Chartres or Rouen?

This is a tough one! I got to spend time in both on my trip to France at the end of last month. If I absolutely had to pick I think I would go with Rouen. Besides the famed main cathedral that Monet loved to paint, there are also the cathedrals of st ouen and st maclou all in walking distance. There are lovely shops and restaurants (if you're into the exotic, there seemed to be a little Moroccan enclave with at least three cous cous places!). I know you said you're not into museums, but it's really interesting to pop into the musee de beaux artes and see a couple of monet's paintings of the cathedral and of the skyline of the town itself. Rouen also has all the Joan of arc history. Chartres is also a lovely cathedral... The stained glass is the main draw there. The town itself seemed a bit more modern to me and so not as alluring. If you do wind up in Chartres, just one tip... RS France mentions tours of the cathedral with a British expat... He needs 8 people to be part of the tour or else he cancels it, and it seems a good deal have been cancelled lately. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Enjoy your trip!

I would do Chartres, however it is an afternoon visit rather than an all-day. i always get a thrill approaching chartres over the flats and you see the cathedral towers on the horizon ahead of you. the windows ARE spectacular and the flying butresses are interesting. The town immediately around the Cathedral is interesting, but we have never tried staying longer than half a day

Have been to both and Chartres gets my vote. Rouen is worth a visit and the old town area( interesting Norman Architecture) is charming but the surrounding "new town" area is anything but charming. The Joan of Arc Church looks like it belongs in Scandinavia. Chartres is a very pretty town and the cathedral is super impressive. We have been twice and hope to return some day.

I lived in Chatres for one year, and let me tell you that you won't be disappointed. It's a QUICK trip from the Paris Montparnasse station and it's such a quaint town. The cathedral is worth the trip from anywhere, there are beautiful parks, wonderful restaurants, and excellent shopping options. And best of all, you can walk from anywhere! If you do choose Chartres, let me know and I'll give you all the advice you need!!! Be it hotels, restaurants, shopping, or tourism.

If you do go to Chartres, you must not miss a tour of the cathederal with Malcom Miller. He is the best! I think is email is in Rick's Paris book.

Tough, tough, choice!! I loved the stained glass at Chartres but I was absolutely wowed by the stonework. However, if you want all the things you've listed, go to Rouen. Fantastic place to just wander and take pictures in every direction. We spent an entire day there and would do it again. I'd also recommend Provin!

We visited both on our June, 2008 trip and IMHO, I thought Rouen had more to offer. We enjoyed the cathedral, since it continued the Monet theme from our earlier visit to Giverny. We also were intrigued by the plague place just east of the cathedral (sorry, I can't remember the name of it, but I think it is mentioned in the RS book) and the Jeanne d'Arc sites to the west. The tourist part of the city was easily walkable, we spent a couple of hours in Rouen, including lunch right by the cathedral. Only caveat was that it was a pain finding a parking place......We were slightly disappointed with Chartres. We expected something like St. Chapelle on steroids. The stained glass was lovely, but the church was rather dark (some of the windows were "in restorio" and boarded over). We had a pleasant lunch, enjoyed the park area behind the cathedral, and then headed off to Lavardin and Chenonceux. Rouen was much more interesting.

We went to Rouen on our trip in 2008, and Chartres last week. We enjoyed both, but I'd vote for Rouen as a better way to spend a full day. If you are going soon and choose Chartres be aware that Malcolm Miller is not doing afternoon tours in the "off" season. We arrived in town at 11:30 and debated having lunch first good thing we didn't because one of the six on our tour (not sure he took pity on us for not having the 8 minimum, or charged us a bit more we paid 10 euro each) had planned to take two tours, only to find out there was no afternoon tour. We did impose upon him to sign his most recent book for us (purchased in the cathedral gift shop).

I have also been to both, but Chartres will not take as long as Rouen--we stayed there 3 days and could have stayed longer because there was so much to see.
While the cathedral in Chartres is not to be missed, there is not much more to see, too much of the city has been modernized. Rouen has the old medieval charm.