In this article, I suggest we set off to explore the city of Chartres, based on several stays in the city: one by my favorite photographer without me in 2016, another as a couple (and with a merry band of bloggers) in October 2020, and finally, one last visit in 2025. As for me, I had visited Chartres once before in my teenage years (so let’s just say that was quite a while ago), but I was truly thrilled to rediscover this beautiful city that I remembered with such fondness. For his part, the favorite photographer had discovered Chartres in 2016, and he was equally delighted with this second visit!
Just like Soissons, Chartres is truly a go-to destination when you live in Paris, as the city is just over an hour away by regional train (TER) (and at a very reasonable price: €18.40). This city in Eure-et-Loir, famous for its Notre-Dame Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has also been attracting visitors for years thanks to its summer event: Chartres en Lumières.
This amazing city and its heritage are certainly worth discovering, and it is an extremely accessible and easy destination for a weekend getaway. During the day, Chartres is bustling with life in its center around the market or the recently redesigned central square. While strolling through the narrow streets, one discovers that they (mostly) bear names related to their past. Thus, you find a rue de la Tannerie (Tannery Street), a rue du Lait (Milk Street)… Symbols of the city’s significant cultural legacy, which dates back to the Gallo-Roman era.
_
Table of Contents
Ideas for things to see and do in Chartres
During each trip, we only stayed for 2 days in the city, but with these two stays, I think we have enough to suggest several varied activities for a long weekend in Chartres!
_
Visit the Chartres Cathedral
Naturally, it is impossible not to take a tour around the Cathedral. It was built on a small hill between the 12th and 13th centuries in record time. It makes an impression at first glance with its imposing shape and height (an altitude of 170m!), not to mention that its nave is the widest in France and its two spires are mismatched. Up close, one admires the attention paid to the details of every sculpture and ornamentation. Inside, its 2,500m2 of stained glass windows are kings. They are found on every side, from the simplest to the most complex in their craftsmanship. Since 1979, the cathedral has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Chartres Cathedral
16 Cloître Notre Dame, 28000 Chartres
Link for a guided tour of Chartres which includes the Cathedral (pickup from Paris)
_
Visit the crypt of the Chartres Cathedral
One of the highlights of an evening in Chartres is discovering the crypt at night. Armed only with a candle each, we explore the long underground corridors. As our guide, we were lucky enough to have a (very) communicative enthusiast, Gilles Fresson, capable of reviving memories of a bygone era and waking the dead – not literally, I assure you… Or maybe just not in public?
The history of the foundations of ancient cathedrals dates back a long time (up to the 4th century). We discover an old well, so deep it makes one dizzy. A major place of pilgrimage, even today, one imagines the masses of believers coming from all horizons in the Middle Ages to see the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and its relic: the Veil of the Virgin. Note the presence of numerous fleurs-de-lis on the walls, not a symbol of the kings of France, but above all the symbol of the Virgin which was taken up by royalty. While we entered through a small door, we came out through the big one, because before returning outside, we pass through the interior of the Cathedral. In the dark and with an organist practicing their art. Imagine it. Or at least try to. The contrast is striking; we see gigantic columns that give us the strange sensation of being in the middle of a forest of ancient trees. I still get shivers just thinking about it!
Visit tested in 2016
Visit to the Crypt of Chartres Cathedral
Tour with Chartres en Lumières Privilège which includes the tour of the crypt every Friday at 10 PM during the event (by reservation)
There is only one group tour per week (about 30 people). Not to be missed!
Rates for free visit of the crypt: €11 as a duo with the guided tour of the cathedral / €5 / free for under 10s
_
Visit the towers and the roof space of Chartres Cathedral with the CMN
This guided tour behind the scenes of the cathedral is truly fascinating, and I strongly encourage you to do it during your next visit to Chartres, if you have the time! It notably allows you to see the reverse side of the 12th and 13th-century stained glass windows, and therefore understand the complex technique behind them. Our guide told us about the adventures of the building’s stained glass windows, which were dismantled in 12 days in 1939 to protect them from bombings and stored in the cathedral’s crypt during the Second World War. It then took no less than 3 years, starting in 1945, to put them back on the walls of the cathedral! Incredible story!
