Stand on the gravel square in front of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres after dark, and the west front begins to move: coloured light washes across the stone in abstract patterns, then fades and starts again. It is a ten-minute loop, and it costs nothing.
Chartres suits travellers who care about stained glass, medieval streets and the slow pleasure of walking a town built on a hill above the river Eure. It rewards a full day, and it can be reached easily by train from Paris.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, followed by a one-day plan and answers to common questions.
Top things to do in Chartres
1. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres
The cathedral is the reason most people come, and it holds up to the closest looking. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, mostly constructed between 1193 and 1250, and the majority of its original stained glass is intact. The windows were financed by guilds of merchants and craftsmen and by wealthy noblemen, whose names appear at the bottom of the glass. The famous blue, the bleu de Chartres, has never been successfully replicated.
Plan more than one visit rather than trying to absorb it in a single pass. Take an English-language tour with Malcolm Miller if one is running during your stay, particularly to make sense of the windows, and find out when the choir or organist is playing that day. The sound in the building is ethereal.
2. Climb the north tower of the cathedral
The climb is the best way to understand the town's shape: Chartres is built on a hill on the left bank of the Eure, with the cathedral at the top, and the two spires are visible for miles across the flat land around it. From the top you get the town and the surrounding countryside laid out below. On a really clear day, you can see the Eiffel Tower.
Do this on a clear day if you can, and pair it with your cathedral visit rather than making a separate trip.
3. Walk the Labyrinth in the cathedral
The labyrinth is set into the floor of the cathedral and is an 800-year-old pilgrim path. Walking it is a slow, quiet activity that asks for a different pace from the rest of a sightseeing day.
Check before you go, as the labyrinth is sometimes covered by chairs. Guided tours depart from Paris most Fridays with Michelle Campbell.
4. The cathedral illuminations at night
After 22:15, coloured lights play on the front of the cathedral, creating abstract effects across the facade. The free show lasts about ten minutes and runs in a loop, so there is no need to arrive at a precise moment or wait around.
Go up to the front of the cathedral, onto the gravel square, rather than trying to watch from a distance. The effect depends on being close to the building.
5. Maison Picassiette
A house at 22 Rue des Repos, decorated inside and out with mosaics made from shards of broken china and pottery, built by Raymond Isidore. It is unlike anything else in the city and makes a strong contrast with the medieval streets.
It sits away from the cathedral quarter, so treat it as a separate outing rather than something to fold into a walk around the old town.
6. Musée du Vitrail (Stained-Glass Museum)
At 5, rue du Cardinal Pie, this museum holds a permanent exhibition explaining the glass panels in the cathedral, with temporary exhibitions that tend to be more artistic in nature. If the cathedral windows have caught your attention, this is where the technique behind them is set out.
Walk down Rue de l'Horloge from the cathedral to reach it. Full admission is €7, reduced €5.50.
7. Musée des Beaux-Arts
The fine arts museum is housed in the former episcopal palace adjacent to the cathedral, which makes it easy to combine with your cathedral visit. Among its holdings are twelve representations of the apostles in enamel, created about 1547 by Léonard Limosin, which were formerly in the Église Saint-Pierre de Chartres.
Because it sits right beside the cathedral, it works well as a shorter stop between the cathedral and the old town.
8. Église Saint-Pierre de Chartres
This was the church of the Benedictine Abbaye Saint-Père-en-Vallée, founded in the 7th century by queen Balthild. At the time it was built, the abbey stood outside the city walls. It contains fine stained glass.
Come here if you want more glass after the cathedral, and note that the enamel apostles once kept here are now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
9. The old town and its half-timbered houses
Walking the city is an activity in itself. There are fine half-timbered houses, including possibly the best, the Maison de la Truie qui File or du Saumon, named after the carvings on the wooden uprights. The steep, narrow streets of the old town contrast with the wide, shady boulevards that encircle it.
Look up at the uprights as you pass, since the carvings are the point of these houses rather than the facades alone.
10. Down to the river Eure and the old gate
Descend through the streets to the river, where the Eure divides into three branches and is crossed by several bridges, some of them ancient, fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications. The Porte Guillaume, a gateway flanked by towers, was the most complete specimen until it was destroyed by the retreating German army in the night of 15 to 16 August 1944.
From the river, walk north about 0.5 km and turn left, taking the steps up which lead to the back of the cathedral. It is a good way to arrive at the cathedral from below rather than from the square.
11. The river Eure hiking path
A hiking path follows the banks of the Eure in both directions, and there are large parks both north and south. This is the easiest way to trade streets for green space without leaving the city.
Choose your direction by how much time you have, and treat it as a half-day rather than a quick stroll.
12. Parc André-Gagnon, or Clos St. Jean
A pleasant park lying to the north-west of the centre. Squares and open spaces are numerous around Chartres, but this is the one named as a park worth seeking out.
Combine it with a walk along the river, since both give you a break from the hill and the old town.
13. Monument to Jean Moulin
A monument to one of the major leaders of the French Resistance during the Second World War. He was the regional mayor before the occupation of France.
It is a short stop rather than a destination in itself, and fits naturally into a walk through the city.
14. Other churches: Saint-Aignan and Saint-Martin-au-Val
Saint-Aignan dates from the 13th, 16th and 17th centuries. Saint-Martin-au-Val is a 12th-century church inside the Saint-Brice hospital.
These are for travellers who have already given the cathedral proper time and want to see how other churches in the city compare.
15. Chartres Arts and Crafts Fair (Les Artisanales de Chartres)
Held in early October, this is the one event in the city's calendar worth planning a trip around if crafts interest you.
If your dates are flexible and you are choosing between seasons, this is the reason to pick autumn.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, and take an English-language tour with Malcolm Miller if one is available. Walk the Labyrinth on the cathedral floor while you are there, then climb the north tower of the cathedral for the view over the town and countryside.
Afternoon: Walk down Rue de l'Horloge to the Musée du Vitrail for the permanent exhibition explaining the cathedral glass. Return to the cathedral quarter and visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts in the former episcopal palace, then walk the old town to see the half-timbered houses, including the Maison de la Truie qui File or du Saumon. Descend through the streets to the river Eure and the remains of the old gate, then walk north about 0.5 km, turn left, and take the steps up to the back of the cathedral.
Evening: Be on the gravel square in front of the cathedral after 22:15 for the coloured light show on the west front. It lasts about ten minutes and runs in a loop.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Chartres?
The Gare de Chartres railway station offers frequent services to Paris, and a few daily connections to Le Mans, Nogent-le-Rotrou and Courtalain. By road, the A11 motorway connects Chartres with Paris and Le Mans.
When is the best time to see the cathedral illuminations?
Go to the cathedral square at night, after 22:15. The show lasts about ten minutes and runs in a loop, so there is no need to arrive at an exact time. Watch from the gravel square in front of the cathedral rather than from further away.
Is the stained-glass museum worth visiting if I have already seen the cathedral?
Yes, if the cathedral windows interested you. The Musée du Vitrail holds a permanent exhibition explaining the glass panels in the cathedral, and temporary exhibitions that tend to be more artistic. It is a short walk down Rue de l'Horloge from the cathedral. Full admission is €7, reduced €5.50.
What else is there to do beyond the cathedral?
Chartres has the Maison Picassiette, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Musée du Vitrail, the Église Saint-Pierre de Chartres, the churches of Saint-Aignan and Saint-Martin-au-Val, the Monument to Jean Moulin, the river Eure and its hiking path, and the Parc André-Gagnon. The Chartres Arts and Crafts Fair takes place in early October.
Check the train times from Paris, pick your dates, and start building your day around the cathedral.