GUIDED TOURS FOR INDIVIDUALS

Whether one comes alone, with friends or family and would like to visit Chartres Cathedral...

There are several possibilities available : you can opt for a public tour of the cathedral, a public tour of the crypt, or for both options at a discounted rate, the "ticket DUO".
If you would rather take a tour at your own rhythm, you can rent an audio guide (click here).

These tours are given in French by members of the Visitor Welcome Center (Service Accueil Visites), every day of the year except: December 25th, January 1st, during Services and on Holy Days.

If you would like a tour in English with Malcolm MILLER, click here.

Public tour of the CATHEDRAL

As the first cathedral in France to be on the World Heritage List (1979), Our Lady of Chartres is a major example of Gothic architecture and medieval religious art.
Its 9 sculpted portals et ses 176 remarkably conserved stained glass windows , constitute a corpus of unique images in the world, reflecting theological thought and artistic expression from that time period.

To discover these treasures, the Visitor Welcome Center offers one or two public tours a day, depending on the season.

These tours consist of a commented, hour-and-a-half visit centered on the cathedral (history, architecture, sculpture, stained-glass windows, labyrinth, etc…).

These tours are in French only.

Hours

From April 1st to October 31st:

10:30 a.m.	(from Tuesday to Saturday)
3:00 p.m.	(every day)

From November 1st to March 31st:

2:30 p.m.

(every day)

Meeting place

You can buy tickets, rent an audio-guide and meet for a guided tour at the boutique located at the entrance of the cathedral, to the left side of the Royal Portal.

Prices

Audio guide : (click here)

Adult rate	6,20 €
Reduced rate (Seniors and youth between 11 and 26 years)	4,20 €
Free for children 10 and under

return

Public tour of the CRYPT

Two crypts, a Romanesque crypt from the 11th Century and one even older than that, are located under the Gothic cathedral and are proof of earlier edifices.

The Visitor Welcome Center is happy to offer exclusive guided tours of these spaces inaccessible to the public.
A 30 to 45 minute tour will allow you to discover the exceptional dimensions of the Romanesque crypt (the longest in France), its medieval frescos as well as its contemporary stained-glass windows, created by famous artists such as Henri Guérin, Udo Zembok, Gabriel Loire, Pierre Le Cacheux, or Kim en Joong…

These tours are in French only.

Hours

From April 1st to October 31st:

11:00 a.m.	(except Sundays and holidays)
2:15 p.m.	(every day)
3:30 p.m.	(every day)
4:30 p.m.	(every day)
5:15 p.m.	(from June 22nd to September 21st)

du 1er novembre au 31 mars :

11:00 a.m.	(except Sundays and holidays)
4:15 p.m.	(every day)
The crypt is closed January 1st and December 25th.

Meeting place

You can buy tickets and meet for a guided tour of the crypt:

From November 1st to March 31st:
		at the boutique located at the entrance of the cathedral, to the left side of the Royal portal.

From April 1st to October 31st:
		at the "La Crypte" shop located outside the cathedral, on the South Porch side.

Prices

Adult rate	3 €
Reduced rate (Seniors and youth between 8 and 26 years)	2,40 €
Free for children 7 and under

return

Tickets DUO

"Tickets DUO" allow you to have a combined visit "cathédral + crypt", at a discounted rate.

Prices

Adult rate	8 €
Reduced rate (Seniors and youth between 11 and 26 years)	6 €
Free for children 10 and under

return

Public Tours of the Cathedral’s North Bell-Tower

Managed by the

Centre des Monuments Nationaux.

You can freely climb the north bell-tower of the cathedral which soars up to 70 meters high. The tour allows you to discover the cathedral’s architecture, especially its flying buttresses, in a different way.

The Jehan de Beauce bell-tower, constructed between 1506 and 1513, is a flamboyant Gothic masterpiece. The extreme richness of the décor is surprising: flowerets, friezes imitating diverse vegetation, gargoyles in the form of fantastic animals. Closer attention allows one to notice that the Renaissance style also makes an appearance here.

From the bell-tower one can observe the 6 bells of the cathedral, the Old Town of Chartres and also its surrounding countryside.

Hours may vary: climatic events (bad weather, construction) can close down tours of the bell-tower.

From May 2nd to August 31st: open every day except Sunday mornings

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.	Last ascent 30 minutes before
2:00 p.m. to 6 :00 p.m.	Last ascent 30 minutes before
Closed : January 1st, May 1st and December 25th

From September 1st to April 30th: open every day except Sunday mornings

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.	Last ascent 30 minutes before
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Last ascent 30 minutes before

For more information, please do not hesitate to call 02.37.21.22.07.

Prices

Adult rate	7,50 €
Reduces rate (Seniors and youth 18-25 years)	4,50 €
Free for minors under 18 (family visit)
Free for youth between 18 and 25 (for people under 26 years old who are citizens of one of the 27 EU countries or are non-European permanent residents of France)
Free for disabled visitors and their escorts
Free for the unemployed

Adult group rate	6,00 € (minimum 20 people)
School group rate	30 € (20 € for ZEP; maximum 35 students, 1 accompanying adults free for every 15 students, 8 students for Nursery School, for any supplementary accompanying adult, the "Adult group rate" applies, except for those who have a "Pass Éducation" - free - or those who have a professional "Éducation nationale" card - reduced rate)