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INFORMATION ON CHARTRES Note: Some of this may be a bit dated, but much of it is still current. INFORMATION ON CHARTRES, FRANCE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paris Perhaps you want to catch up on your sleep and get over jet lag before you go to Chartres. Here's a tip on a great hotel in Paris. It is called Central Hotel. When you get off the Air France bus at Montparnasse, walk to Avenue du Maine (about 30 yards), cross the street, jog slightly to the left and continue down a small street, Rue du Maine. You will pass several decent and inexpensive restaurants before coming to a little square (about 100 yards, maybe less). Facing the square is Hotel Central. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Montparnasse area, here is a quiet spot. The two-star hotel is spotlessly clean. The rooms are small, but then again, not expensive by Paris standards ($65-$75). If you are hungry, go across the square to Tarte Julie. It is a chain in France, selling delicious tartes (quiche) both as main course and dessert, plus salads. Yes, it even has checkered table cloths. If it is a nice day, get the food to go and sit out in the square. The owner of Central Hotel, Monsieur Peron, lived in the United States for 10 years. He knows about customer satisfaction and good service. Tel: 01.43.20.69.15 Fax: 01.43.20.50.09 If you ask a travel agency to find you a room in Paris, they are likely to put you in a Holiday Inn or a Best Western at $175 per night or so. In September, 2000, my wife Ruth and I went to France on our second honeymoon. In Paris we discovered the Terrass Hotel, the only four star hotel in the 18th arrondisement of Paris. It is in a neighborhood setting, a short walk from picturesque Montmartre. Using their Internet special price, we got our room for $155 per night. I'm sure there is no other four star hotel in Paris at that price. In the warm weather, they open their rooftop dining terrace from which you can view much of Paris. From our balcony we could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance, the old Opera, and more. Tel: 01.46.06.72.85 Fax: 01.42.52.29.11 Chartres The descriptions below cover a wide range of accommodation available in Chartres. Telephoning from the U.S., precede all of the numbers by 011 (international operator) and 33 (country code). French telephone numbers have 10 digits. From the US, drop the first zero and use nine digits. In other words, after the "33" you will dial nine more numbers. The postal code for Chartres is 28000. L'Hotel ** (two stars) Jehan de Beauce ** (two stars) Chatelet,*** (three stars) Le Boeuf Couronné ** (two stars) Ibis Centre * (one star) Le Grand Monarque *** (three stars) Le Manoir des Prés du Roy ** (two stars) l'Auberge de Jeunesse Maison Saint Yves -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very popular in France are pizza restaurants, which are OK in a pinch, even if they the pizzas aren't thick with ingredients as we are used to here in the U.S. For $15 or so you can get a very tasty pizza at Pizza Romain, which is right in front of the cathedral. (They have an extra charge if you split a pizza.) Right on the corner next to the cathedral (south side), in the most prominent place, is Cafe Serpente. They have assured business being right next to the cathedral. We call it the "Surly Serpent" because they don't have the American attitude towards business. Here, the customer isn't always right. They do as they wish, and if you are lucky, they will serve you. At any time of the day and well into the night it is possible to get just an omelet, salad, onion soup or fries, which is quick. However, they are a bit pricey. . If you don't want a real meal, go to the pedestrian shopping area and just buy a sandwich offered at one of the boulangeries (bakeries).Le Bistro de la Cathedrale is also right across from the cathedral. It is traditional food with plenty of locals eating there. They have outdoor tables and chairs in good weather. On the north side of the cathedral used to be a bar called The Welcome. Now it has been transformed into a very interesting place, the name of which escapes me. They opened up the cellar spaces, put tables down there, and serve tasty, inexpensive food. The buildings round the cathedral have several levels of cellars, due to the fact that every time the town burned down they rebuilt on top of the rubble. The Cafe Serpente, go to the bathroom and you will see the stairs that go down down down. Now located where Restaurant le Change used to be is the new and glitzy Cafe des Artistes. Rue des changes is the street that goes from the cathedral to the market. The owners has been very friendly and helpful to us. Down the little street beside this cafe is a cozy crepe restaurant, that keeps changing its name. I eat there quite often. Now let's get to more traditional restaurants. There are numerous ones within a few blocks of the cathedral, with competitive prices and good menus. I have had numerous good meals at le Tripot (11 Place Jean Moulin, 02.37.36.60.11). The fireplace