Obviously, to do this tour, I recommend that you do not have a fear of heights, because we do climb onto the roofs of the building. However, it is also an opportunity to have a magnificent panorama of the city. For information, the oldest bell in the cathedral, which we were able to hear during the visit, is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year, in 2020! The tour ends grandiosely by discovering the great roof space of the cathedral. A fire in the roof structure destroyed it completely in 1836, and it was replaced at the time by a curved cast-iron structure that is much lighter than the old chestnut wood structure. It only took 4 years to reconstruct the structure, which is quite fast for this type of endeavor, especially in the 19th century.
Visits made in 2020 and 2025
Visit the towers and roof space of Chartres Cathedral with the CMN (National Monuments Centre)
Chartres Cathedral
Duration of the guided tour: 1h
Rates: €6 adult / €5 reduced / free under 18s
_
Chartres en Lumières
Since 2003, this has become the annual meeting point in Chartres. Video mapping has gained momentum very quickly in the cultural landscape; the city of Chartres is among the first to experiment with this feature that strengthens the appeal of the heritage. Three sides of the cathedral are illuminated during the festivities. Each offers a different atmosphere and is simply sumptuous. Between the pictorial tone, the dreamlike quality, and the deluge of colors. The monument regains a semblance of life for the greatest pleasure of our eyes!
More than twenty locations are also illuminated in the upper and lower city, which allows for varying the pleasures and visiting the city by night by following the lights (like moths!). For those who know it, it is a way to re-discover it from another point of view. For example, the Museum of Fine Arts offers a beautiful, poetic staging, “Luna,” which tells, in its own way, a journey into the history of astronomy through the story of a little girl who falls into a parallel world. Magical. Every year, we find new features, and the illuminations thus constantly present new scenographies to discover (a pretext to return over the years).
Chartres en Lumières
From April to January every year, every night, at nightfall
The insider tip: it’s completely free!
Chartres en Lumières Privilège: certain Friday nights at 10 PM from April to October (€18.50 adult / €6.50 child)
_
Go on a sightseeing tour with Il était une voix
This company offers experiential tourism to enjoy a unique and different moment while discovering the history of the city of Chartres but also other sites in Eure-et-Loir. We, for our part, followed the tour/show called Enquête de lumière (Quest for Light), based on the story of a 16th-century herbalist by trade, Landry de Vautournelle. Our guide/actor thus took us on a night-time storytelling walk through the city to transport us to another era and discover Chartres through the eyes of this character.
Visit tested in 2020
Il était une voix
Rates: starting at €8 per person (price varies according to the number of participants in the tour)
_
Visit the amazing Maison Picassiette
You have to leave the city center to visit a monument unique of its kind. From the street leading to it, nothing informs us of what we are going to see. What amazement when one discovers a house entirely covered with pieces of crockery and other trinkets! From 1930 until his death in 1962, Raymond Isidore, a simple worker, decorated his house using everything he could find, from floor to ceiling, without leaving a single area undecorated. Initially named “Pique-Assiette” (Plate-Snatcher), due to the recovered crockery, it transformed into “Maison Picassiette” in reference to Picasso.
We notice the great representation of world monuments. It should be noted that Raymond Isidore never traveled (his happiness was at home), but that does not mean he did not want to “invite” the outside world to his place. Thus, one can see Eiffel Towers, Mont Saint-Michels, Colosseums… Apparently, the Japanese appreciate this high monument of naive art enormously – so much so that they make it their second destination after the cathedral! I must admit it is worth the detour!
Visit tested in 2016
La Maison Picassiette
22 Rue du Repos 28000 Chartres
Rate: €9/€12 adult ticket / €5/€7 reduced / free for under 6s
Stained glass in all its forms in Chartres
The theme of stained glass is extremely important in Chartres, as you may have understood by reading the section about the cathedral, and the city aims to be the international capital in this field. I therefore suggest below, if the subject interests you, two places to discover to learn more about this art of glass.
_
Visit the Ateliers Loire
There is a special link between the Château de la Rivière (which I talk about in another article) and this world-renowned workshop located not far from Chartres: it was here that the stained glass window for the castle’s pool was created. The Ateliers Loire are a reference in the art of stained glass. It is possible to discover their exceptional know-how during tours organized for the public (generally Fridays at 2:30 PM). It is an opportunity to get detailed explanations on the different techniques of creation and restoration of stained glass, and to discover the current commissions on which the artisans are working. A truly fascinating tour that I highly recommend.
