TRAVEL - NEW
2025 Autumn Trip: Reims, Champagne, a celebration of heritage and savoir-faire
October 25-28, 2025
Crayères at Ruinart.
As a new initiative to expand AFMO’s gala weekend in Paris, the 2025 edition presents a post gala trip to Reims, in the heart of Champagne, with exclusive visits and experiences.
Reims is a former royal town with exceptional architecture and superb savoir-faire from its Champagne vineyards to glass staining ateliers. Reims is also a celebration of Art Déco architecture on this centennial year of the 1925 Art Déco exhibition in Paris. And, on this 80th anniversary year marking the end of the Second World War in Europe, Reims is where the Wehrmarcht surrendered in May 1945.
Cultural Highlights
The trip will start on October 25 with a beautiful Gala evening at the Musée d’Orsay in support of both the Orsay and Orangerie museums. Every year the Gala celebrates the two museums, art and friendship. This year, the main autumn exhibition will be Sargent. The Paris Years, a unique inspiration for the elegant October 25 evening.
The next morning, guests will head to Reims, a royal town since the 9th Century and the coronation of King Louis Le Pieux. Over centuries, Reims has remained at the heart of French history and heritage.
The 3-day exclusive trip is a unique opportunity to discover its many treasures including:
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
Basilique Saint-Rémi
Eglise Saint-Nicaise (beautiful murals by Maurice Denis)
Carnegie Library
Collège des Jésuites
Villa Demoiselle
Musée des Beaux Arts
Ruinart’s crayères, a World Heritage site
Carnegie Library
Honoring History
Founded in 1910 by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace decided after the World War 1 to provide a library to the cities particularly battered by bombings. In France, the city of Reims was chosen to be given a Carnegie library. The Carnegie Endowment offered the city of Reims a sum of US$200,000. The Art Déco style library was inaugurated in 1928 by French President Gaston Doumergue and U.S. Ambassador Myron Timothy Herrick.
It was in Reims that the unconditional capitulation was signed by General Jodl in the middle of the night on 7 May, 1945, at 2.41 am, in what has been known as the Salle de Reddition (Surrender Room).
More recently, the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po) has developed very successful English-language curriculums in Reims. The campus is located inside the former Collège des Jésuites, founded in 1608.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
Reservations
The Reims trip is a fundraising project in support of the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie.
It is open to major donors and members (International Collector level and above) by invitation.
To attend the trip
Guests will make a donation to AFMO to secure their participation upon registration
Guest will pay an additional portion (goods and services) to cover their travel costs (train and ground transportation, hotel, meals, exclusive tours and experiences as per final itinerary) and their October 25 gala evening ticket(s).
The goods and services portion will be invoiced separately depending on room occupancy. It is not tax deductible.
The Gala cancellation policy applies to the Reims post gala trip as well.
Donations are non-refundable.
Travel Logistics
Guests will be travelling to Reims by TGV train.
In Reims, guests will stay at La Caserne Chanzy (5-star luxury hotel), a former firehouse built in the 1920s, opposite the Cathédrale Notre-Dame. It was fully renovated and reopened in 2019.
In Paris, guests will be responsible for their hotel bookings and may benefit from our special agreements with partner hotels, The Ritz Paris and JK Place.
Registration
If you wish to attend, please click on the link HERE to email AFMO. We will send you a link to secure your participation.
Guests wishing to attend both the Weekend in Paris and the Champagne trip should also email AFMO.
Limited capacity.