Brasserie La Cour
What to order: the pâté de Chartres, the city's emblematic dish, and the seasonal menu signed by Thomas Parnaud
Open every day of the year · five minutes from the station
geocalia
Day itinerary · 48.45° N · 1.49° E
Chartres in a day, stained glass in the morning and the illuminated town before the train.
Train from Montparnasse, the cathedral of the stained glass and its roof, lunch at the Grand Monarque, the lower town and, from November to January, the lights before the train back.
Leaving from
Direct flight to París fromAsturias 1 h 45Barcelona 1 h 45Bilbao 1 h 45Santander 1 h 45Madrid 2 hPalma de Mallorca 2 hSantiago de Compostela 2 hValencia 2 hAlicante 2 h 15Ibiza 2 h 15
Part of Chartres
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car1 h 15 each way
From ParisTrain from Montparnasse · 1 h
CathedralFree
DifficultyEasy
Cost€60–100 pp
Best timeApr – Jun · Sep – Jan
BookingUpper parts
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
-
Leave Paris 1 h by train
from Paris-Montparnasse; SNCF ticket, a metro ticket is not valid
-
1
The International Stained Glass Centre
€7 · to understand the stained glass before seeing it
- 3 min on foot
-
2
Chartres Cathedral, its stained glass and the labyrinth
free · royal portal, stained glass and choir screen
- 10 min on foot
-
3
Brasserie La Cour
open every day · ask for the Chartres pâté
22 place des Épars, 28000 Chartres · +33 2 37 18 15 15
Restaurant €€Book - 10 min on foot
-
4
The upper parts of the cathedral, above the flying buttresses
€7, free up to 18 years · 200 steps
- 10 min on foot
-
5
The lower town and the banks of the Eure
free · bridges and half-timbered houses
- 10 min on foot
-
6
Chartres en lumières, the city lit up at night
from April to January, from nightfall · free
-
Back home 1 h by train
to Montparnasse; in Paris around 20:00
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The International Stained Glass Centre
Chartres is an hour from Montparnasse and its cathedral is enough to justify the trip. This plan adds what makes it different: understanding the stained glass before seeing it, climbing to its roof, going down to the town on the Eure and, in autumn and winter, staying for the lights projected every night onto the façade.
The day, hour by hour
9:05 · Train from Montparnasse. About an hour. From the station, the cathedral is ten minutes uphill.
10:20 · Centre International du Vitrail. Renaissance pieces and the craft explained, two minutes from the cathedral.
11:15 · The cathedral. The Royal Portal, the blue windows, the choir screen; on Fridays from spring to autumn, the labyrinth.
13:00 · Lunch at the Brasserie La Cour. In the glazed courtyard of the Grand Monarque, open every day.
14:45 · The upper parts. Guided visit above the flying buttresses and along the roof, at 40 metres.
16:00 · The lower town. Bridges over the Eure, half-timbered houses and the cathedral from below.
17:30 · Chartres en lumières. From April to January, from nightfall: in winter it starts early.
18:45 · Train back.
Time45 min
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
L'Amphitryon
What to order: the weekday lunch menu, at €32 for two courses or €42 for three, on the terrace facing the cathedral
Maître Restaurateur · terrace on Place Châtelet
Le Georges
What to order: the chef's "à la Chartres" recipes, such as the egg à la Chartres, and the Grand Marnier soufflé, more than a hundred years on the menu
Closed Sunday to Tuesday lunchtime · booking required
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Chartres
All year; from November to January it gets dark early and you see Chartres en lumières before a reasonable train back. On Fridays from spring to autumn you can walk the labyrinth.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Binoculars
For the high windows.
- 2In summer, sleep over
The lights start very late: stay a night or skip them.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the trip to Chartres cost?
The train, the Vitrail (€7), the upper parts (€7) and lunch: between €60 and €100 per person.
Can you see the lights on a day trip?
From November to January yes, because it gets dark early.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/france/centre-val-de-loire/chartres/itineraries/chartres-cathedral-and-lights-from-paris
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.