Paris & Around - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 199

Detour:
Chartres Cathedral
Eighty-eight kilometres southwest of Paris, the 130m-long Cathédrale Notre Dame de
Chartres ( www.diocese-chartres.com , in French; place de la Cathédrale; 8.30am-7.30pm,
to 10pm Tue, Fri & Sun) is France's best-preserved medieval cathedral, having been
spared postmedieval modifications, the ravages of war and the Reign of Terror.
A visit to the 112m-high Clocher Neuf (New Bell Tower; adult/child €7/free;
9.30am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun) , also known as the Tour Nord (North
Tower), is worth the ticket price and the climb up the long spiral stairway (350 steps).
The cathedral's 172 extraordinary stained-glass windows , almost all of which date
back to the 13th century, form one of the most important ensembles of medieval stained
glass in the world. The windows are renowned for the depth and intensity of their blue
tones, famously called 'Chartres blue'.
Disneyland Resort Paris
Disneyland Resort Paris, 32km east of Paris, consists of three main areas: Disney
Village, with its seven hotels, shops, restaurants and clubs; Disneyland Park, with
its five theme pays (lands); and Walt Disney Studios Park, which brings film, anima-
tion and TV production to life. The first two are separated by the RER and TGV train
stations; the studios are next to Disneyland Park. Moving walkways whisk visitors to
the sights from the car park.
One-day admission fees at Disneyland Resort Paris ( 01 60 30 60 53;
www.disneylandparis.com ; adult/child €52/44) include unlimited access to all rides
and activities in either Walt Disney Studios Park or Disneyland Park. Multiple-day
passes are also available: a one-day pass (adult/child €65/57) allows entry to both
parks for a day; the multiday equivalents - two-day pass (€111/94) and three-day
pass (€138/117) - allow you to enter and leave both parks as often as you like over
nonconsecutive days within one year.
Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, Disneyland's RER station, is served by line A4; trains
run every 15 minutes or so from central Paris (€6.50); the last train back to Paris
leaves just after midnight.