If the name Chartres is internationally recognised, it is without doubt thanks to its Cathedral, which is said to be the most complete and richest preserved medieval monument in Europe.

However, the town holds many other riches which contribute to its prestige..

Its protected area of 60 ha, one of the finest in France, invites the visitor to rediscover the past, with its gabled houses, its winding lanes with names that evoke the Middle Ages, its wash houses, old stone bridges and hillocks tumbling down towards the Eure where it is possible to stroll along its banks.

In Chartres, the art of stained glass is omnipresent: ancient stained-glass windows with the Cathedral and the churches of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Aignan, but also contemporary stained glass with numerous exhibitions at the International Stained Glass Centre.

The visitor will also be attracted by the numerous sights surrounding the Marian shrine: the Fine Arts Museum, the Academy of Agriculture, Maison Picassiette, the House of Archaeology, the Departmental School Museum, the Museum of Natural Sciences and Prehistory, the Grenier de l’Histoire...

Numerous events punctuate the year with excitement and conviviality: the Soirées Estivales de Chartres (Chartres Summer Evenings), the Water Festival, the International Organ Festival, the Samedis Musicaux (Musical Saturdays), the European Accordion Festivals, the Artisanales (Craft festival), the Antique Dealers Fair...

Not forgetting that in Chartres, enjoyment of life is combined with the art of fine eating: Chartres paté, Chartres beer, mentchikoffs (chocolate sweets) and cochelins (pastries) are its specialities, Restaurants also offer poule au pot, in memory of Henry IV, the only king of France to have been crowned here.