Musée des Beaux-Arts, Reims

Gallery in Reims

Musee des Beaux Arts
Musee des Beaux Arts
CC BY-SA 4.0 / LC51-1920

The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims is a satisfying stop in a city best known for Gothic stonework and coronation history. It's the place where Reims leans into its “Ville d'Art et d'Histoire” identity, offering rooms of painting that let you travel through centuries of European taste in a single visit, from devotional works and classical portraiture to the softer atmospheres of 19th-century landscape and the confident design language of the early 20th century.

If you enjoy building a trip around variety rather than one dominant monument, this museum is one of the things to do in Reims, and it's often visited on walking tours of Reims because it adds a different texture to the day. It's also an easy palate cleanser between cathedral-area grandeur and Champagne cellars: quieter, slower, and built for wandering at your own pace.

History and Significance of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

Reims' fine-arts museum matters because it rounds out the city's cultural story. The cathedral and coronation sites explain power and ritual; the Beaux-Arts collection explains the long arc of artistic taste that cities like Reims supported, preserved, and celebrated. It's a municipal museum in the best sense: a public collection that feels like a civic statement about identity, education, and shared heritage.

The museum’s scope is broad enough to suit different moods. You can come for religious art and find yourself thinking about how painters handled sacred narratives across time, or you can focus on the way French painting moved from controlled, studio-driven composition toward open air, atmosphere, and modern perception. It’s also a natural bridge to understanding Reims’ later visual identity, including the city’s Art Déco character that emerged after World War I.

Things to See and Do in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

A good way to approach the museum is to choose one “thread” for your visit so you don’t rush. Many people start with the older rooms, where Renaissance and post-Renaissance painting sets the foundations: careful composition, strong symbolism, and the kind of religious imagery that shaped European visual culture for centuries. Even if you’re not deeply into art history, these rooms help you see how painters built meaning through gesture, colour, and iconography.

Then move into the 19th century and give yourself time with the landscapes, especially works associated with Camille Corot. This is where the museum often feels most accessible and emotionally immediate: softer palettes, shifting light, and a sense of place that doesn’t require specialist knowledge to enjoy. It’s the section where you can slow down, compare moods between canvases, and notice how landscape becomes less about topography and more about atmosphere.

Finally, if Impressionism is what brought you here, look for the works that capture that movement’s signature: changing light, everyday subject matter, and brushwork that feels alive rather than polished. And if you enjoy design and interiors, keep an eye on the museum’s route toward later styles, where the visual language begins to move toward the cleaner confidence of modernity and Art Déco.

How to Get to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

Most international visitors reach Reims via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport or Paris Orly Airport, then continue overland to the city. For the best deals and a seamless booking experience, check out these flights to Reims on Booking.com.

Reims is fast and easy by train from Paris Gare de l'Est, and once you arrive at Reims Centre station you can reach the museum area on foot or by a short local connection. You can use SNCF Connect to check schedules, compare routes, and purchase tickets for National (SNCF ) and regional trains (TER). For a more streamlined experience, we recommend using Omio, which allows you to easily compare prices, schedules, and book tickets for both National and Regional travel across all of Europe, all in one place.

If you’re travelling by car, use a city-centre parking garage and do the last stretch on foot, as the central streets are best experienced walking. If you are looking to rent a car in France I recommend having a look at Discover Cars, first, as they compare prices and review multiple car rental agencies for you.

Practical Tips on Visiting the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

  • Suggested tips: Decide in advance whether you’re here for landscapes, Impressionism, or a full chronological sweep, then build the visit around that focus.
  • Best time to visit: Late morning on a weekday for the calmest galleries and a more unhurried pace.
  • Entrance fee: €5: Fine Arts Museum and Foujita Chapel
  • Opening hours: Reopening 2027
  • Official website: https://musees-reims.fr/fr/musees/musee-des-beaux-arts/
  • How long to spend: 60-90 minutes for highlights, 2 hours if you want to take your time and read labels.
  • Accessibility: Generally museum-accessible, though some historic buildings can involve level changes; check current step-free access if needed.
  • Facilities: Expect basic visitor facilities, with plenty of cafés nearby for a pre- or post-visit break.
  • Photography tip: If photography is permitted, avoid flash and prioritise one or two favourite rooms rather than trying to document everything.
  • Guided tours: A guided visit is worthwhile if you want help connecting the collection to Reims’ wider Art Déco identity and postwar cultural history.
  • Nearby food options: Plan lunch or coffee in central Reims afterward; the museum pairs well with a relaxed café stop.

Where to Stay close to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

Staying centrally keeps the museum and the cathedral quarter easily walkable, which is ideal if you’re building a cultural itinerary. La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection is a top location choice if you want to be near the cathedral and major sights. Best Western Premier Hôtel de la Paix is a comfortable central base with quick access to restaurants and the main pedestrian streets. Holiday Inn Reims - Centre is a practical option that keeps you close to the centre without overplanning.

Is the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims Worth Visiting?

