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Spending the night in Versailles, Chartres, or driving on to the Loire Valley?

Posted by (San Francisco, CA) on

Hello fellow travelers!

We're planning to leave Paris early on a Sunday morning, rent a car, drive to Versailles and explore. On Monday we want to tour the Loire Valley. I can't decide how we best get from A to B:
- Should we spend the night in Versailles on Sunday and drive on to the Loire Valley early on Monday?
- Should we drive on the shorter distance to Chartres after Versailled, tour it if we're not too late, otherwise enjoy it lit up at night, spend the night in Chartres, and then drive on to the Loire Valley early the next morning?
- leave Versailles and drive straight to the Loire Valley on the same day, saving time on Monday for more exploration of the Loire Valley.

Which location has the best variety of dining and accommodation options? Is Chartres a must-see?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by
4604 posts

Stay in Chartres-great light show from early April to early Oct. We stayed at the former monastery across the street from the monastery(mentioned in Rick's Paris book)

Posted by
885 posts

I don't really believe in "must sees" because we all have different tastes. But Chartres has a beautiful cathedral and the stained glass is stunning. I would spend the night in Chartres and stay long enough the next day to see the glass. See the crypt too.

Posted by
6713 posts

I agree that spending the night in Chartres would be a good plan, if you want to see one of Europe's great cathedrals. The lighting at night is a bonus, but don't miss the chance to go inside in daytime, especially if it's sunny, to see the light streaming in through the stained glass windows.

It's not clear how much time you'll have in the Loire Valley -- only Monday? That's not much time for such a big area. If that's the case, you might want to head there Sunday after Versailles, skipping Chartres. I'd give the Loire at least 3 days, if not more. Your time, your priorities.

Posted by
6 posts

Thank you everyone for the helpful tips!

We don't have much time to spend in the Loire Valley - if we spend the night in Chartres, we'll have Monday to drive to the Loire and explore. We'll spend the night Monday and then we'll need to leave at some point Tuesday afternoon to head to Sarlat le Caneda. I guess the question I should have asked is if we're trying to do Versailles, Chartres, and the Loire Valley, what's the best way to break up that time? Which sites deserve the most attention?

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