Reims' Notre Dame Cathedral. Photo: RuiPereira

By Liz Webber—

Looking for an easy day trip from your Paris vacation? Why not visit Reims (oddly pronounced with a nasal “Ranse”), the coronation site of French kings and the epicenter of the Champagne region. Here we’ll explain how to get there and some suggested sights while you’re there–and where to get a great lunch for Cheapo prices!

Getting to Reims from Paris

From Paris’ Gare de l’Est, Reims is just 45 minutes on the TGV. The SNCF website is currently offering special fares of €34 roundtrip, but the journey normally runs €40-€50. For the return trip, beware of trains departing from “Champagne-Ardenne,” which is actually in Bezannes, about 3 miles away from Reims.

Historical Sights

Reims’ Notre Dame Cathedral, on the Place Cardinal Luçon, dates from the 13th Century. Thirty-two French kings were crowned at this cathedral, today a UNESCO World Heritage site. The church is open every day from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM.

Next door, the Palais du Tau houses such artifacts as Charlemagne’s talisman and the chalice of Saint Remi, whose baptism of Clovis in 496 led to the conversion of the entire Frankish kingdom. From May 6 to September 8, the museum is open from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM; from September 9 to May 5, opening hours are 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 2 PM to 5:30 PM. The palace is closed on Monday. Tickets are €7.

In Pommery's cellar. Photo by Éole

Speaking of Saint Remi, swing by the basilica that bears his name (Place Chanoine Ladame) to catch a glimpse of the saint’s tomb and the 12th-century stained glass windows. The basilica is open from 8 AM to 7 PM.

The Champagne Houses

Several of the biggest names in Champagne production–like Mumm, Veuve-Cliquot, and Taittinger–have cellars in Reims that tourists can visit to find out how bubbly is made.

A tour of the Pommery Estate is definitely worth the trip. Located at 5 Place Général Gouraud, it’s about a 30-minute walk from the cathedral. Several English-language tours are available throughout the day. The visit includes a trip down into 11 miles of labyrinthine cellar tunnels (originally Gallo-Roman chalk pits), and of course a glass of the good stuff at the end.

Tickets for the Pommery tour start at €10, depending on the quality of Champagne you’d like to sample and whether or not there is a special exhibit going on. While Pommery is one of the few cellars where advance bookings are not required, it can’t hurt to reserve your ticket before you go. From April through mid-November, the estate is open every day from 9:30 AM to 7 PM; from mid-November through March (excluding Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day) opening hours are 10 AM to 6 PM.

Where to Eat

There are plenty of restaurants in the center near Reims’ cathedral, but to get away from the touristy venues head to Les Charmes (11 Rue Brûlart) on the walk to the Pommery Estate. The three-course prix fixe lunch can’t be beat at €12.80. The menu varies, but you’ll find French-Asian fusion dishes like shrimp and quinoa salad and soy chicken with a potato pancake and tomatoes.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The intricate facade of Florence’s Duomo is worth a visit. Photo by Catching Flies

One of our favorite must-sees in Florence is the Duomo, or the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (sometimes known as Florence Cathedral). And, lucky for us Cheapos, it’s free to enter the main sanctuary daily. 

Duomo do!

But, get this. Did you know that every 40 minutes Florence’s Center for Art and Culture also offers FREE guided tours of the church? Highlights of the jaunt include a look into the care and craft of that gorgeous facade, why the church was originally built, and more.  Tours are available in English and Italian.

Before you go…

If you plan to take a tour, enter the sanctuary via the left-side doors. The church is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and on Fridays from 10 AM to 5 PM; Thursday it’s open from 10 AM to 3:30 PM; Saturday it opens at 10 AM and closes at 4:45 PM. On Sunday, the sanctuary is only open from 1:30 PM to 4:45 PM.  And, the first Saturday of each month the church is only open from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. For information on special holiday hours and more, visit the Duomo’s official tourism site.

Note: If you want to see more of the basilica and travel up the stairs to the top of the dome, you’ll need to shell out €8. (Hint: We think it’s worth it.)

For more information and lots of budget tips for Florence, go here.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Photo courtesy of hidden europe magazine

Cheapos clearly like to get under the skin of a city, probing well beyond the regular sights to get a feel for what makes a community tick. Faith is often still part of the fabric of European life, but getting a feel for it as a foreigner isn’t always easy – unless you happen to be a churchgoer.

