Introducing Chartres

Step off the train in Chartres, 91km southwest of Paris, and the two very different spires – one Gothic, the other Romanesque – of its glorious 13th-century cathedral beckon. Follow them to check out the cathedral's brilliant-blue stained-glass windows and its collection of relics, including the Sainte Voile (Holy Veil) said to have been worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Jesus, which have lured pilgrims since the Middle Ages.

After visiting the town's museums, don't miss a stroll around Chartres' carefully preserved old town. Adjacent to the cathedral, staircases and steep streets lined with half-timbered medieval houses lead downhill the narrow western channel of the Eure River, romantically spanned by footbridges.