A Guide to the 10+ Best Things to do in Chartres

Last Updated on 20th March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau

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Chartres is a beautiful and medieval town that’s the perfect weekend escape from Paris. Boasting a historic world-famous cathedral and timber-framed old town, here’s your guide to the best things to do in Chartres. 

Chartres is located around 90 km to the South West of Paris in the Centre-Val de Loire apartment, which is around an hour away from Paris by train. In the spring, the town really comes to life, with a variety of cherry blossoms and wisteria in bloom, whereas the summer boasts a number of exciting and fun events.

How long do you need to visit Chartres?

Though we personally visited Chartres over the course of a long afternoon as we had plenty to pack into our Loire Valley road trip (check out our best road trip tips), you could easily spend much, much longer discovering the town’s little gardens, gorgeous architecture, and tasty local cuisine.

If you want to make the most of your stay in the city, then consider spending two or three night’s in the gateway to the Loire Valley.

What is Chartres known for?

Chartres is most famous for its beautiful Gothic Cathedral, which dates back to the 12th-century and is widely regarded to be one of the best works of the 13th-century still in existence. Other highlights of the town include timber-framed buildings and a number of other Gothic churches dating back to the Middle Ages.

Best things to do in Chartres

Cathedral of Chartres

Of course, the main attraction of Chartres is its UNESCO listed cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, which was for the most part constructed between 1193 and 1250. Like many cathedrals in France, the cathedral of Chartres took several centuries to complete and the resulting edifice is not symmetrical in appearance. 

The cathedral at Chartres is most famous for its original stained glass windows and is considered by many to be one of the greatest treasures of French Gothic architecture.

Other highlights include flying buttresses (these allowed the architects to create larger windows) and a labyrinth pattern on the floor of the cathedral. All light entering the Cathedral at Chartres is filtered through the stained glass windows, which gives the cathedral a unique and ethereal lighting.

Chartres International Stained Glass Centre

Those who are particularly interested in stained glass may want to opt to visit the Stained Glass centre, which is part museum and part workshop. Known as Centre International du Vitrail, the space hosts a range of exhibitions which are aimed at covering different aspects of glass making.

24 hour clock 

One of the most beautiful clocks in France is also somewhat of a hidden gem of Chartres. Located to the left hand side of the cathedral when facing the cathedral head on, the 24 hour clock of Chartres was created in 1520 and is a truly unusual attraction.

Old town 

One of the most relaxing and simple activities in Chartres is simply to walk around the city and allow the streets to reveal themselves to you. As well as a wide array of independent boutiques and independent sellers, there are plenty of timber-framed houses to admire.

I particularly enjoyed that many of the street names in the city have descriptions (in French) of why they are called that way. For example, rue au Lait was the site of a former milk seller.

Walk along the river Eure 

One of the more relaxing activities in Chartres is to meander through the little streets and lanes that border the River Eure. Lined with blossom trees in the springtime, the river walk takes around twenty minutes, before you’ll loop back up the hill to the old part of town.

Sample French cuisine

If you do decide to visit Chartres, don’t make the mistake we did and visit on a Monday evening. As with many places across France, most restaurants are closed on Mondays.

We did manage to find one restaurant (be sure to book in advance as seats fill up fast)- Café Bleu was the name of the restaurant and it’s located steps away from the cathedral.

The food was okay (but not the best food I’ve had in France) and they even had vegetarian options on the menu. If I were to return to Chartres, I would probably check out the restaurants of Le 21, Le Tripot, Le Comptoir de Sarah, or La Table de Julie.

Markets 

Talking of food, if you want to experience what it’s like to enjoy France outside of Paris, then there is perhaps no better way of doing this than by heading to a local market. The most popular market is the Marché aux Légumes, which is housed in a covered market hall building dating back to the 19th-century.

The market takes place in the town centre on Wednesdays and Saturdays and merchants sell seasonal products. During the rest of the week, you can wander through the area. At night, the Marché aux Legumes is lit up with blue lights.

Bishops Palace Garden

One of the more beautiful parks in Chartres is the bishop’s Palace Garden, which even boasts a little labyrinth and is known as Jardin de l’Évêché in French. Unfortunately, the garden was closed for maintenance and renovations during our visit to Chartres, but we will be sure to visit the next time we go.

Please note that the Bishop’s Palace Garden seems to have been closed for several years due to renovations of the nearby cathedral and there are no firm fixed dates as to when it will be reopened. We will update this website as soon as we learn more.

Musée des Beaux Arts 

Set against the backdrop of a former episcopal palace just behind the Gothic cathedral. The museum features artworks from the Middle Ages up until the present day and the permanent collections are free to visit (though you’ll have to pay to enter during exhibition times).

Maison Picassiette 

One of the more unusual places to visit in Chartres is the Maison Picassiette, which is located a short walk from the historic city centre. Formerly the home of eccentric Raymond Isidore, the small house has now been turned into a museum.

Made over the course of 29,000 hours, the entire façade of the house has been decorated in fragments of pottery (15 tonnes, to be precise) to form mosaics. The museum is open from mid March until mid November. Find more details about how to visit here.

Where to stay in Chartres

Thanks to its fairly large size and popularity, there are a number of different places to stay in Chartres to suit almost any budget and taste. Here are some of the best places to stay in Chartres based on web-reviews and location:

Budget: One of the more budget friendly options when it comes to staying in Chartres is opting for one of the hostels in town. The Hôtellerie Saint-Yves is set against the backdrop of an ancient monastery and the best part is the location (close to all the attractions)! Check prices and availability here.

Mid-range: Those in search of an affordable luxury option when it comes to a stay in Chartres can’t go wrong by opting to stay in Hôtel Mercure Chartres Centre Cathédrale. Check prices and availability here.

Luxury: For the ultimate luxury experience during your time in Chartres, consider a stay in this four-star hotel. We personally opted to stay at Hotel & Spa Le Grand Monarque Chartres during our time in the city thanks to the fact that it boasts a pool. Check prices and availability here.

How to visit Chartres as a day trip from Paris

If you have just one day in Chartres, you can still easily enjoy many of its more famous attractions over the course of a day. If you don’t have very much time, then you can still visit Chartres as a day trip from Paris.

Paris has a number of train stations, though the train to get to Chartres departs from Montparnasse station, in the 15th arrondissement and the journey time is around an hour. The train station at Chartres is around a ten minute walk from the city centre and the rest of the town’s main attractions are also easily explored on foot.

Once in Chartres, I recommend heading to the tourist information centre, which is located in the city centre, steps away from the cathedral and is located in the historic Salmon House. Once there, you can pick up a free map of the city.

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