Reims Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Hours and What to See

The Reims Christmas market runs from Wednesday 25 November to Sunday 27 December 2026 on the Hautes Promenades Jean-Louis Schneiter and the esplanade of the Porte de Mars, with about 150 chalets. Until 20 December it opens Monday 14:00–20:00, Tuesday to Thursday 11:30–21:00, Friday 11:30–22:00, Saturday 10:00–22:00 and Sunday 10:00–20:00; hours change for the school holidays from 21 December, and the market is closed on Christmas Day. Entry is free.

Those are the dates and hours the City of Reims published for the 2026 edition. Reims is an easy day trip from Paris, and in December it combines three things that rarely sit so close together: a mid-sized Christmas market, a Gothic cathedral lit up at night, and champagne houses whose cellars you can visit in any weather. This guide covers where the market is, when to go, what else the city puts on for the season, and how to fit in a cellar visit.

When is the Reims Christmas market in 2026?

The 2026 edition opens on Wednesday 25 November and closes on Sunday 27 December. The city runs it in partnership with the Vitrines de Reims, the association of city-centre shopkeepers, and the season's other events (the big wheel, the light show on the cathedral, the funfair) start earlier or run later, so a visit in early January still has something to see even after the chalets have gone.

There are two sets of opening hours.

25 November to 20 December 2026

• Monday: 14:00–20:00
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11:30–21:00
• Friday: 11:30–22:00
• Saturday: 10:00–22:00
• Sunday: 10:00–20:00

21 to 27 December 2026 (school holidays)

• Monday 21: 11:00–20:00
• Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23: 11:00–21:00
• Thursday 24 December: 11:00–18:00
• Friday 25 December: closed
• Saturday 26: 10:00–22:00
• Sunday 27: 10:00–18:00

Note the short Monday: in the main period the chalets do not open until 14:00 on Mondays, so a Monday-morning train from Paris arrives to a closed market.

Where is the market? The Hautes Promenades and the Porte de Mars

The market is not on the cathedral square. It stands on the Hautes Promenades Jean-Louis Schneiter, the long tree-lined walk that runs north from the railway station, and on the esplanade in front of the Porte de Mars, the Roman triumphal arch at the north end of the promenades. In earlier years parts of the market stood near the cathedral and the Palais du Tau, which is why older photos and some travel sites still place it there; check the city map before you set off.

Chalets lining the Hautes Promenades, the long walk that runs north from Reims station. Image: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The layout is simple: one long line of chalets under the plane trees, so you walk up one side and back down the other. The roughly 150 chalets sell food and drink, local products, crafts and decorations. Look out for:

• The village des artisans, a section given over to makers selling their own work.
• The Boutique #rémoise, a stall of Reims-made products and souvenirs.
• The petit train for children, and the Village des Oursons, the teddy-bear village aimed at younger visitors.

Because the market starts a few minutes' walk from the station, it is the first thing you reach if you come by train, and the last thing you pass on the way back.

Chalets beside the Palais du Tau, next to the cathedral, during the 2019 market; the 2026 market is on the Hautes Promenades instead. Image: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What to eat and drink

Expect the standard French Christmas-market menu: mulled wine (vin chaud), hot chestnuts, crêpes, tartiflette and other cheese dishes, gingerbread and nougat. In Reims there are two local additions worth seeking out.

The first is champagne by the glass, which several bars on the market usually serve alongside the mulled wine. The second is the biscuit rose de Reims, a light, pink, sugar-dusted biscuit that has been baked in the city since the 17th century. Locals dip it in champagne or coffee, and it travels well, which makes it a practical present to carry home.

A mulled-wine bar at the Reims Christmas market in December 2024. Image: Lucas Tabary-Maujean, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Biscuits roses de Reims, the pink biscuit traditionally dipped in champagne. Image: ADT Marne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The big wheel and the tree on Place d'Erlon

Place Drouet d'Erlon, the long pedestrian street of cafés between the station and the town centre, carries the season's two biggest landmarks.

The big wheel (grande roue) is 55 metres tall and has 36 closed, heated cabins with sound. In 2026 it turns from Saturday 14 November 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027, every day from 10:00 to 22:00. Tickets cost €8 for adults and €6 for children. By day you can see across the city to the vineyards on the Montagne de Reims; after dark the view is of the street lights and the Christmas illuminations.

The great Christmas tree stands on Place d'Erlon too, and the city strings a trail of lights through the centre, with sound-and-light shows projected onto several landmark buildings.