Workshops visited in 2025
Ateliers Loire
16 rue d’Ouarville, 28300 Lèves
Tours: Friday afternoon at 2:30 PM (by reservation)
_
Le Collectif Artway Chartres
In residence in an artist’s studio, the members of the collective shape stained glass as they please. Like the lion below, it is goldsmith work, as stained glass is particularly delicate to handle.
Collectif Artway Chartres
1, rue du Massacre 28000 Chartres
_
Le Centre International du Vitrail
A quick stop at the International Stained Glass Centre is essential. Moreover, it is not surprising that one of the rare museums in France dedicated exclusively to stained glass is in Chartres (another is located in Troyes in Aube). Inside a beautiful building hide many treasures and explanations on stained glass techniques.
In the basement, one can discover the “Lights of the World” exhibition which brings together 280 artists from the four corners of the globe. You can find marvels of creativity, between abstract and playful art (one of the works has the particularity of containing wine…). Furthermore, there is the possibility of taking training courses to get initiated into the art of stained glass! What are you waiting for?
Visited in 2016
International Stained Glass Centre
5 Rue du Cardinal Pie 28000 Chartres
Rates: full price €7 / reduced price €5.50
My top addresses in Chartres
As usual, you will find below the great addresses we tested during our two stays in Chartres with the favorite photographer (in 2016 and 2020), with a selection of restaurants but also accommodation (including a hotel and an incredible guesthouse).
_
Where to stay in Chartres? La Maison Blanche*****
This high-end guesthouse (5 stars) opened its doors at the beginning of summer 2020. It is a unique place, out of time, managed by the same family as the Hôtel du Grand Monarque (which I talk about below). The address was designed to offer a cocoon of luxury in the heart of the city of Chartres. Located a stone’s throw from the Hôtel du Grand Monarque, this guesthouse is set in a beautiful 19th-century residence with a red brick facade, surrounded by a beautiful garden with century-old magnolias.
Every detail of La Maison Blanche has been carefully thought out and arranged by Nathalie Jallerat, who knew how to give a modern allure to the whole while keeping a 19th-century spirit full of charm. On the ground floor, you will find a lounge, a kitchen (very well equipped with hot drinks available), the breakfast room, and a very cozy conservatory with plush and comfortable armchairs. The 6 rooms are spread over the 2 floors of the building. Each one is different and possesses a unique style and theme. For our part, with the favorite photographer, we were in the Mauritius suite. It is made for families because it has 2 single bunk beds for children in a room separated from the main bedroom by a door.
The little extra: a spa and fitness area should soon be set up in the house’s cellar…
Tested in 2020 - Invitation
La Maison Blanche
Rates: room from €115
Full privatization of the house from €900 (up to 16 people)
_
Where to stay in Chartres? Hôtel Le Grand Monarque ****
During his stay in Chartres in 2016, the favorite photographer stayed in the most central hotel in the city, which is also a true Chartres institution, the Grand Monarque. The interior is sober, between traditional decor and more or less modern rooms. This family hotel, installed in a former post house, is one of the very beautiful addresses in Chartres and it possesses a Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Georges, which obtained its first star in 2009 with chef Laurent Clément (whom I will tell you about in another article to come on Eure-et-Loir).
Breakfast at Le Grand Monarque: After a comfortable night, the breakfast at Le Grand Monarque has everything needed to satisfy its clientele. At the buffet, you find everything, from French grand classics (the eternal croissants and pains au chocolat…) but also English-style scrambled eggs.
_
Relax at the Spa Carita of Le Grand Monarque
This 850m2 Spa is linked to the hotel (but also open to guests who are not staying at the hotel) and it has offered an oriental space dedicated to water since 2010. You will find a large swimming pool, a hammam, a sauna, a relaxation area with a herbal tea room, a relaxing sensory pool, a hair salon, and 9 treatment cabins.
