Eastern France Tour — Extra Night in Reims? NEW ?

Unless you have been to Paris so many times that you are tired of all it has to offer, I'd spend that night in Paris and take an early (ish) morning train to Reims on the first day of the tour.

I took this tour in 2011. We spent time in Paris and traveled to Reims the morning that the tour started. That afternoon (before our tour meeting), we visited the Museum of the Surrender. It is a relatively small museum. It looks like it is closed for renovation until March 2026, so check before you travel.

We added 2 extra nights before this tour in 2017. We arrived in the afternoon and used the time to settle in and get a feel for the town. The following day we went to the Museum of Surrender, did a tour at Tattinger and a wine tasting at Martel. The town has a wonderful TI and a good bus system. My husband still talks about repeating this tour.

When we did this tour we came in a day early and did a van guided champagne tour after having done the Best of Paris tour. We visited several of the smaller family owned cellars.

If I had a free day in Reims, I'd visit as many Champagne houses as humanly possible. Reims is not a huge city, and it would be quite possible to visit 8 or more without ever using motorized transport.

I took this tour in September 2024 and arrived in Reims 2 days early, I loved wandering around Reims. The Surrender Museum is a must and the Cathedral light show at night is amazing, also see the interior too. Very interesting with a Marc Chagall stained glass window. There are good restaurants too.

I flew into Paris and took the train to Reims after my plane landed.
One more note about the Surrender Museum - it made me feel the effects of the war on this town as there are black and white photos of tanks rolling through the streets and I imagined what that must have felt like to the residents of Reims. Also, Eisenhower moved his war headquarters to Reims in the last few months of the war. I hope the renovation is completed and open when you are there, it is very moving. On my visit, there was a non-English speaking elderly woman at the front desk who lived through the war and a younger woman who translated into English for me her story. Very touching!
So yes, arrive to Reims one or two days early.

When I did that tour I visited Paris for a few days as I've never been there and traveled to Reims the day the tour started as others have mentioned. There's plenty to do in Reims as mentioned also if you are into autos there is a very large auto museum in Reims. Eastern France was a great tour!

I’m another one who would recommend coming a day early to Reims. As mentioned the Museum of Surrender is fantastic, the cathedral light show is goosebump producing and yes yes go to all the Champagne houses. We also found the cemetery there quite interesting.

Another vote for coming a day early, for the reasons already posted. This also gives you an extra day of flexibility in case of flight changes or disruptions. We took that tour in 2022, with extra days in advance in Paris and an extra day in Reims. Loved the tour and loved our extra days. Should have also added a day at the end - BA cancelled our scheduled flight and moved us to the day prior, so we missed the last tour evening together. Extra days for the win, whenever possible!

Thanks to all for taking the time to reply!

We are on the upcoming Eastern France tour (in October) and are spending a few nights in Lyon before the tour start date. As part of our transfer from Lyon to Reims, we hired a driver service to transport us from the Marne-la-Vallee train station to Reims so we could stop enroute at one or two of the WWI monuments and sites between MlV and Reims (drive time between MlV and Reims is about 90 minutes, Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood is about halfway). If WWI history interests you, you could do the same on your transfer day (ie, train from Paris to the Marne-la-Vallee/Disneyland Paris station, then driver from there to Reims), or you could visit the same sites as a day trip on your extra day before the tour start. The monuments are difficult to visit without a car, so renting a car is another option, but unless you add more than 1 extra night in Reims, it is probably not worth the extra effort to rent a car.

Thanks everyone for all the ideas.
What are your thoughts on saving Paris for the end of our travels? In this scenario, we would arrive in Reims the day before the tour starts; stay extra days in Aix at the end of the tour; move on to the French Riviera for several nights and then take the train to Paris. (We would then be in Paris in mid- May vs. late April.)
I value your opinions! Thanks.

Whether you put Paris at the beginning or the end is really personal preference. Some things to think about:

1) I prefer to do the bulk of my independent travel before taking a tour. I am most energetic at the beginning of a trip so I tend to see more in the places I visit at the beginning.
2) Could you fly home from Nice rather than Paris? That might make the case for starting in Paris and ending in Nice. On the other hand, if a round trip to Paris works better then Paris at the end might make sense.
3) There are pros and cons to taking a train on the day of your arrival following an international flight. As a con, it can be a challenge to buy the less expensive advance train tickets when you are unsure if your flight will land on time. You either have to allow some buffer time which could mean wasted time waiting for the train or risk buying a new ticket if your flight arrives late. As a pro, I don’t get much sightseeing done on arrival day due to jetlag and general travel fatigue; taking the train leaves more time for sightseeing on another day when one is not so tired.