Send Gift Baskets to Chartres, France

Chartres Cathedral

Built in the 12th century, Chartres Cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in the world, if not the best. It will keep you focused for hours if you’re willing to give it your full attention.

Maison Picassiette

Raymonde Isidore, a cemetery sweeper, built this simple, three-room house between 1930 and 1962. There is a mosaic on every surface, with startling complexity and skill level that is astonishing.

Église Saint-Pierre

After the Revolution, the Benedictine monastery St-Père-en-Vallée dissolved this gothic church. A keener visitor will find clues about the monastery’s great age, which dates back to the 7th century.

Eure Riverside

There are few prettier waterside spots than this, with vegetable gardens, half-timbered washhouses, watermills, and humpback bridges that recall medieval times when tanners and such plied their trades here.

Conservation Area

Rue des Écuyers (equerries street) is a must-see; On this quaint little street, which is on an incline, you’ll find iron lanterns and half-timbered houses every few steps, including one with the magnificent Escalier de la Reine Berthe, a spiral staircase on the corner of Rue Saint-Emm that dates from the 16th century.

Centre International du Vitrail

The International Stained Glass Centre belongs in Chartres, where church buildings retain glorious medieval decorations.

Maison du Saumon

“Salmon House,” as the house is known in English, makes sense on Place de la Poissonnerie, “Fishmongers’ Square.” Featuring diamond-patterned timber framing and dormer windows at the top, Maison du Saumon is a four-story cantilevered house.

Bel Air Frescos

A team of artists called “Cité Création” designed fabulous trompe l’oeil murals on the outskirts of Chartres to liven up some of the public housing.

Église Saint-Aignan

A historic church dating back to the 12th century, this is a history lesson all on its own. As a result of the Second War of Religion, it was severely damaged and needed to be rebuilt in the 1500s.

Musée des Beaux-Arts

This palace is also a historical monument, and it hosted Henri IV’s coronation in 1594, though it was largely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries.