Paris to Chartres

Well, its 31.20 euro for a round trip ticket from Montparnasse, 1 hour each way, if that helps with your decision.

On a tour you go by someone else's schedule and see what they think you want to see. On your own you can set your schedule and wander the town at your own pace maybe have a meal. You can still take a guided tour of the Cathedral if desired without the complete trip being with a group tour.

This is an easy day trip to do on your own and there is absolutely no need of a tour. Have a guidebook or go on line for some good descriptions of the Cathedral and you are good to go. However if the Malcom Miller tour is available the day you are there definitely do that. He used to do a morning and early afternoon 'tour' for 10 Euro a head; I don't know if he does them that often now as he is quite elderly. The 'tour' is really not a tour but a lecture about the stain glass and it was very fascinating. He changes the speech and the windows he discusses with each tour, so some people on ours were doing their second one that day. This is not to be missed if it is available.

There is a nice little restaurant called the 'Moulin something or other' on the little stream at the foot of the hill below the Cathedral -- we walked down through the town and across the bridge over the stream and turned left and stumbled upon it on the river bank. We had an excellent lunch with a lovely view of the stream.

Chartres is a pretty little medieval town and the Cathedral is stunning. It is easy to find on arrival at the train station since you can see the Cathedral towers from a distance.

Hi Jerry, Chartres is a nice day trip from Paris and the train is easy. It's a local train so you can't get advance tickets, just purchase at the station. Trains run about 6 times a day, check the SNCF site. Malcolm Miller has been guiding tours of Chartres Cathedral for the past 50 years and he's wonderful. I took a tour in May and enjoyed it very much. Various sites on the internet provide tour times but I suggest that you e-mail or call him (you have to leave a message) to verify. Here's his contact info: [email protected], telephone +33 (0) 237 28 15 58. If you are able to stay overnight, they illuminate the Cathedral and it's a beautiful sight. Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO31XEo6xX4. I also enjoyed the stained glass museum. Hope you enjoy your visit.

Trains depart from Paris Montparnasse station to Chartres roughly at the top of each hour and also return hourly until about 21:00.

Hi, Jerry

Don't know your age, but FYI there is senior discount on the train tickets. Remember to stamp your ticket before boarding both ways.

As everyone said, this is an easy trip to do on your own. You can follow the walking tour in RS's book or get a similar one with a map at the town's tourist bureau. Give yourself about 1-2 hours at the cathedral depending on your interest and another 2-3 hours for lunch and walking about town.

Thanks everyone! I think we will do this on our own using your advice. We will be staying near the train station, so that pretty much makes it a "no brainer." We are seniors, so thanks for letting us know about the senior discount on train tickets.