Reims, France · France
Reims Champagne Cellars - Chalk Tunnels Under the City
A few dozen metres below the quiet streets of Reims lies a second city, carved by hand from chalk over many centuries. Explore the cellars, the crayeres and the Gothic cathedral above, and read Reims on two levels at once.
Published October 21, 2026
Stand on a quiet street in Reims and listen. Trams hum, cafe chairs scrape, church bells mark the hour. A few dozen metres below your shoes, there is a second city that most passers-by never picture. It is made of chalk.
The **Reims champagne cellars** run for long distances under the town, carved by hand over many centuries. This piece looks at that hidden world from several angles, from the geology that made it possible to the Gothic cathedral standing above it, so you can read Reims on two levels at once.
Why Is There a Hidden City of Chalk Under Reims?
Reims sits on a thick bed of soft white chalk, a rock that is easy to cut with simple tools yet stays stable once a space has been dug out. That same chalk holds a cool, steady temperature all year and keeps humidity fairly even, with no help from machines. Those three qualities together, soft to carve, solid once carved and naturally cool, explain why the ground under Reims became a maze rather than a foundation.
The oldest workings were not cellars at all. They were **chalk quarries**, dug to supply building stone. Historians generally link the earliest of them to antiquity, when Reims was an important town of Roman Gaul, and local tradition places some of the galleries in that period.
Centuries later, people saw what the empty quarries offered. Cool, dark rooms have many uses.
What Are the Crayeres of Reims?
A crayere is a chalk pit dug in the shape of an upside-down pyramid or cone. At the surface it opens through a small shaft, often just a few metres wide. Below, the walls flare outward into a tall, bell-shaped chamber. The design was practical: workers cut stone at the bottom and hauled it up through the narrow opening, so the pit grew wide underground while barely marking the land above.
The **Reims crayeres** are the most striking part of the underground city. Standing at the base of one, you look up through a column of pale chalk toward a single small circle of daylight. The walls carry the marks of tools, rows of steps and the occasional carved name or date left by workers over the generations.
Many crayeres were later linked by long galleries, turning separate pits into connected networks. Sound behaves oddly down there. Footsteps go soft, voices carry, and the air smells faintly of damp stone. Guides often switch off a lamp for a moment so visitors can feel how complete the darkness is.
How Did the Cellars Become Part of City Life?
The galleries have served the city in more ways than one. Accounts in local history describe residents taking shelter underground during troubled periods, with daily routines carried on below the streets. Details vary from site to site, so guided visits are the best place to hear the specific stories attached to each network.
The best-documented use is wine storage. Sparkling wine matures slowly, and it needs darkness, stillness and an even temperature to do so. The chalk provides all three without any equipment. Over time, the **Champagne houses of Reims** expanded the old quarries and dug further galleries, lining them with racks and storage bays.
That long relationship between landscape, craft and underground architecture has gained international recognition. The Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape, and the wording of the inscription is worth reading on the [UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/) website.
Approach a visit as you would a museum of work and geology. The interest lies in the tunnels, the tools and the people who shaped them, more than in anything poured at the end.
Why Is Reims Cathedral Worth Seeing Before You Go Underground?
Above ground, the city's most famous building points in the opposite direction. **Reims cathedral**, Notre-Dame de Reims, is a Gothic masterpiece whose towers rise high over the old centre. By tradition, many French kings were crowned here, which gives the place a weight of history few churches in France can match.
Start outside. The west facade is crowded with carved figures, and one of them draws a steady stream of visitors. The Smiling Angel, on the north portal of the west facade, wears a gentle, slightly mischievous expression that feels surprisingly modern. Inside, the stained glass throws coloured light across the stone floor, best appreciated on a bright day.
The cathedral belongs to a wider group. The Palais du Tau, the former archbishop's palace beside it, holds sculptures and treasures linked to the coronations. A walk to the southeast, the Basilica of Saint-Remi keeps the tomb of the bishop who, according to tradition, baptised the Frankish king Clovis. Together these three buildings form a separate UNESCO inscription. For visiting details on the palace, check the [national monuments centre](https://www.monuments-nationaux.fr/).
Seeing the cathedral first sets up a neat contrast. Up here, stone rises toward the sky. Below, chalk was carved downward into the dark. Both are built from local rock and patient handwork.
What Else Can You Discover Above Ground Around Place Drouet d'Erlon?
**Place Drouet d'Erlon** is the city's lively pedestrian heart, a long square lined with cafe terraces, shopfronts and ornate facades.
From here the old centre is easy to explore on foot. Walk toward the cathedral through streets of stone and brick, then head north to the Porte de Mars, a monumental arch generally described as a surviving gateway from the Roman town. It sits in a small park and surprises many visitors, who expect Reims to be all Gothic and Art Deco.
A few practical points for the underground part of the day:
- Bring a warm layer. The cellars stay cool whatever the weather outside.
- Wear comfortable shoes with grip. Expect steps, slopes and uneven floors.
- Book ahead. Underground visits are usually guided and can fill up.
- Check accessibility in advance, since many sites rely on stairs.
Visit formats, opening days and ticket rules change from place to place, so the [official tourism office](https://www.reims-tourisme.com/) is the best starting point before you go.
How Can You Visit Responsibly and Plan a Day in Reims?
Treat a cellar tour as a **heritage visit** first. Chalk is soft and fragile, so avoid touching or scratching the walls, even where older carvings tempt you to add your own mark. Stay with your guide, follow the route, and keep your voice low in the deeper galleries where sound carries.
Reims is easy to reach by train from Paris, which makes it a popular day trip. The centre is compact enough to see without a car. A balanced plan pairs one underground visit with the cathedral and the Palais du Tau, then a slow walk past the Porte de Mars to Place Drouet d'Erlon. If you have a little more time, add Saint-Remi and its quieter neighbourhood to the south.
Leave space in the day. Coming up from the cellars into daylight feels like surfacing from another century.
Ready to Plan Your Own Trip to Reims?
Create your own itinerary with Keptour, add the places that catch your eye, arrange them into days and share the plan with whoever is coming along.
Start with the cathedral towers, then follow the chalk down into the dark. Reims rewards travellers who look both up and down, and the best part is deciding which level to explore first.