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Chartres is built around one overwhelming sight, the cathedral, but the city packs a surprising amount into its compact centre: a river-front old town, a hand-built mosaic house, and a free nightly light show. Most sights sit within a 15-minute walk of the station, so you can cover the essentials in a day. This list runs through the best things to do in Chartres with hours, prices and practical tips, and pairs well with our best time to visit Chartres planning guide and the Chartres guide hub.
Things to Do in Chartres: The Cathedral and Its Treasures
Chartres Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres)
The UNESCO-listed cathedral, built mostly between 1194 and 1220, is the main reason people come. Entry to the nave is free and it opens daily from 8:30 to 19:30. The interior holds 176 stained-glass windows covering about 2,600 square metres, many from the 13th century, plus the 12th-century Blue Virgin window (Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verrière). The floor labyrinth, about 13 metres across with a 262-metre path, is opened for walking on Fridays from April to October. Guided tours in English run from April to October and cost about 9 euros.
Climb the North Tower
The north tower, topped by a Flamboyant Gothic spire in 1507, stands about 113 metres high. Climbing its 350 steps costs about 8 euros (free for under-18s) and gives a view over the Beauce plain and the two contrasting spires. It is open daily except Sunday mornings, roughly 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:30. The climb is comfortable even in cool months; check the Chartres weather by month averages before you go.
The Crypt and the Sancta Camisia
Beneath the choir sits the largest crypt in France, built in the 11th century around the older Saint-Lubin chapel. Guided visits cost about 4 euros and run several times a day, taking you past medieval frescoes and the well of Saints-Forts. The treasury displays the Sancta Camisia, a tunic said to have been worn by the Virgin Mary, which made Chartres a major pilgrimage site from the 9th century.
Things to Do in Chartres: Art and the Old Town
Maison Picassiette
At 22 rue du Repos, this ordinary suburban house was covered inside and out between 1938 and 1964 with mosaics made from broken crockery and glass by its owner, Raymond Isidore. It is open from April to November, typically 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 except Tuesday, and entry costs about 6 euros. The gardens and facade alone are worth the short bus ride or 25-minute walk from the centre.
The Old Town and the Eure River (Basse Ville)
The lower town along the Eure holds the best concentration of half-timbered houses in Chartres, especially on rue du Bourg, rue de la Poissonnerie and rue des Écuyers. Walk down to the Pont Bouju and the 12th-century wash houses on the riverbank, then climb back up via the Tertres de la Poissonnerie for a photo view of the cathedral. The Chartres neighborhoods guide maps this loop in detail.
Musée des Beaux-Arts and International Stained Glass Centre
The Fine Arts Museum, in the former bishop’s palace at 29 Cloître Notre-Dame, costs about 3.50 euros and holds 16th to 18th-century paintings plus enamel work. Entry is free the first Sunday of each month. For craft in action, the Centre International du Vitrail at 5 rue du Cardinal Pie runs stained-glass workshops and changing exhibits; entry costs about 6 euros and it is closed Monday.
Things to Do in Chartres: After Dark and Day Trips
Chartres en Lumières
From April to January, the free Chartres en Lumières show lights up 28 buildings and bridges across the city every evening after dark, usually from nightfall to 1:00 in summer. The cathedral facade and the riverside are the highlights, and the full route takes about 90 minutes on foot. It draws around 250,000 visitors a year and is the single best free Chartres event to build an evening around.
Day Trips: Maintenon and Paris
Château de Maintenon, 20 km east, was the home of Louis XIV’s second wife and can be reached by the same Paris-Chartres train line in about 15 minutes; its gardens and unfinished aqueduct are open from April to October, entry about 9 euros. Paris is 55 to 70 minutes away by train, and Versailles is reachable with a change, making Chartres a workable overnight base. Our where to stay in Chartres guide lists hotels if you stay, and Chartres travel tips covers the trains.