Tested in 2016
Hôtel Le Grand Monarque
22 Place des Épars, 28000 Chartres
Rates: room from €125
Spa: supplement of €15 for hotel guests in addition to their room rate
_
Where to stay near Chartres? The Château de la Rivière
And if you want to extend your stay in Eure-et-Loir by getting away from the city a little, I suggest a real gem: the Château de la Rivière. Located in Pontgouin, a few kilometers from Chartres, this sublime estate is the ideal place to get back to nature during a romantic getaway. Between its immense, preserved 140-hectare park bordered by the Eure river and its exceptional guest rooms, the change of scenery is complete! As good epicureans, we truly fell in love with the gourmet candlelit dinner offered by the hosts, a memorable and timeless experience.
=> See my full article on the Château de la Rivière
_
Where to have lunch in Chartres next to the Cathedral? Bistrot Racines
Located in the heart of Chartres, the Bistrot Racines is a bistronomic address awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. This restaurant led by chef Benoît Cellot offers market-fresh, sincere, and creative cuisine. The establishment makes it a point of honor to work with short supply chains, using local and seasonal products.
We tasted: Chartres terrine with a foie gras insert and wild duck; egg cocotte with seasonal vegetables; gourmet floating island with pink pralines (the house specialty in terms of dessert).
Tested in 2025
Bistrot Racines
49 Rue des Changes 28000 Chartres
_
Where to have lunch in Chartres? La brasserie La Cour du Grand Monarque
The Hôtel du Grand Monarque has a Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Georges, with chef Thomas Parnaud in the kitchen, but also a brasserie (in the same place as the breakfast I mentioned above). Without being unpleasant, the latter does not have the subtlety of a restaurant like Les Feuillantines. It remains an opportunity to eat the famous pâté de Chartres in duck crust (€11), the unmissable local specialty… If you like consistent and slightly gelatinous pâté!
Tested in 2016
Brasserie La Cour du Grand Monarque
22, place des Epars 28000 Chartres
_
Where to have dinner in Chartres? Restaurant Les Feuillantines
A charming little restaurant in the lower parts of the city, towards the Eure river, Les Feuillantines was the beautiful gastronomic discovery of the first stay in Chartres in 2016, with a meal affordable in relation to the subtlety and quality of its products. An address that I highly recommend.
To taste: the Italian sweet, mozzarella and cherry tomato cream, Italian ham tile (€11), a very delicate and refreshing appetizer; the beef piece with shallots and its condiments, vigneronne sauce, baby potatoes (€22), well prepared and tasty; Panna cotta with vanilla, peach minestrone, and raspberry coulis (€10); and what can one say about the superb chocolate sphere with strawberries, lemon madeleine, yogurt ice cream, and redcurrant whipped cream (€10).
Tested in 2016
Restaurant Les Feuillantines
4, rue du Bourg 28000 Chartres
Price: menu at €34 (appetizer, main, dessert) or €24 (main, dessert), lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday
_
Where to take a gourmet break in Chartres? Maison Monarque Tea Room
To end the trip peacefully and pleasantly for our taste buds, we stopped for a few moments at the Maison Monarque where we can devour pastries signed by the starred chef of Le Georges… Not bad, right? The eyes of our small group were drawn to the same treat: The Strawberry. No, it is not a real strawberry, but a delight that takes its shape (the trap). In any case, it is as good as it looks!
Tested in 2016
La Maison Monarque, Tea Room
49 Rue des Changes, Place de la Cathédrale 28000 Chartres
_
{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “WebPage”, “@id”: “https://mademoisellebonplan.fr/visiter-chartres/#webpage”, “about”: { “@type”: “Place”, “name”: “Chartres”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “Chartres”, “postalCode”: “28000”, “addressCountry”: “FR” }, “geo”: { “@type”: “GeoCoordinates”, “latitude”: 48.4438, “longitude”: 1.4890 } } }_
Thanks to Eure-et-Loir Tourisme, the Chartres Tourist Office and the aiRPur agency for this welcome in 2020. And also thanks to my travel buddies for their good humor (don’t hesitate to take a look at their articles on Chartres): le Blog de Lili, Voyageurs Français, Culturez-Vous, Paris la Douce and Poulette Blog.
Thanks to the Chartres Tourist Office for its welcome in 2016 with Article Onze, and don’t hesitate to check out the articles by the favorite photographer’s fellow bloggers during this trip: voyage et cie, la boucle voyageuse and un pied dans les nuages.
I hope that with all this, I will have made you want to discover or re-discover Chartres, and if you too have your good addresses for going out and visiting this city, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
