Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cathedral Country
Depart from Paris St. Montparnasse Station
Distance by Train:
55 miles (88 km)
Average Train Time:
1 hour
Tourist Information Office:
8 rue de la Poissonnerie-CS 10289 28008 Chartres
Cedux
Tel:
02 37 18 26 26;
Fax:
02 37 21 51 91
E-mail:
info@otchartres.fr
Hours:
January-April, October-December: 1000-1800 Monday-Saturday,
1000-1700 Sunday; April-September: 0930-1830 Monday-Saturday, 1000-1730
Sunday
Notes:
Exit the station, cross the street in the direction of the cathedral, and con-
tinue straight ahead until you come to a large square. Bear left at the square and
follow the cathedral signs that you will begin to see from that point onward. The
tourist information office is in a building at the far end of Cathedral Square. Its sign
reads
OFFICE DE TOURISME.
Mention Chartres and anyone who has been there recalls the Cathedral of Nôtre
Dame but not much more. But Chartres has many other attractions. To mention a
few, we start with the town itself. Beguiling, gabled houses line the streets. Make
it a point to stroll through the
old quarter
of town along streets with the appealing
names of rue du Soleil d'Or (Street of the Golden Sun) or rue des Ecuyers (Street
of the Horsemen). The tourist office has a special walking-tour program for the Old
Town that includes the rental of a headset and a prerecorded audio guide in Eng-
lish. The length of the walking tour is 1½ hours.
Food is another one of Chartres's attractions, so plan to dine there during your
visit. There are many excellent restaurants—the one in the ancient
Inn of the
Grand Monarque
at 22 place des Épars, for example.
On arrival in the Chartres station, check the train departures for Paris on the
posters displayed in the main hall near the ticket windows. The cathedral is illumin-
ated at night, so if you would like to see this, check for a later train departure.
The
Cathedral of Nôtre Dame
in Chartres is in plain view from the railway sta-
tion and will draw you like a magnet. It is said to be the most beautiful Gothic
cathedral in Europe. To get there, just follow the aforementioned directions from
the station to the tourist office, which is located in the same area. The cathedral's
stained-glass windows, the superb lines of its pillars and vaulting, and its interior
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