Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
at 4 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, tel. 01 39 53 03 30,
www.ibishotel.com
,
In the pleasant town center, around Place du Marché Notre-Dame, you'll find a thriving
open market (food market Sun, Tue, and Fri mornings until 13:00; clothing market all
day Wed-Thu and Sat) and a variety of reasonably priced restaurants, cafés, and a few
cobbled lanes. The square—a 15-minute walk from the Château (veer left as you leave
the Château)—is lined with colorful andinexpensive eateries with goodseating inside and
out. Troll the various options or try one of these:
Au Chien qui Fume
is a good choice, with cozy seating inside and out, a playful
staff, and reliable, traditional cuisine (€24-30
menu,
€17
plats,
closed Sun, 72 Rue de la
Paroisse, tel. 01 39 53 14 56).
A la Côte Bretonne
is a great bet for crêpes in a friendly, cozy setting. Fluent in
English, Yann-Alan and his family have served up the cuisine of their native Brittany
region since 1951 (€4-10 crêpes from a fun and creative menu, Tue-Fri 12:00-14:00 &
19:00-22:30, Sat-Sun 12:00-22:30, closed Mon, fine indoor and outdoor seating, a few
steps off the square on traffic-free Rue des Deux Portes at #12, tel. 01 39 51 18 24).
La Boulangerie
hasmouthwateringsandwiches,salads,quiches,andmore(Tue-Sun
until 20:00, closed Mon, 60 Rue de la Paroisse).
Supermarket:
A big
Monoprix
is centrally located between the Versailles Château
R.G. train station and Place du Marché Notre-Dame (entrances from Avenue de l'Europe
and at 5 Rue Georges Clemenceau, Mon-Sat 8:30-21:20, closed Sun).
Chartres, about 50 miles southwest of Paris, gives travelers a pleasant break in a lively,
midsize town with a thriving, pedestrian-friendly old center. But the big reason to come
to Chartres (shar-truh) is to see its famous cathedral—arguably Europe's best example of
pure Gothic.
Planning Your Time
ChartresisaneasydaytripfromParis.Butwithitsstatuesglowinginthesettingsun—and
its hotels and restaurants much less expensive than those in the capital—Chartres also
