Chartres: top attractions & road trip guide
Chartres is a market town on the Eure River in the Beauce plain, southwest of Paris, dominated by the silhouette of its cathedral rising above the wheat fields. The town retains a well-preserved medieval quarter of half-timbered houses along the river, alongside its UNESCO World Heritage cathedral.
Top attractions
Chartres Cathedral
Largely rebuilt after a 1194 fire, this Gothic cathedral is famed for preserving nearly all of its original 12th- and 13th-century stained glass, including the deep cobalt 'Chartres blue.'
Old Town and Eure Riverbanks
Cobbled lanes, stone footbridges, and half-timbered houses cascade down from the cathedral to the Eure River, forming one of France's best-preserved medieval townscapes.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Chartres
Housed in the former episcopal palace next to the cathedral, this museum displays paintings, tapestries, and a notable collection of historic harpsichords.
International Stained Glass Centre
Set in a restored medieval tithe barn near the cathedral, this center explains the craft of stained glass through exhibitions and rotating contemporary work.
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