Is Chartres worth seeing?

You go to Chartres to see the cathedral. It's magnificent. It makes our art history book. ; ) I think it's only an hour train ride from Paris, and it looks like trains are hourly. So you could go after lunch, see the cathedral in the afternoon and be back in time for dinner. But, check with the train experts.

I've not done it, but I've had friends do a day trip to Giverny. It all depends on what interests you.

I first went to Chartre early evening on an Easter Sunday. It had rained most of the day. As I walked up a hill from the train station to the youth hostel, the cathedral bells were ringing and the sun had come out bathing the city and cathedral in that very special early evening light against a brilliant blue sky.

Pam

Spend a little bit of time walking around Chartres as well. Like many small French cities, there's no museums or sites of note, but it has a very pleasent traffic-free pedestrian zone.

It's an easy afternoon trip. As Tom says, enjoy the town too. Continue down the hill in the opposite direction from the train station. Chartres has a wonderful old town along the river.

I would put Chartres second for a day trip from Paris after Versailles.

Check for the amount of "restoration" before you visit. When we went last summer, several of the main windows were covered with scaffolding because they were being restored. Therefore, Chartres was not quite as spectacular as we had hoped. It was an interesting cathedral and made a good lunch stop enroute to the the Loire Valley. We enjoyed the park area behind the cathedral, but the stained glass was more spectacular at Sainte Chapelle.

Cynthia makes a good point - you should check online for restoration that is going on at any significant site you want to visit.

Thankfully, private and public funds invest in the maintenance and restoration of many of Europe's major cultural sites. But that means you may see the Notre Dame cloaked in scaffolding.

That's why you should budget your travel so that you can visit Europe at least twice.

We took a day trip to Chartres from Paris and it was a pleasant, easy day. After the cathedral, we spent a few hours walking around the city along the river, as another poster noted, munching a picnic lunch along the way. The old town area was a nice surprise. This is not a dawn to dusk adventure with non-stop grade A attractions, but pretty much took most of the day.

In March 2009 there was still quite a bit of restoration going on inside the cathedral. Easy trip and the guide that RS mentions, Malcolm Miller, is entertaining and extremely well versed on the history and how to "read" the windows.

"This is not a dawn to dusk adventure with non-stop grade A attractions, but pretty much took most of the day."

This statement reminded me of something (and by the way, I agree with the sentiment). If you will be in Chartres for dinner... try one of the restaurants with outdoor seating facing the cathedral. One European memory that still stands out after many trips is watching the play of the light of the setting sun on the western facade of the cathedral, as I ate my dinner. Beautiful, quiet sight with no hordes of tourists flashing pictures.

I went to Auvers-sur-Oise last year and left it rather depressed. You're able to see the paintings in front of the site where VVG painted them ... you can see the windowless garrett where he shot himself ... and you can see his and Theo's grave (amidst a real French cemetary with graves decorated with tacky plastic flowers). The famous church was cool - maybe it was because it was drizzling and there was a real funeral going on that it was depressing anyway. The field where Vincent painted the crows was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. The place definitely had a bad vibe.
My advice? Go and see the magnigicant and uplifting Chartes cathedral instead! Yeah, it's worth seeing!

Chartres is a nice side trip from Paris. We caught an early train, toured the cathedral, walked the town and had lunch and were back to Paris by late afternoon feeling like we had a great day. If you go, the tour by Malcom Miller is a must. You can sign up for his tour in the gift shop just inside the church and he is a joy to follow. He has been giving tours there for over 50 years. I asked him how long it would take to give a tour telling all he knew of the Cathedral and he said about seven days, 24 hours per day. As others have said , the town is also fun to walk around and eat in. Have a great time on your trip.

Chartres is well worth the trip! It's an easy morning or afternoon trip. Hope you have a sunny day when you visit!

The Cathedral at Chartres is a UNESCO WOrld Heritage Site. Our favourite restaurant is the "Maison du Saumon" - so called because of the medieval carvings, not the food.

You can download a free MP3 audiotour for Chartres using the link halfway down this page:

Chartres Cathedral and Town Tour

You need to register but it's free.

The page also lists some of our favourite sites in Chartres other than the cathedral.

I made the trip in 2000. Easy as can be day trip. Much better trip if you catch the Malcolm Miller tour. I don't remember the trip taking up the whole day.

I spent a day a Chartres, including Malcolm Miller's tour, climbing the tower, and walking through the village. But then, I like the stop-and-smell-the-roses approach better than the been-there-done-that style. If you go, take binoculars to see the stained glass better.

Giverny is lovely also, especially if you like flowers and Monet. Of course, it depends on what time of year.

I'm going back to Paris in 19 days (but who's counting) and I'm planning day trips to Fontainebleau and Reims (cathedral + champagne houses).