Pilgrimage to Chartres

In short: Pilgrimage to Chartres: from Paris to Chartres Cathedral. Length: around 100 km, duration: 3 days. Best time: Pentecost.

Overview

Every year at Pentecost thousands of mostly young Catholics walk between Paris and Chartres. The daily stages are long at 30 to 40 kilometres, and you sleep in a tent. Recently almost 20,000 people took part in the main pilgrimage, and the number has risen sharply in recent years.

It is run mainly by traditional Catholic groups. It takes place only once a year, you have to register, and you are part of a fixed group. That has little in common with independent walking on the Way of St James.

Chartres Cathedral, with its stained glass and the labyrinth in the floor, is a rewarding destination at other times too and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is also a route for individual pilgrims, which you can walk regardless of Pentecost.

Planning your stages

How long you need depends on your daily distance. The table works this out for 100 kilometres, with one rest day a week.

Who is this route for?

This route is a poor choice for a first attempt. You should be sure-footed and have stamina, and several weeks of training will pay off here.

What does the route cost?

With an albergue or simple guesthouse and one hot meal, 60 to 80 euros a day is usually enough. Over about 5 days that comes to roughly 300 to 400 euros, plus travel and gear. This is a guide figure.

You can find more routes under Pilgrimage routes in Europe, Pilgrimage in France, sorted by religion under Christian pilgrimage routes.