Weekend in Chartres

This two-day route explores Chartres, the Gothic cathedral city an hour southwest of Paris. The first day winds through the old town on foot, starting at the UNESCO-listed cathedral — where 176 medieval stained glass windows cast shifting colours across the nave — then continuing to the Museum of Fine Arts in the former Episcopal Palace, four historic churches spanning Romanesque to Renaissance styles, the leafy riverside park along the Eure with views back up to the cathedral spires, and the Maison Picassiette, a house encrusted with millions of ceramic shards by a self-taught artist. The second day is given to La Tanière, a 20-hectare animal sanctuary east of town that shelters some 600 rescued animals, from elephants and tigers to sea lions — a lighter, family-friendly counterpoint to the first day's heritage-heavy programme. Mondays are best avoided: the museum, Maison Picassiette, and the zoo-refuge are all closed.