The big wheel on Place Drouet d'Erlon during the Christmas season. Image: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regalia: the light show on the cathedral

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame, where most of France's kings were crowned, gets its own show. Regalia, a sound-and-light projection on the west front, runs on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:00 until 3 January 2027, except Saturday 12 December. It is projected outdoors, so stand on the square in front of the cathedral and dress for a cold evening.

If you are in Reims on a Friday or Saturday, the best plan is to spend the late afternoon on the market, eat early, and walk the 15 minutes or so down to the cathedral for 20:00.

The west front of Reims Cathedral, where the Regalia light show is projected on winter weekend evenings. Image: Lumaca, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

By day, the cathedral itself is worth an hour: the west front carries hundreds of carved figures, including the "smiling angel" beside the north portal, and inside there are stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall in the axial chapel. Next door, the Palais du Tau, the former archbishop's palace, holds the cathedral treasury and coronation objects.

The funfair: Foire de Noël et des Rois

Families with older children can add the Foire de Noël et des Rois, the Christmas and Epiphany funfair on the chaussée Bocquaine. The city gives its dates as 5 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 on the funfair page (its main Christmas page says it runs until 4 January), with rides for all ages. Ride prices are set by each operator.

Visiting champagne houses in winter

Reims is one of the two capitals of champagne, with Épernay, and many of the great houses have their cellars here, cut into the chalk under the city. Some of these chalk pits (crayères) go back to Roman quarrying. The houses on the Saint-Nicaise hill are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars".

An old photograph of a gallery in the crayères, the chalk pits under Reims used as champagne cellars. Image: Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A cellar tour suits December well, because the temperature underground stays cool and steady whatever the weather outside. A few practical points:

• Book ahead. Most houses run guided visits at fixed times and sell out on December weekends. Reserve on the house's own website before you travel.
• Check holiday closures. Many houses close or cut back their visits around Christmas, New Year and in January. Confirm the date you want is open before planning a day around it.
• Bring a layer. The cellars are cold and often damp, and a tour can last an hour or more, much of it standing.
• Allow time to get there. The Saint-Nicaise hill is in the south-east of the city, well over half an hour on foot from the market, so a bus or taxi saves time. Combine it with the Basilica of Saint-Remi, which is in the same part of town.

The Basilica of Saint-Remi, in the same south-eastern district as several champagne houses. Image: Mathieu Kappler, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Getting there from Paris by TGV

Reims is well placed for a day trip. Direct TGV trains run from Paris Gare de l'Est to Reims station, and the fastest take around 45 minutes. Check timetables and fares on SNCF Connect and book early for December weekends, when trains fill up and fares rise.

Be careful with the station name: some TGVs from other parts of France stop only at Champagne-Ardenne TGV, a station outside the city, from which you need the tram or a regional train to reach the centre. From Paris, choose a train to Reims (the city-centre station). The Hautes Promenades and the market begin a few minutes' walk from its exit, and Place d'Erlon is just beyond.

If you drive, leave the car in a car park on the edge of the centre and walk; traffic is heavy on December weekends.

Tips for visiting

• Go on a weekday afternoon. Saturdays from mid-afternoon are the busiest time. Tuesday to Thursday afternoons are calmer, and the chalets are open from 11:30.
• Avoid Monday mornings. In the main period the market opens at 14:00 on Mondays.
• Time it for dusk. In December it is dark by about 17:00, which is when the lights on the promenades, the tree and the wheel come into their own.
• Plan a Friday or Saturday evening if you want to see Regalia on the cathedral at 20:00.
• Last days: the market closes at 18:00 on 24 December and on Sunday 27 December, and stays shut on Christmas Day.

If the weather turns

December in Reims is usually cold and grey, and rain is more likely than snow. The best indoor options are the ones a visitor would want anyway: a champagne-cellar tour, the cathedral, the Palais du Tau with the cathedral treasury, and the Basilica of Saint-Remi. The big wheel's cabins are closed and heated, so it still works in the rain.

Other Christmas markets in north-eastern France

Reims makes a good first stop on a longer trip east. Strasbourg, the largest and oldest market in France, is a direct TGV ride from Reims, and Colmar is a short regional train ride beyond it. Both have their own guides on this site, with their 2026 dates and opening hours: the Strasbourg Christmas market guide and the Colmar Christmas markets guide. Paris itself has several markets in December, from the square beside Notre-Dame to the large market at La Défense; see our Paris Christmas markets guide.