tokes the chill off a cool evening. Service is polite and friendly. It is a bit upscale. (There are several expensive restaurants in Chartres that I haven't included here, including La Maison, the Grand Monarque and Le Moulin.) Incidentally, "menu" in French refers to a fixed price meal. The folder on which the various dishes are listed is called "la carte." That's why, when you buy individual dishes rather than a fixed-menu, you are ordering "a la carte." Fixed price meals are always a much better deal unless you really want to create your own combinations. A local resident invited me to dinner at another great restaurant called P'tit Morard (25, rue de la Porte Morard, in the lower town, not far from Mrs. Borreye's B&B. Tel: 02.37.15.89). Most tourists don't find this place. The food is great, not expensive, with a lot of little extras and pizzazz. For a superb buy and an authentic French brasserie, go to the Brasserie Chatelet. There are a few tables outside, and more inside, where it will be smoky. The portions are huge, the prices reasonable, and the service French (slow). It is located right next to the Hotel du Boeuf Couronne. Walking up from the train station it is a great place to stop. Try the moules frites (mussels and French fries). Want a late-night snack? Several times I have gone at 11 pm or later to Cafe de la Ouest, right across from the train station. It looks intimidating from the front, because the front room will be noisy and smoky, with people playing pinball and standing around the bar. But in the back are two dining rooms and the food is quite decent. You might try the salade nicoise, or do what I do -- have several deserts. The people around you will be French. If you want a classy night cap, go to the bar of the Grande Monarch instead. With Le Pichet, I have saved my favorite until the end. Once when I stayed a month in Chartres, I had lunch here almost every day. The owner is personable, the food good French home-cooking, the prices reasonable, and there is a no-smoking room! It backs up to the Tourist Office. The owner also has some furnished rooms upstairs which can be rented by the week or longer for low prices. Tel: 02.37.21.08.35 Fax: 02.37.36.24.79 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the US can cost $60 and more. In France, for the same price, you can get a real feast. And for half that price, you still get a great four- or five-course meal. I enjoy little luxuries, such as buying descriptive guide books in the places I visit, even though they cost $10 for a little 40-page booklet. Even if you don't have much money, don't spent your time worrying about prices. I have seen people get very disturbed by receiving a poor exchange rate, which, compared to a good rate, might have cost them $5 extra. Or maybe they were ripped off for a few dollars by someone. Hey, folks, let it go. Don't let it spoil your trip. Most people who report that the French hate Americans and are unfriendly aren't actually such great ambassadors themselves. They go to the cheapest places in their travel-on-next-to-nothing guidebook, trying to save a buck, where the proprietor is working 18 hours a day trying to eek out a living, and then get disturbed if they aren't treated like royalty. Do you want to be treated well? It's simple. Spend lots of money; everyone will love you. I'm being a bit facetious, but the point I'm making is this: Pay what it costs, absorb your losses, keep smiling, and have a great time. I remember a taxi driver in Paris who took me on a needlessly long route to my destination, not knowing that I am familiar with the city. He felt like he needed to run up the bill, believing that his "salvation" was in ripping me off for a little extra fare. When we got to our destination, I gave him a big tip and wished him a good life. No problem. Another time, I gave ten-franc piece ($2) to a street person who was panhandling near my hotel. I wished him a good day, whereupon, hearing my strong American accent, he struck up a conversation and even tried out a few words of English. The next day, he was in the same spot, so I wished him a good day (no money this time). He growled, "Get fucked." It was a great lesson. I thought that my $2 should buy his eternal appreciation and respect. Wrong. France is a great place. Enjoy it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bonjour Paris: www.bonjourparis.com Paris Pages: www.paris.org French Tourist Office: www.franceguide.com
Anglophones: www.paris-anglo.com
French Government Tourist Office USA: www.francetourism.com
General Information: www.tourisme.fr
Francophile Organizations: www.info-france-usa.org
Products: www.france.com Pariscope: www.pariscope.fr Eurostar: www.eurostar.com SNCF: www.sncf.com RailEurope: www.raileurope.com
Chartres By searching under "Chartres" you will find numerous items. I haven't found a good site for Chartres that gives updated tourist information. If you find one, let me know. The site for the cathedral is www.diocesechartres.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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