We probably didn’t pick the best weekend for this, but when you live in France, a trip to the Champagne region is just a quick flight. Join us as we explore what to see in France, even with less-than-perfect weather, proving that any time is a good time to visit France. We hope this travel guide helps you plan your next adventure!
💬 MORE ABOUT US
We’re Roaming Retirement. We retired to the south of France from Texas and focus on the culture of France and life in France. We never thought we’d have a YouTube channel, but after filming our apartment hunt to share with our family back home, we realized there are a lot of people with the dream of living abroad. Living in France has been quite the adventure, and we’re excited to share our journey with you!
✈️ Watch Next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_x4nhNCfBk&t=127s
#livingabroad #movingtofrance #retiretofrance #lifeinfrance #expatlife #reims #champagnefrance
32 Comments
Enjoyed this video. So we just added Reims to our weekend agenda going forward.
Thank you for sharing. What a great little trip!
The pronunciation of Reims is close to "prince", without the p, and with a nasalised n… But it's not the most difficult to pronoounce for Americans. For a real challenge, try "cuisses de grenouilles" !
We are moving to Reims in May of this year.
I live in Champagne but south, my medieval town is Troyes. A very pretty place. Come and visit our town. We have a lot of houses of Champagne in our department. Don’t forget us.
On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc attended the coronation of King Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, a pivotal moment in French history. During your visit, don't miss the magnificent statue of Joan of Arc inside the cathedral, as well as an equestrian statue outside.
Every year, Reims celebrates this event during the "Joan of Arc Festival" (Fêtes johanniques in french). In 2026, it will take place on Saturday, May 30th and Sunday, May 31st. Groups from all over Europe perform in the streets, the atmosphere is extraordinary.
time stamp 5:53 who is the soldier who died from his battle wounds?
Reims is pronounced like rince, as in "je rince la vaisselle" 🙂
You got the /Ɛ~/ sound pretty right in *Reims*.
The nasal /Ɛ~/ sound in R[eim]s is the same that we French use in "vin" (wine) or in "pain" (bread), plus a final s sound.
I had trouble finding an English word containing a similar-sounding phoneme, but based on a source, the English word “sing” has a slight nasalization due to the final “n.”
A second source cites the English word _pen_.
“pen” is the go-to example because it’s short, unambiguous, and the nasalisation of the /Ɛ/ is very audible.
But it’s not a perfect match:
In careful English pronunciation, the vowel and the /n/ are kept distinct: /Ɛ/ + /n/.
In French, /Ɛ~/ is a single nasal-vowel phoneme — no separate “n” sound.
But in natural, everyday speech, the English /Ɛn/ becomes nasalised enough that native French speakers often hear it as the French /Ɛ~/.
Il a nutshell: The English word “pen” (and any word containing /Ɛn/ such as when, ten, hen, again) contains a phoneme whose nasalised allophone is the closest English equivalent to the French sound in vin / pain / sain (/Ɛ~/).
Hope that helps one way or another. 🤷♂
Imagine a dog growling, before demanding you wash your hands in French.
Grrrrrrrr-rince!
As @isabellem1945 says below, it's like "rince" with a French pronounciation of "in", i.e. open. You can also think of the American name "Lance" and replace the L with an R. Not as good, but good enough 😉
Thanks for the video, and I hope you enjoyed your trip.
As for "Reims", well, I can truly understand your struggle : for foreigners, the French sounds "un" (variations : ein, eim (as in Reims), in, ain, etc) , "on", "en" (variation : an), "u" (like the German ü) are a nightmare ! Courage !!!
Bonjour… Great video, we were going to Champagne awhile back, but the train went on strike…So were unable to travel there. At the time we were visiting Paris. Well now we are in the process of moving to Nice , so like you we will take a weekend and finish our plans to visit Champagne 😀
Thanks for the video, and it's great to see you again. We'll be in Reims on 23 March. Can't wait!
I was born and grew up up Champagne, it rains A LOT! Also, be aware that Champagne is the THE Templar's country by excellence, with a lot of history and sites to visit. It is in Champagne that was organized the First Crusade in 1119, by the Count Hugues de Payns, a noble from Champagne, also founder of the First Templar Order. Also, while the big Champagne Houses are fun to visit, do not miss small Champagne producers, their bubbly is of much higher quality. Did you know that babies get baptized with Champagne? I was!
I’m moving there! And doing a long-term stay beginning in April! Super excited. I LOVE Champagne—and champagne! 🍾
La cathédrale est magnifique et le champagne doit être fabuleux great vidéo
to make it "easy", well you could prononce Reims a little bit like the verb "to rinse" in English … like in "rince cycle" … 😉
Loved the video. Can't wait to see your next weekend escapade!
Reims = "Runce" with a French "r" 😁
Your videos are becoming less frequent , we really miss seeing them more frequently. Can you do a few videos on just your daily life in Nice. What it’s like, what you do etc. Thanks. 🙂
I love this video and your approach to exploring the Country. I was wondering if you could do a video on how you fill your days now that you are getting settled. Thank you for all the posts, they are so helpful for us as we consider spending a year or two in Nice.
🍾🥂💗
I can imagine how Reims is a trap for pronunciation. I have tried to find something to help you, but the proposal 'Rance' makes sense. Maybe 'Raïnce' is a little bit better. Reims is a city full of a long history. After WW1, US tycoons like Rockfeller or Morgan contributed to the rebuilding. Also, at the lycée Roosevelt (Eisenhower European HQ), on the 7th of may 45 (to be confirmed), the german capitulation was initially recorded, russians and french requested a 2nd signature in Berlin, the day after.
My friend who grew up in the city pronounces it “Rhem” but that might just be the local dialect!
you did pronounce reims quite good. But the sound is even more nasal. Like if you close your nose with your fingers and try to says F-rance without the F. It is the same sound as pain (bred). raince , is you prefer. The m (instead of n) relate to the origin of the name: Rèmes (the gaul people of the area), that can be still seen in the name of the inhabitants: les rémois. Names of towns evolve quicker than name of inhabitants, because they are said way more often.
Champagne region is always worth visiting. ❤
So happy for you both. You seem to be settling in so well!
Another lovely video. I just moved to Nice and I also like travel during the "shoulder and off" seasons. You two are adjusting well to France. Bons voyages, Mark
I was in Reims in February 2023 and loved the Cathedral and enjoyed the City and doing some Champagne tasting. Like you, I had the city pretty much to myself. This video brought back some fond memories. Thanks for posting . . . .
Good to a new video 😊 I always thought Reims was pronounced like Rinse
i was there on FEB 18th and it was also raining… I only live in Soissons (after 30 years in the US)