Chartres overnight?

Hi,
Are you driving? I assume so.
Chartres is worthy of a few hours' visit: the town center beyond the cathedral is both lively and well-preserved. You do not have to spend the night, after all Tours is only 2 hours away (biting the toll bullet and taking the highway via Le Mans), so you could even have dinner in Chartres and continue on to Tours (as long as you skip the wine).
This said, Chartres has some nice restaurants and hotels - I thoroughly enjoyed a weekend stay in December at Le Grand Monarque, which has a great spa to unwind while on the road, and there seemed to be a few other great hotel options. So if you don't mind one-night stays and won't miss having an extra 2-3 hours to spend in the Loire valley, you can spend the night in Chartres without qualms.

We enjoyed Chartres for the night. The area around the cathedral is charming and when we were in Chartres there was an evening light show on the cathedral and other buildings in the town center. We took a train from Paris and then rented a car in Chartres. We visited Vouvray and some of the other wine areas and returned the car in Tours.

We spent two nights in Chartres and were pleased to take the Cathedral tour with historian Malcolm Miller. The Cathedral was probably the most beautiful medieval stained glass we've seen. We also visited the historical stained glass exhibition at the center next to the Cathedral. Chartres is well worth an overnight stay to take in the nighttime sound and-light show on the Cathedral facade. We felt grateful to watch it for two nights. Well worth the short train ride from Paris. The old town boasts the picturesque Eure River and lovely architecture. We recall enjoying the delicious cuisine as well. Just an all around charming place to stroll and take in the ambience.

Chartres was our first stop after arriving at CDG. We drove there and stayed the night on our way to the Dordogne. It was a great overnight stop. The light show in the evening is amazing. Plus lots of tasty restaurant and the old town is interesting as well. Recommend spending the night. We stayed at a great hotel about seven minutes away from the cathedral.

I'm looking forward to staying overnight at Chartres in late August. I picked a charming B&B, Le Jardin Cathedrale. I'm mainly stopping there to see the cathedral but also will enjoy the evening light show and old town. I really enjoy being in a town during the evening when the day trip people have left and can enjoy the ambiance. Also strolling in the early morning to capture some nice photos while people are just beginning to open shops, etc.

I'll be heading to Tours for a couple of days, also, but am also staying overnight at Le Mans (Plantegenet section of town, cathedral and evening light show) and Angers (castle & Revelation Apocalypse tapestry) on the way to Tours.

Thanks everyone! this is so helpful, Jean just curious what hotel are you staying at in Tours, having trouble finding one I like at a decent price.

Hi CanadianSue, I'm staying at Hotel L'Adresse in Tours. I mentioned it in a posting a few months ago and was glad that Simon (I think) from that area responded that it's a place he would recommend. My booking is $170 total for two nights, reserving a double room.

If you're driving, staying a night is a perfect idea. Chartres is nice town and worth staying for the light show in the evening on the Cathedral.

It's not out of the way by car. By train, you have to take a train back in to Paris, then out to Tours.

I'm not a huge fan of Tours. I rode a bike through there and it was quite a large city with lots of traffic. I'd prefer somewhere like Amboise.

There’s a few train routes where you can just head from Chartres-to-Le Mans-to Tours and avoid going back into Paris and switching trains and/or train stations in Paris. An example is the train leaving at 10:09 from Chartres.

If you're interested in stained glass, visit the cathedral in Tours. They are the workshop that did the Chartres windows, and are likely to be doing the Notre Dame windows, too. They have glass from every period - the medieval glass is the equivalent of Chartres, and the glass that has been destroyed in various wars hasn't be "restored", but replaced with contemporary glass.