Churches of all denominations (and mosques and synagogues, too) usually welcome casual visitors to their services, provided that the stranger dresses appropriately, adopts a reverent demeanour, and does not attempt to take photographs during services.

Get thee to Church

York Minster for Evensong is a very different place from the echo-filled space around which tourists wander during the day. The Minster is transformed into something altogether more meaningful. Similarly Vespers in St Mark’s in Venice will leave you in awe of the space for which Monteverdi wrote such evocative music in a way that you’ll simply miss if you shuffle round with the tourist crowds. The interior of the newly restored Frauenkirche in Dresden seems, with its strange mix of pastel shades, like a tribute to poor taste during the day when tourists traipse through the place; attend a service and the space assumes a different meaning and is altogether more pleasing.

Whether it be at a grand cathedral like Chartres or Milan, or in a humble parish church in a small village in the Alps, Mass on a Sunday morning will only take an hour out of your day. This sedentary hour may give some quiet insights into local life. Take in a service at a Methodist chapel in Wales for a good glimpse into Welsh life. What is modern Poland without Catholicism? And in hundreds of communities across Russia, devotional zeal knows no bounds. A visit to an Orthodox service for the Divine Liturgy on a Sunday is a chance to witness some fine liturgical theatre that offers rich insights into life in Russia.

Take in a service and you’ll save on a few admission fees into the bargain. No church has yet had the temerity to charge those who come to pray!

This is the latest in a summer series of postings by Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries. The Berlin-based duo are the editors of hidden europe magazine, a publication that explores the patchwork quilt of cultures that make up modern Europe.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Sightseeing in Barcelona can get pretty pricey. But never fear, there are plenty of things to do in Barcelona that won’t cost you one Euro-cent. Our recommendations:

1) Go, go, Gaudi!

Stroll through Park Geull, an incomplete masterpiece by Antoni Gaudi. Walk up the grand staircase, explore the cavernous shelters and sit on benches laden with mosaic tiles and glass—Gaudi’s trademarks. Geull is open year-round, but closes at dusk. Call (34) 93 413 24 00 for more information.

2) Take it to church

A visit to the Barcelona Cathedral, in the center of the Gothic district, places you in the middle ages, and won’t cost you a shilling. Pieces of the original building dating back to the 10th-century are still intact. To find the cathedral, simply head to Plaça de la Seu and look up. How in-spire-ing!

3) Grab a bongo

Got your own? Bring ‘em along and join the many bongo players who congregate in Parc Ciutadella on weekend afternoons. You’ll see the majority of them there on Sundays. Otherwise, just swing by, chill out, and feel the local beat.

4) Check out the gallery scene

The incredible Fundacio Caixaforum is a gorgeous art nouveau fortress, originally a factory, that today serves as a cultural space open daily and free to enter. Catch a lecture on architecture or just browse the galleries. Free concerts occur weekly. Bonus tip: For more art openings, hit up Conseil de Cent Street between Mutaner and Rambla Catalunya, where there is a whole slew of freebie galleries.

5) Listen up

Before you go, here’s an idea: Why not take a thread from one of our favorite budget travel blogs, Less Than a Shoestring, and download The Independent’s free Barcelona podcast. It’s chock full of good advice and ideas to get you crazy for Catalan.

Have fun, save your cash, and send any other freebie tips our way!

Popularity: 20% [?]

Photo by greenshift 

Good news for Cheapos on the tourist path in Central Europe.

From April 5 onwards, admission to Prague’s famed St. Vitus Cathedral will be free. Until recently, entrance set visitors back CZK100 (€3.60; $4.80). That’s at least three crisp, cold Czech beers—if you choose your watering hole wisely.

Ownership of the cathedral is transferring from the Catholic Church to the Office of the President, whose office is inside the Prague Castle complex. The church has argued that the Communist state’s failure to officially nationalize St. Vitus back in the 1950s means that the church has always been the cathedral’s rightful owner; accordingly, the church filed suit to maintain ownership 14 years ago. A decision reached last week gives the Czech state outright ownership of the cathedral and divides caretaking obligations between church and state.

Because of the dispute the Cathedral had been absent from tours of the Castle since September of last year.

Popularity: 6% [?]