The Reims Christmas market 2026

When is the Reims Christmas market in 2026?

Listed for 25 November to 27 December 2026. The 2025 edition ran from 26 November to 28 December, so expect a similar run if the dates move.

Explore Grand Est gives 25 November to 27 December 2026. Festival en France shows the same dates but marks the 2026 edition as not yet confirmed by the organiser. Last year's market, the 2025 edition, ran from 26 November to 28 December according to its 2025 listing.

The opening hours below are those listed for the market, and match the 2025 pattern: late on Fridays and Saturdays, a short Monday. Treat them as a guide until the 2026 programme is out, usually in the autumn.

Where is the Reims Christmas market, and is it by the cathedral?

On the Hautes Promenades Jean-Louis Schneiter, running towards the Porte de Mars and the station forecourt. The cathedral gets a light show instead.

The chalets, about 150 of them, line the upper part of the promenades between the station and the Porte de Mars, the Roman arch. Entry is free, and the station is about 10 minutes' walk away. In 2025 a 50-metre Ferris wheel stood on place d'Erlon, the pedestrian street of bars and restaurants, and stayed until 11 January.

The cathedral's part is Regalia, a sound and light show projected on the west front of Notre-Dame de Reims and on the Basilica of Saint-Remi. In 2025 it ran on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. from 28 November to 3 January, free. The 2026 times are not out yet. The cathedral itself is free to enter; the towers are closed from 16 November to 14 February, per the cathedral's practical page.

Can you combine the Christmas market with a Champagne house visit?

Yes, easily by train. Book a house for late morning or early afternoon, then walk to the chalets as the lights come on.

The Reims houses sit on or near the Saint-Nicaise hill. In December, Pommery opens daily except 25 December, Veuve Clicquot opens Wednesday to Sunday until 29 December, Mumm Thursday to Monday until 21 December, and Taittinger takes online bookings. Our post on winter opening days has the details.

Here is a sample day for a Friday or Saturday in early December. Times are a plan, not a timetable: check your train on SNCF Connect.

Is a tour or the train better for a December Champagne day?

The train, if the market is the point. A tour, if the Champagne is: tours visit growers and vineyards, but they are back in Paris before the market's best hours.

Day trips from Paris leave early and return in the evening after about 11 hours, so they do not include a night at the market. The cathedral and lunch day visits two houses, Reims Cathedral and lunch in Épernay, with hotel pickup. The six-glass small group starts with about 30 minutes at the cathedral and runs daily all year. Either one gives you the cellars and the vineyards without anyone driving after the tastings.

The DIY train day gives you the evening. You get one or two big houses, no growers, and the chalets after dark. If you have two days, do both: a tour on one, the train and the market on the next. Our train guide covers tickets and stations.

Two Champagne houses, Reims Cathedral, a three-course lunch in Épernay and the Avenue de Champagne, picked up and dropped off at your Paris hotel.

11 hours

Explore the cathedral and lunch day → Tour details

Which December dates work best for Reims?

A Friday or Saturday from late November to 19 December. Avoid Tuesdays, 24 and 25 December, and the days after Christmas if you want Mumm.

Fridays and Saturdays have the longest market hours and, going by 2025, the Regalia show. They are also the busiest. A Thursday is the quieter compromise: Veuve Clicquot, Mumm and Pommery are all open, and the market stays open until 22:00 on the 2026 listing.

Frequently asked questions