Yes, particularly if you want Reims to feel like more than a cathedral-and-Champagne destination. The museum gives you a quieter, more personal experience of the city's cultural life, and it's especially rewarding if you enjoy the shift from religious and historical painting into landscape and Impressionism.

It’s also a good choice if you like travelling at a steady pace. Unlike big-ticket monuments where the visit is intense and visual, the Beaux-Arts museum invites you to slow down, follow your curiosity, and leave with a few images that stay with you.

FAQs for Visiting Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

French and European painting from the Renaissance through the modern period, with strong representation of 19th-century landscape and later styles.
Yes, it includes Impressionist works and is a satisfying complement to the city’s historic monuments.
Plan 60-90 minutes for highlights, or around 2 hours if you prefer a slower pace.
Yes, it fits naturally into a city-centre day and pairs well with the cathedral and nearby cultural sites.
Usually no, but booking can be useful for guided tours or special exhibitions.
Yes, the collection is easy to enjoy because it spans familiar themes like landscapes, portraits, and recognisable movements.
Yes, and they provide a strong sense of how sacred themes evolved across different artistic periods.
Yes, it’s one of the best indoor cultural options in Reims.
Rules vary by gallery and exhibition, so check on site.
Focus on the 19th-century landscapes and the Impressionist highlights, then do a quick pass through one older-room section for contrast.

What Other Travellers Say...

Reviews Summary

4.1 (222)

Museum of Fine Arts, at 8 Rue Chanzy in Reims, occupies an 18th-century setting and offers a compact, approachable collection of European paintings and furniture including works by Cranach, Corot and other notable artists; visitors praise the upstairs galleries for a digestible sweep from the Middle Ages into the early 20th century and note highlights such as a Renoir, while also warning that parts of the building and displays have been run down and that the museum closed for major renovations around late 2019 with hopes some works would be shown elsewhere during the refurbishment.

Margarita Bagrova
6 years ago
"Nice place, not expensive entrance, great collection of art. Problems with post cards sca ing, some old fashion way..."
Ben Klaasen
8 years ago
"Upstairs, a really lovely digestible collection of European art from the middle ages to the begi ing of the 20th century. Check out the Renoir toremind yourself that even geniuses have off days...."
Alistair THOMSON
6 years ago
"Note : this museum closed for major renovation in September 2019 .It be will closed for at least three years. It is hoped some of the collection willbe put in display elsewhere in Reims over this period...."

For Different Travelers

Families with Kids

This museum works best for families when you keep the visit short and visual. Choose a small number of paintings to focus on, especially landscapes, which are easier for kids to engage with than long religious narratives. Make it interactive by asking children to pick their favourite scene and describe what they think is happening.

Plan a break afterward, since museums can be tiring for younger visitors. Central Reims makes that easy, with nearby cafés and open squares where kids can reset.

Couples & Romantic Getaways

For couples, the Musée des Beaux-Arts offers a slower, more intimate cultural moment in a city otherwise shaped by grand stone and big historical narratives. It's an ideal late-morning visit followed by lunch, especially if you want a day that feels balanced rather than packed.

It also pairs well with an afternoon Champagne tasting. Art in the morning, bubbles later is a very Reims way to structure a relaxed, memorable day.

Budget Travelers

The museum can be a worthwhile paid stop if you want one indoor cultural activity beyond the cathedral, especially on a bad-weather day. To keep spending tight, combine it with free highlights like Reims Cathedral and city walking, then choose a single paid experience-either the museum or a cellar tour-based on your priorities.

If you’re mainly here for monuments, the museum is best as an optional add-on; if you love painting, it can be your anchor indoor stop.

History Buffs

For history-minded travellers, the museum is rewarding because it helps you see how French visual culture evolved alongside political and social change. Moving from religious works through landscape and into modern design-influenced styles can mirror, in a very visual way, the shift from a world of monarchy and church dominance to a more modern civic identity.

It’s also a useful complement to Reims’ Art Déco story. After visiting, you’ll notice design details in the city streets more clearly, because the museum primes you to look for that early 20th-century aesthetic.

Nearby Attractions to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims

  • Reims Cathedral: The city's essential Gothic landmark and the core of Reims' coronation story.
  • Palais du Tau: The archbishops' palace next to the cathedral, closely tied to coronation traditions and treasures.
  • Place Drouet d’Erlon: Reims’ main café-and-restaurant promenade, ideal for a relaxed break.
  • Basilique Saint-Remi: A UNESCO basilica with a vast Romanesque nave and a quieter atmosphere than the cathedral.
  • Champagne house cellars: Guided cellar visits and tastings that connect Reims to its signature craft.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Reims!

Moira & Andy
Moira & Andy

Hey! We're Moira & Andy. From hiking the Camino to trips around Europe in Bert our campervan — we've been traveling together since retirement in 2020!

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Planning Your Visit

Hours:

Reopening 2027

Price:

€5: Fine Arts Museum and Foujita Chapel

Address: Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rue Chanzy, Reims, France
Reims: 1 km
Official Website

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