I will be making a day trip from Paris to Reims on 8/29 or 8/30 via train. I plan on visiting the cathedral, the basilica and the Musee des Beaux-Arts. Advice on the following would be appreciated...1. any other sites that should not be missed. 2. recommendation for winery tour/tasting. 3. Lunch and dinner advice. Is all this doable for a day trip? Thank you.

I really liked the Recapitulation Museum or whatever they call it, it was Eisenhower's headquarters during the war. Very well done and fascinating, but you'd have to be interested in military history or history, at least. It's not a very long walk from the train station.

Sure, it's doable in a day trip, but I did not do a winery tour and wasn't even aware there were any in a city (wineries are usually in the country). If there is something like that, I imagine it isn't the real winery but a place they sell stuff, but I could be wrong, who knows. I've just never seen a winery in a big city. they have some champagne houses with some tours in Reims, at least not too far from the center. I don't like champagne, actually, so didn't do those.

I liked the tour at Martel. It's a small house and more intimate than Tattinger and some of the others. Our guide was very humorous! She was great.

http://www.champagnemartel.com/en/home/index.php

Christina. Thanks for your reply. I am very interested in history and architecture. To clarify, I was thinking about a short trip, couple of hours, outside of Reims to one of the wineries. That was why I was wondering about the time factor. I will be taking the train in and out of Reims to Paris.

How about a visit to one of the world-famus Champagne houses - ornate places themselves but interesting tours thru the caves and a free glass of bubbly often at the end. One is right by the train station but the more famous ones like Tattinger, Mumms, Veuve-clicquot (sp?), etc are a few miles south of the town center.

And right by the station is the WW2 War Room, in an old school - the rooms where Allied generals mapped the final assault on Germany - place names still graces the desks and battle maps the walls in the room left the same as when the war ended.

also market days a huge wrought-iton market shed in town center redolent of those that used to grace Les Halles in Paris.