, but the former are truly a must-see. (Or, for a touch of Hollywood showmanship, visit Piper-Heidsieck, while Bruno Paillard's sleek facilities, just outside of town, reflect a very contemporary approach.) Most of these Champagne houses receive visitors, although an appointment is generally required. Some of them charge a very modest fee.
  I could go on and on about Reims, and tell you how it was the cradle of aviation, with the first air shows of 1909 and 1910, how it has its own "Père Lachaise" cemetery, how it is now home to a vibrant music festival originally sponsored by Yehudi Menuhin. I could also have you retrace the footsteps of Joan of Arc, far better than in the movie. But I believe it is now yours to seize.