Chartres Cathedral Audio Guide Tour: 20+ Stops at Your Pace

Twenty stops through stone and glass, all on your phone

This self-guided audio tour of Chartres Cathedral uses a mobile app to walk you through 20+ stops inside and outside the UNESCO World Heritage Site, with written descriptions, images and an interactive map. Download the app after booking and explore at your own pace—the tour stays on your phone with offline access, playable anytime for a year. Minimum age is 14; service animals are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Self-guided Chartres Cathedral tour

• Download mobile app after booking
• Begin outside at South and North Towers
• Explore North and South portals carvings
• Admire stained glass windows inside
• See Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière
• View South Rose, Passion, Life of Christ windows
• Explore Renaissance choir screen
• Learn about 19th-century fire and copper roof

The Experience

The tour starts outside, where the two towers tell their own story: the 12th-century South Tower and the taller, flamboyant North Tower, rebuilt after a 16th-century fire. From there, the app guides you through the North and South portals, where biblical scenes—the Nativity, the Last Judgment—are carved into stone like a medieval picture book. Each stop pairs audio narration with images so you know exactly what you're looking at and why it matters.

Inside, the stained glass is the draw. The Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière window glows with the legendary "Chartres Blue," a color the cathedral gave to the world. The tour walks you through the South Rose Window, the Passion Window, and the Life of Christ Window, then into the choir screen—a Renaissance work of 41 scenes depicting the early life of Mary in intricate detail across 100 meters of carved stone. A 19th-century fire destroyed much of the roof, but the replacement—600 tons of copper—is part of the story too.

The app includes offline access once downloaded, so you don't need internet inside the cathedral. You get written descriptions alongside the audio, an interactive map to navigate between stops, and images to identify each one. The tour runs about 90 minutes if you move straight through, but since it's self-guided, you can pause, linger at a window, or come back to a section later. You'll have access for a year on iOS and Android, so you can replay it or pick up where you left off on a return visit.

What’s included

• Audio and written guide in your choice of language.
• offline access to the full tour once downloaded.
• images to identify each of the 20+ stops.
• interactive in-app map for navigation.
• one year of access on iOS and Android so you can replay the tour anytime.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Tourific

Is this one for you?At 90 minutes, this tour leaves room for other activities in Chartres—a meal, a walk through the town, or a second pass through the cathedral at a different hour. The self-guided format means you set the rhythm, which works if you want to linger at a particular window or move quickly through sections that don't hold your attention; it rules out a human guide's live commentary or the structure of a fixed group departure time.

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Top questions

How many stops does the Chartres Cathedral audio tour include?

The tour has 20+ stops spread across the exterior portals and the interior of the cathedral, covering the stained glass windows, the choir screen, and the architectural details that define the Gothic masterpiece.

Can I use the Chartres Cathedral tour without an internet connection?

Yes. The app downloads the entire tour to your phone, so once you've downloaded it after booking, you have offline access and can explore without needing WiFi or cellular service inside the cathedral.

What is Chartres Blue and where do I see it on the tour?

Chartres Blue is the legendary blue glass color created at the cathedral in the medieval period. The tour guides you to the Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière window, where this glowing blue glass is the centerpiece, and explains how this color influenced stained glass across Europe.

How long does it take to complete the Chartres Cathedral audio tour?

The tour runs approximately 90 minutes if you move through all the stops without pausing, but since it's self-guided, you control the pace—you can spend more time at any window or section, or break it into multiple visits.

What languages is the Chartres Cathedral audio tour available in?

The tour is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and five additional languages, so you can choose the language that works best for you when you download the app.

Do I need to bring headphones for the Chartres Cathedral audio tour?

Headphones are not included with the tour, so you'll need to bring your own if you want to listen to the audio narration privately inside the cathedral.