# Day trip to Chartres from Paris: the cathedral, the lower town and the lights

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/centre-val-de-loire/chartres/itineraries/chartres-cathedral-and-lights-from-paris · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:05 · Salida: 1 h by train (from Paris-Montparnasse; SNCF ticket, a metro ticket is not valid)
- 10:20 · The International Stained Glass Centre (€7 · to understand the stained glass before seeing it)
  - 3 min on foot
- 11:15 · Chartres Cathedral, its stained glass and the labyrinth (free · royal portal, stained glass and choir screen)
  - 10 min on foot
- 13:00 · Brasserie La Cour (open every day · ask for the Chartres pâté) · Brasserie La Cour, €€
  - 10 min on foot
- 14:45 · The upper parts of the cathedral, above the flying buttresses (€7, free up to 18 years · 200 steps)
  - 10 min on foot
- 16:00 · The lower town and the banks of the Eure (free · bridges and half-timbered houses)
  - 10 min on foot
- 17:30 · Chartres en lumières, the city lit up at night (from April to January, from nightfall · free)
- 18:45 · Vuelta: 1 h by train (to Montparnasse; in Paris around 20:00)

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.

## Cómo llegar

### Without a car
Train from Paris-Montparnasse, about 33 a day. Everything is done on foot from the station.

### By car
88 km along the A10 and A11, an hour. Park at place Châtelet.

## Consejos

### Binoculars
For the high windows.

### In summer, sleep over
The lights start very late: stay a night or skip them.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.