for some reason i have not gone to chartres on my last few trips to paris. which do not come very week. so it has been a long time since my last pilgrimage.

anyway--i was surpised at how easy it was. trains leave from gare Montparnasse , 3d level, every hour at least. my ticket cost 27 aller/retour and the trip took about 1 hour. the train station in chartres is very close to the cathedral.

but what really blew me away was the glass. i had forgotten how fantastic it was. fortunately it was a sunny day. it was quite a treat when the sun was directly coming through a window.

the cathedral can be very cold in the winter--bring a coat and gloves!

compared to paris, it wasn't very crowded.

there is a guide who gives tours in english--Miller? --for 10 euros. (12 and 2:45.) After i did this, i discovered that the bookstore sells 2 books by him. the books repeat parts of his tour. One is good and pretty general (5 euros), the other more detailed (18 euros). i would recommend that anyone (particularly a couple or a family ) buy either the basic book or the detailed book instead of taking the tour.

chartres has the famous labyrinth in stone that is copied in many places now. it is covered by chairs on all days but friday. i was there on a friday--but it still was a bit of a mess-the labyrinth is in the center of the chruch right past the entrance--so most visitors blast right into the labyrinth, disturbing those trying to walk it.

i encourage anyone who is at all interested in cathedrals to think about adding the chartres leg to a paris trip. depending on your interest, you could return early or late in the afternoon.

and don't confine your Chartreuse experience to just the cathedral but also explore the sweet regional town that swirls around it - including some other ancient churches that would be stellar attractions in most towns.

Most of all trek down the short distance to the Eure (?) river where some medieval houses draped over the river remain for a great photo op - there is a small zoo there but the canal-like river with old wooden houses draped over its banks is special.

If in Chartres on market days head to the old Les Halles like wrought-iron open-air market hall.

I agree that a trip to Chartres is a nice break from the big city. I would advise getting a free map from the tourist office located next to the cathedral and walking the route.

If in the mood for crepes, don't miss Les Trois Lys creperie.Delicious sweet and savory crepes.http://lestroislys.nuxit.net/defaultanglais.html

I'm thinking about taking a day trip to Chartres next week, either Thursday or Friday. Is there a particular day that is best to go? Also, can you return to Paris at your leisure, or do you have to pick a set time when you buy your ticket? And lastly, when does the last train leave Chartres for Paris?

Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions for me. This will be my 11th trip to Paris, but my only daytrips have been to Versailles.

Trains to from Chartres go often - about every hour and run late into the night. tickets are good for any train. www.voyages-sncf.com for schedules and pricing - just buy your return ticket at Montparnasse train station. No reservations possible on most of these regional trains.

Fri Thu - not sure why would be a difference but i would pick a sunny day so you can see the great rose and other windows shine to the fullest glory - later in the afternoon the sun wondrously illuminates the great front (west) window.

when i bought my ticket i told the guy i was 60 years old, which apparently qualified me for some discount, but i needed to return before 5PM.

the only diff between thurs and fri is that the labyrinth is uncovered only on friday.

As tickets to Chartres at full fare are not very expensive if wanting to be able to stay longer than 5pm if a senior then pay the few extra euros - but if you arrive by noon or so you will be well ready to return by 5pm

Good tip about labyrinth, thru which medieval pilgrims navigated on their knees, praying to the Virgin all the way, being only uncovered on Fridays. Not sure what that means - i guess when the normal chairs are taken off its top because i think being in the floor why would it be covered otherwise?

But if you just read the book and don't take the Miller tour, you will miss out on his somewhat ascerbic personality which is definitely part of the experience! The man does know his windows though. It's worth the small cost.

http://lessonsforliving.com/chartres_labyrinth.htm

The labyrinth, without knowledge of it, could easily be overlooked. But it is a major aspect of the cathedral - a rare surviving labyrinth from medieval pilgrimage places.

It's worth the small cost> which brings up what he did to us - about a dozen of us had waited for his afternoon tour and he came in, quite reeking of wine, and eyed us up and haughtily said: "At 10 Francs (several years ago) per person this number of people is not worth it for me to bother with - so unless you all agreed to double the normal price i have better things to do" - i suggest taking the morning Miller tour before his long noon meal and wine drinking that may leave him testier than ever. there are also tours sponsored by the cathedral - in English that are just as illuminative without the abuse from Miller than i have seen and many others report - one guy with a group said his group had to abort the tour when Miller became too abusive with his group.

Jerks, no matter how good IMO don't deserve to be tolerated

Thanks all! I've found that the last train leaves Chartres at about 10:30pm.

Great tip about the labyrinth!

27 Euro for a 1-hour train trip?

Seems pretty steep.

I think when I did it, I paid in Francs and it was under $20 equivalent.