Reims.

ESN Reims welcomes around 350 exchange students a year with more than 60 events, including city tours, parties, meetups and trips, especially around the start of each semester when newcomers need to find their feet. The association runs on volunteers and posts activities through social media rather than a fixed office, alongside a buddy system that pairs you with a local student before you arrive. Beyond ESN, university life is spread across Reims and the region, so check your faculty's own student union for sports clubs and societies too.

• Join ESN Reims for over 60 yearly events, from city tours to parties.
• Get matched with a local student through ESN Reims's buddy system before arrival.
• Ask your faculty's student union about sports clubs and societies too.

Reims is noticeably cheaper than Paris. A room outside the centre averages around 535 euros a month on the open market, while a CROUS residence room runs from about 233 to 382 euros a month depending on size and location. An inexpensive restaurant meal costs about 17.50 euros, and a cappuccino runs close to 3 euros. Budget around 700 to 950 euros a month once rent, food and transport are covered. A monthly public transport pass across the tram and bus network costs around 40 euros.

• Expect CROUS rooms from 233 to 382 euros a month, cheaper than the open market.
• Budget 700 to 950 euros a month for rent, food and transport combined.
• Pay about 17.50 euros for a simple restaurant meal, or cook at home to save.

Most students apply for a CROUS room through the Dossier Social Etudiant, France's national student housing file, which generally gives priority to scholarship holders. Reims counts nine CROUS residences, from Evariste Galois and Paul Fort near the centre to La Muire, a residence that opened in 2023 on the Croix-Rouge campus, with monthly rents from about 233 to 382 euros depending on room type and location. On the private market, rooms and studios run higher, so compare several options and always visit a place in person before signing anything or paying a deposit.

• Apply for a CROUS room through the Dossier Social Etudiant as early as you can.
• Consider La Muire on the Croix-Rouge campus, one of Reims's newest residences.
• Always visit a private room in person before signing anything or paying a deposit.

Reims has no commercial airport of its own, only a small general aviation aerodrome at Prunay with no scheduled flights. The nearest airports are in Paris, from where the fastest direct TGV reaches Reims in as little as 45 minutes, arriving at Gare Reims Centre or the Champagne-Ardenne TGV station at Bezannes on the edge of town. Around the city, two tram lines run by Transdev Reims cover 11 kilometres and 24 stops, linking Bezannes station through the centre past the Cathedral, backed up by a bus network. A monthly transport pass costs around 40 euros.

• Fly into Paris, then take the fastest TGV to Reims in about 45 minutes.
• Ride the tram from Bezannes TGV station through the centre to the Cathedral.
• Budget around 40 euros a month for the tram and bus network.

The University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), founded in 1548 and re-established in 1967, is the main host for exchange students, spread across eight UFRs and campuses in Reims, Chalons-en-Champagne, Charleville-Mezieres, Chaumont and Troyes. It enrols close to 28,800 students region wide, with around 18,000 based in Reims itself, plus a separate Sciences Po campus hosting 1,500 students on European exchange. Most URCA courses are taught in French, so check your faculty's language requirements and any preparatory French classes before you arrive. Contact URCA's international relations office to confirm your enrolment, timetable and academic calendar once your exchange is confirmed.

• Confirm your enrolment and timetable with URCA's international relations office early.
• Check whether preparatory French classes are offered before your exchange begins.
• Note URCA spreads students across five cities, though most exchanges are based in Reims.

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa and can just enrol. Non-EU students on an exchange over 90 days apply for a VLS-TS student long-stay visa before arriving, then validate it online within three months and pay a small OFII tax; under 90 days you may only need a short-stay Schengen visa or none at all.

Budget time for the admin marathon: you will want a French bank account, proof of accommodation, health cover (EHIC for Europeans, or enrolment in French social security), and civil-liability insurance. Book prefecture and OFII steps the moment you can, because slots vanish.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just enrol
• Non-EU, over 90 days, VLS-TS long-stay student visa, validated online after arrival
• Proof of ~€615/month funds usually required
• Get civil-liability insurance (assurance responsabilite civile) before term

Champagne defines Reims both as an industry and a way of life: many of the biggest champagne houses are headquartered in the city, ageing their bottles in chalk cellars cut beneath the streets. The local sweet is the biscuit rose de Reims, a pink, twice baked biscuit invented around 1690 and traditionally dipped in champagne, coffee or milk. For fresh produce, meat and fish, head to the covered Halles du Boulingrin market hall on Place de la Republique. Place Drouet d'Erlon, France's longest square at 401 metres, is lined with terraces for coffee, lunch or an evening drink.

• Try the biscuit rose de Reims dipped in champagne, coffee or milk.
• Shop for fresh produce and fish at the covered Halles du Boulingrin market.
• Grab a table on Place Drouet d'Erlon, France's longest square, for a coffee.

Place Drouet d'Erlon, France's longest square, is the natural meeting point: lined with terraces, restaurants and a multiplex cinema, it fills up every evening. The historic centre around the Cathedral and the Halles du Boulingrin market mixes shops, bars and architecture from Roman times to art deco. Croix-Rouge, on the edge of the centre, hosts a university campus and newer student residences such as La Muire, a more affordable and residential alternative. Reims's twelve official districts each have their own neighbourhood council, so ask locals which one matches your budget and habits.

• Head to Place Drouet d'Erlon for the busiest terraces, restaurants and cinema.
• Base yourself in Croix-Rouge for campus proximity and newer, cheaper residences.
• Wander the historic centre around the Cathedral and the Halles du Boulingrin.

Reims sits at the heart of a dense rail network. Paris is under an hour away by the fastest TGV, easy for a day trip or a weekend with friends. Epernay, the heart of Champagne country and its grand houses on the Avenue de Champagne, is as little as 27 minutes away, with around 22 trains running daily. Brussels makes a good weekend further afield, reachable with one change in about 2 hours 35 minutes at its fastest.

• Day trip to Paris in under an hour by the fastest direct TGV.
• Visit Epernay's champagne houses on the Avenue de Champagne in 27 minutes.
• Plan a weekend in Brussels, reachable with one change in 2 hours 35.

Reims runs at a gentler pace than Paris, so allow time to settle into a smaller city rhythm. The historic centre is compact and walkable, but pick up a tram or bus pass early for trips to Croix-Rouge or the Bezannes TGV station. Champagne tastings are everywhere, but they add up fast on a student budget, so treat cellar visits as an occasional treat rather than a weekly habit. Since Reims has no airport of its own, plan arrivals and departures around Paris flights and build in time for the connecting TGV.

• Get a tram or bus pass early for trips across town or to Bezannes station.
• Budget champagne cellar visits as an occasional treat, since they add up fast.
• Plan flights via Paris, then build in time for the connecting TGV to Reims.