Chartres Cathedral: Private Evening Tour from Paris
About this tour
A private evening tour from Paris to Chartres, door to door. Your English-speaking driver-host collects you at your hotel at 3 pm in a premium air-conditioned vehicle. Entrance to the cathedral is free, and the vehicle is yours alone: no group, no coach. Seven hours, free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup.
Chartres Cathedral is the best-preserved Gothic cathedral in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its 13th-century stained glass and the deep 'Chartres blue' that no one has ever been able to reproduce. You visit it freely, at your own pace, before the crowds of the morning buses have long gone.
After the cathedral, stroll through the medieval old town: half-timbered houses, the old bridge and the quiet banks of the Eure. You can add a traditional French dinner on site (reservation only, or a full menu), and in season the evening ends with Chartres en Lumières, when the cathedral facade glows with colour at dusk. Back in Paris around 10 pm.
The travel journal
Curious about this destination?
Our travel journal tells the story of the place: its history, surprising facts and why it is worth the trip.
Read the story guideHighlights
- The cathedral, a UNESCO Gothic masterpiece
- The medieval old town and the Eure riverbanks
- Chartres en Lumières at dusk, in season
What's included
- Private transportation
- Hotel pickup & drop-off
- English-speaking driver-host
- Free entrance to Chartres Cathedral
- Bottled water
Not included
- Dinner (optional, bookable on this page)
- Optional cathedral visits (treasury, towers)
Itinerary
- 15:00
Departure from Paris
Hotel pickup and drive to Chartres (about 1h30).
- 16:30
Chartres Cathedral
Free visit of the nave, the stained glass and the labyrinth, at your own pace.
- 18:15
Old town & Eure riverbanks
A walk through half-timbered streets, the old bridge and the lower town.
- 19:15
Dinner in Chartres
Optional traditional French dinner in a restaurant near the cathedral (starter + main or main + dessert, drinks not included), or free time.
- 20:45
Chartres en Lumières
In season, the cathedral facade lights up at dusk before we drive back.
- 22:00
Back in Paris
Drop-off at your hotel.
Guest reviews
“Perfect. Knowledgeable guide was always a little early. Superb driver in a comfortable car. Arrival in Chartres at 5 was perfect for an uncrowded hour in the cathedral, an hour in the old town, and a pleasant dinner in a very good and very French restaurant.”
“I really appreciated having enough time to enjoy the cathedral and discover part of Chartres.”