Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres

Gothic masterpiece famous for its 13th-century stained-glass windows. Largely rebuilt in some thirty years in the early 13th century, after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral is considered one of the best-preserved Gothic cathedrals, thanks to its sculptures, stained glass and paving. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

A major place of Marian pilgrimage, it houses a relic that tradition identifies as the Veil of the Virgin. Visible from almost thirty kilometres away, it dominates the town and the Beauce plain. Inside, visitors discover the labyrinth set into the paving of the nave and, in the crypt, the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Sous-Terre.

For groups : The group service of the Chartres tourist office organises 1 hour 30 guided tours of the cathedral and its crypt, the largest medieval underground church. It also puts together half-day or full-day programmes, including restaurant bookings, combining for example the cathedral, lunch in the town centre and a guided tour of the medieval town.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres – Cloître Notre-Dame, 28000 Chartres

Free access – guided tours on request