Reims has a number of great museums, in particular the Musee de Beaux Arts and the War Museum, but as they all cost, visiting soon eats into your budget. The best thing about Reims is there is always something going on for free. I have lived here eight months and I don't think one month has passed without a festival or carnival.
The best by far is the Christmas Fair which fills the Place d'Erlon with a huge number of specialist stalls, great for pre-Christmas shopping.
If you like classic cars, this is a mecca, in eight months I've seen four classic rallies here.
For the kids in the summer, the traders set up a free, supervised area in the Place d'Erlon, it even has some English speaking guardians.
For a cheaper time, head down to the Place de la Republique early on a Saturday morning 7am -1 pm to look around the market, fish, meat, cheese and bric a brac at reasonable prices, unless they realise you're a tourist! Don't feel like shopping, just wander about and soak up the atmosphere.
Reims has a vibrant theatre life. There is the main Theatre Opera and Culture, La Comedie 20th century drama and film art, and further out the centre, La Cartonnerie alternative, performance and music acts. It also has the Opera cinema which plays English language films, which one should note are marked V.O. on the board outside.
There is a free listing guide available in most bars and supermarkets called 'Sortie' which comes out on Thursday, which lists all the live gigs and cinema times.
