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Exploring | Where to Eat and Stay
39 km (24 miles) southwest of Rambouillet via N10 and A11, 88 km (55 miles) southwest of Paris.
If Versailles is the climax of French secular architecture, Chartres is its religious apogee. All the descriptive prose and poetry that have been lavished on this supreme cathedral can only begin to suggest the glory of its 12th- and 13th-century statuary and stained glass, somehow suffused with burning mysticism and a strange sense of the numinous. Chartres is more than a church—it’s a nondenominational spiritual experience.
Getting Here
Both regional and main-line (Le Mans–bound) trains leave Paris’s Gare Montparnasse for Chartres (50–70 minutes); tickets are about €30 round-trip. Chartres’s train station on Place Pierre-Sémard puts you within walking distance of the cathedral.
Visitor Information
Chartres Tourist Office. | Pl. de la Cathédrale | 28000 | 02–37–18–26–26 | www.chartres-tourisme.com.
Exploring
If you arrive in summer from Maintenon across the edge of the Beauce, the richest agrarian plain in France, you can see Chartres’s spires rising up from oceans of wheat. The whole town, with its old houses and quaint streets, is worth a leisurely exploration. From Rue du Pont-St-Hilaire there’s an intriguing view of the rooftops below the cathedral. Ancient streets tumble down from the cathedral to the river, lined most weekends with bouquinistes selling old books and prints. Each year on August 15 pilgrims and tourists flock here for the Procession du Vœu de Louis XIII, a religious procession through the streets commemorating the French monarchy’s vow to serve the Virgin Mary.
If you need an incentive to linger until dusk, “Chartres en Lumieres” (Chartres’s festival of lights) provides it: 28 of the city’s most revered monuments, including the glorious Notre-Dame Cathedral, are transformed into vivid light canvases. Thematically based on the history and purpose of each specific site, the animated projections are organized into a city walk that covers a wide swath of the old town’s cobbled streets and bridges. The spectacle is free and occurs nightly from April through September. A train tour of the illuminated city operates several times a night, from July 6 until August 25.
Fodor’s Choice | Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
Worship on the site of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, better known as Chartres Cathedral, goes back to before the Gallo-Roman period—the crypt contains a well that was the focus of druid ceremonies. In the late 9th century Charles II (known as “the Bald”) presented Chartres with what was believed to be the tunic of the Virgin Mary, a precious relic that went on to attract hordes of pilgrims. The current cathedral, the sixth church on the spot, dates mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries and was erected after the previous building, dating from the 11th century, burned down in 1194. A well-chronicled outburst of religious fervor followed the discovery that the Virgin Mary’s relic had miraculously survived unsinged. Princes and paupers, barons and bourgeoisie gave their money and their labor to build the new cathedral. Ladies of the manor came to help monks and peasants on the scaffolding in a tremendous resurgence of religious faith that followed the Second Crusade. Just 25 years were needed for Chartres Cathedral to rise again, and it has remained substantially unchanged since.
The lower half of the facade survives from the earlier Romanesque church: this can be seen most clearly in the use of round arches rather than the pointed Gothic style. The Royal Portal is richly sculpted with scenes from the life of Christ—these sculpted figures are among the greatest created during the Middle Ages. The taller of the two spires (380 feet versus 350 feet) was built at the start of the 16th century, after its predecessor was destroyed by fire; its fanciful Flamboyant intricacy contrasts sharply with the stumpy solemnity of its Romanesque counterpart (access €3, open daily 9:30–noon and 2–4:30). The rose window above the main portal dates from the 13th century, and the three windows below it contain some of the finest examples of 12th-century stained-glass artistry in France.
As spiritual as Chartres is, the cathedral also had its more-earthbound uses. Look closely and you can see that the main nave floor has a subtle slant. This was built to provide drainage, as this part of the church was often used as a “hostel” by thousands of overnighting pilgrims in medieval times.
Your eyes will need time to adjust to the somber interior. The reward is seeing the gemlike richness of the stained glass, with the famous deep Chartres blue predominating. The oldest window is arguably the most beautiful: Notre-Dame de la Belle Verrière (Our Lady of the Lovely Window), in the south choir. The cathedral’s windows are gradually being cleaned—a lengthy, painstaking process—and the contrast with those still covered in the grime of centuries is staggering. TIP It’s worth taking a pair of binoculars along with you to pick out the details. If you wish to know more about stained-glass techniques and the motifs used, visit the small exhibit in the gallery opposite the north porch. Since 2008, the cathedral has been undergoing an ambitious renovation—to the tune of a staggering €270 million (about $350 million)—that will continue through 2015. To date, two major chapels (the chapels of the Martyrs and the Apostles) have been completely restored, as have the two bays of the nave and the lower choir and the transept windows. For those who remember these dark recesses before the restoration the transformation is nothing short of miraculous, with an estimated 160,000 square feet of original plasterwork now visible and many of the sublime details for which the cathedral is famous returned to their original 13th-century glory. For even more detail, try to arrange a tour (in English) with local institution Malcolm Miller, whose knowledge of the cathedral’s history is formidable. (He leads tours twice a day Monday through Saturday, April through October, once a day November through March at noon. You can reach him at the telephone number below, or at: | millerchartres@aol.com.) The vast black-and-white labyrinth on the floor of the nave is one of the few to have survived from the Middle Ages; the faithful were expected to travel along its entire length (some 300 yards) on their knees. Guided tours of the Crypte start from the Maison de la Crypte opposite the south porch. You can also see a 4th-century Gallo-Roman wall and some 12th-century wall paintings. | 16 cloître Notre-Dame | 28000 | 02–37–21–75–02 | www.chartres-tourisme.com | Crypt €2.70, tours €7.50 | Cathedral daily 8:30–7:30; guided tours of crypt Apr.–Oct., daily at 11, 2:15, 3:30, and 4:30; Nov.–Mar., daily at 11 and 4:15.
Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum).
Just behind the famed cathedral, the town art museum is housed in a handsome 18th-century building that once used to serve as the bishop’s palace. Its varied collection includes Renaissance enamels, a portrait of Erasmus by Holbein, tapestries, armor, and some fine (mainly French) paintings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. There’s also a room devoted to the forceful 20th-century landscapes of Maurice de Vlaminck, who lived in the region. 29 cloître Notre-Dame | 28000 | 02–37–90–45–80 | €3.50; €5.50 with special exhibit | Wed. and Sat. 10–noon and 2–6, Sun. 2–5.
St-Aignan.
Exquisite 17th-century stained glass can be admired at the church of St-Aignan, around the corner from St-Pierre. | Rue des Grenets | 28000.
St-Pierre.
The Gothic church of St-Pierre, near the Eure River, has magnificent medieval windows from a period (circa 1300) not represented at the cathedral. The oldest stained glass here, portraying Old Testament worthies, is to the right of the choir and dates from the late 13th century. | Rue St-Pierre | 28000.
Where to Eat and Stay
La Vieille Maison.
FRENCH FUSION | Just 100 yards from the cathedral, in a pretty 14th-century building with a flower-decked patio, this restaurant is a fine choice for either lunch or dinner. Chef Bruno Letartre changes his menu regularly, often including such regional specialties as asparagus, rich duck pâté, and superb homemade foie gras along with seafood and game in season. Prices, though justified, can be steep, but the “suggested” lunch menu (€29) served on summer weekdays is a good bet. | Average main: €31 | 5 rue au Lait | 28000 | 02–37–34–10–67 | www.lavieillemaison.fr | Closed Mon. and Tues. No dinner Sun.
Moulin de Ponceau.
FRENCH | Ask for a table with a view of the Eure River, with the cathedral looming above, at this 16th-century converted water mill. Better still, on sunny days you can eat outside, beneath a parasol on the stone terrace by the water’s edge—an idyllic setting. Choose from a regularly changing menu of French stalwarts such as rabbit terrine, trout with almonds, and tarte tatin, or splurge on “la trilogie” of scallops, foie gras, and langoustine. | Average main: €21 | 21 rue de la Tannerie | 28000 | 02–37–35–30–05 | www.moulindeponceau.fr | Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
Best Western Le Grand Monarque.
HOTEL | On Chartres’s main town square not far from the cathedral, this is a delightful option with interiors that remain seductively and warmly redolent of the 19th century—it was originally built as a coaching inn—with many guest rooms attractively outfitted with brick walls, wood antiques, lush drapes, and modern bathrooms; the best are in a separate turn-of-the-20th-century building overlooking a garden, while the most atmospheric are tucked away in the attic. Downstairs, the stylishly decorated—and Michelin starred—Georges Restaurant serves such delicacies as pheasant pie and scallops with lentils and has prix-fixe menus. It’s closed Monday and there’s no dinner Sunday, but the hotel’s La Cour brasserie is open daily. Pros: its old-fashioned charm still works today; the spa and fitness center offers beauty treatments and massage. Cons: best rooms are in an annex; uphill walk to cathedral. | Rooms from: €135 | 22 pl. des Épars | 28000 | 02–37–18–15–15 | www.bw-grand-monarque.com | 55 rooms | Breakfast.
Fodor’s Choice | Château d’Esclimont.
HOTEL | On the way south from Rambouillet to Chartres, the town of St-Symphorien is famed for one of France’s most spectacular château-hotels; with pointed turrets, pièces d’eau (moated pools), and a checkerboard facade, the 19th-century Esclimont domaine—built by La Rochefoucaulds—is well worth seeking out if you wish to eat and sleep like an aristocrat in luxuriously furnished guest rooms (many are loftily dimensioned, others snug in corner turrets) adorned with reproduction 18th-century French pieces. Carved stone garlands, cordovan leathers, brocades, and period antiques grace the public salons; the superbly manicured grounds cradle a heated pool. The cuisine is sophisticated: quail, suckling pig, foie gras with prunes in armagnac, and mushroom and chestnut fricassee top the menu at the restaurant, La Rochefoucauld (dinner reservations are essential, and a jacket and tie are required, as is a very fat wallet). Pros: the grand style of a country château; wonderful rural setting. Cons: service can be pompous; off the beaten path and not easy to find. | Rooms from: €240 | 2 rue du Château-d’Esclimont, 24 km (15 miles) northeast of Chartres via N10/D18 | St-Symphorien-le-Château | 28700 | 02–37–31–15–15 | www.esclimont.com | 48 rooms, 4 suites | Some meals.
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