L’Escalier

Chartres


On a steep corner near its namesake staircase in Chartres’ hilly old city, this deceptively large, very local spot has a wonderful terrace. Look out for live jazz performances.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chartres attractions

1. Cathédrale Notre Dame Crypt

0.11 MILES

The 100m crypt of Cathédrale Notre Dame, a tombless Romanesque structure built in 1024 around a 9th-century predecessor, is the largest in France. Tours…

2. Clocher Vieux

0.14 MILES

Along with the the Portail Royal, the main Romanesque feature of the Cathédrale Notre Dame is the 105m-high Clocher Vieux (also called the Tour Sud or…

3. Cathédrale Notre Dame

0.14 MILES

One of Western civilisation’s crowning architectural achievements, the 130m-long Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres is renowned for its brilliant-blue…

4. Portail Royal

0.15 MILES

The west, north and south entrances of the Cathédrale Notre Dame have superbly ornamented triple portals, but the west entrance, known as the Portail…

5. Tour Nord

0.15 MILES

Climbing 350 steps up to the 112m-high Tour Nord (aka Clocher Neuf; New Bell Tower) of the Cathédrale Notre Dame is well worth it. A 70m-high platform on…

6. Musée des Beaux-Arts

0.16 MILES

Chartres’ fine-arts museum, accessed via the gate next to Cathédrale Notre Dame’s north portal, is in the former Palais Épiscopal (Bishop’s Palace), built…

7. Église St-Aignan

0.16 MILES

Église St-Aignan is interesting for its wooden barrel-vault roof (1625), arcaded nave and painted interior of faded blue and gold floral motifs (c 1870)…

8. Centre International du Vitrail

0.19 MILES

After viewing the stained glass in Chartres’ cathedral, nip into the town’s International Stained-Glass Centre, in a half-timbered former granary, to see…