Paris to Chartres and Chateau de Maintenon: Private day trip

The ancient town of Chartres predates the Romans, but its heyday came in the Middle Ages when it became a major pilgrimage site after receiving the Sancta Camisa, believed to be the tunic worn by the Mary at the time of Christ's birth, and erecting its UNESCO-listed cathedral. This masterpiece of Gothic architecture was nearly destroyed during WWII, but thanks to Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. who snuck behind enemy lines with a single other soldier to confirm the cathedral was clear of enemy troops, it was spared. The Colonel, however, was not so lucky and was killed in action later that day. Today, along with the masterfully-decorated facades, the cathedral is the mecca of stained glass - how its famous ‘Chartres blue’ was achieved still remains a mystery. Walking the town’s picturesque streets, visitors are treated to winding lanes and stairways, lined with half-timbered houses.

Originally a medieval castle, the estate was purchased by Louis XII's treasurer Jean Cottereau, who transformed the castle into a country manor, and began a long process of renovations and expansions that continued through the 18th century. Louis XIV ordered the construction of an aqueduct through the property to feed the fountains of Versailles - ‘a work worthy of the Caesars’ according to François-René de Chateaubriand. Today, visitors can walk through the carefully manicured park to appreciate the mixture of spires and steeples projecting from the chateau. Inside, the owners carefully restored the rooms to their former glory, filling them to the rafters with period-correct furnishings, and all the accoutrements of noble life.