From Paris with Love: CHARTRES: THE TOWN

The Hôtellerie Saint-Yves

The Hôtellerie Saint-Yves was built on the site of an ancient monastery. As was the practice in medieval times, clergy from the abbey offered hospitality to pilgrims and travelers. Religious wars from 1568 to 1591 destroyed the abbey, but it was rebuilt in 1697. In 1807, the building became a convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence and a seminary for the training of future priests. The present hôtellerie is named in honor of Saint Yves, bishop of Chartres, from 1090 -1115, and it is still welcoming pilgrims and visitors.

Banner marking the location of Hôtellerie Saint-Yves

The gate at the entrance to the hotel

The narrow, winding street on the right is wide enough for one car only.

Entry doors to the hotel

The door on the right is the night-entry door with key card.

The hotel is situated less than a five-minute walk from the famous cathedral of Chartres in a very peaceful environment. We took a cab from the train station to the hotel, and although it wasn’t far, navigating the narrow, winding streets in the Old City to get to the hotel would have been very difficult. From our window, which overlooked the Old City of Chartres, we had breathtaking views.

The second floor corridor

Our room with twin beds and TV (with only French stations)

A minimalist bathroom

The shelves are functional, if not decorative.

Bedroom window

The view of Chartres from our bedroom window

The view from our window

There are 50 rooms, each with a private bathroom, and some with a TV. The bathroom called to mind a cruise-ship bathroom--modern but not necessarily functional. The cost per day for a room with twin beds and TV was $81.The buffet breakfast had a selection of cereals, hard-boiled eggs, mini-croissants, mini-pains au chocolat, cold cuts and cheese, dried fruit, fruit juice and coffee or tea. The breakfast adds $10 per person per breakfast to your hotel bill. It is very convenient if you like a European-style breakfast.

I would be happy to stay at this hotel again if I returned to Chartres. The hotel had a small-town ambience which was very welcoming. The décor of the room was spartan, but the cost of the room (I made a reservation directly with the hotel) was great value, especially for the location; next time, however, I would go out for an American-style breakfast.

The street leads from the hotel gate (on the right) uphill toward the cathedral.

The back of the cathedral

The wall going upward is beside a walkway that leads to a wonderful overlook of Chartres. From this overlook, you can see the Maze (in grass) in the Bishop’s Palace Garden and a panoramic view of Chartres. The Museum of Fine Arts, formerly the Bishop’s Palace, is adjacent to the overlook.

Robert at the top of the hill beside the cathedral

Shops across the street along the side of the cathedral

Shops across the street from the cathedral

Le Café Serpente, across from the cathedral

Le Petit Chart’Train

The Little Train parks in front of a souvenir shop catty-corner to the Cathedral. There is a sign board which lists departure times of the train. (By the way, the souvenir shop advertises “Toilettes” at a price for their use: 50 centimes.) I think that tours in Chartres do not run on a strict schedule; times vary from what is scheduled because attendance by tourists varies. So the Little Train will leave when it leaves, and the sign board will tell you when.

Becky on the Little Train

The tour itself lasts 35 minutes, with no stops, so your observations are made in passing. The tour winds its way through picturesque streets and gives you a nice overview of the Old City of Chartres. There are a lot of very old neighborhoods in the historic preservation area, where buildings have existed since medieval times. These very old buildings have been renovated instead of being torn down and replaced by modern buildings. Most of the historic preservation area is located along the River Eure. However, the streets are very hilly and sometimes cobble stoned on bridges. Riding over cobble stones in a vehicle without shock absorbers to cushion the ride is a bone-jarring experience, not for the faint of heart.

Train tour past the Youth Information Center

Homes along the Eure River

An estate on the tour

Picturesque homes and kayak transportation

Homes along the Eure River

Saint Peter’s Church

Chartres en Lumières - Chartres in Lights

From April through October, starting at 10:00 pm, 24 historic buildings in Chartres are illuminated by designs projected on the building walls. Accompanying the colorful illuminations are historical readings and music. Some people take a walking tour of the town to see the different buildings, and others take the Little Train to see them. We decided not to take the train because it became packed with people and children. Instead, we opted to find a makeshift seat on a garden railing and watch the light show on the façade of the cathedral. Since it was our first time seeing the show, we made the right decision. Many people were standing to watch the show and many others, like us, watched the show from a garden perch. The show was fascinating and met with enthusiastic applause when it finished.

The garden is directly opposite the cathedral.

A wider view of the garden

This element of the garden does double duty: it looks lovely during the day and at nightime, it provides seating for the light show (on the rail enclosing the garden.)