Eure-et-Loire, France
Eure-et-Loire holiday houses and cottages, France
Eure-et-Loir is a French department in north-central France, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. The department is located in the Centre region (Val de Loire). The most important tourist attraction is the cathedral of Chartres, with its magnificent stained-glass windows. The department falls into a few different areas: Le Perche to the west around Nogent-le-Rotrou; the Drouais to the north around Dreux; and Beauce. The Beauce is a fruitful plain and known as the granary of France. There are several rather charming traditional working windmills to see when you stay in Eure-et-Loire holiday rental houses or cottages. The area of Bonneval in the south of the department is traversed by canals.
Chartres, the capital of the Eure-et-Loir, is built on the left bank of the Eure River. The town is best known for the Cathedral of Chartres, considered to be the finest Gothic cathedral in France - a must see when renting a self-catering holiday home in Eure-et-Loir, France. Its historical and cultural importance is recognized by its inclusion on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. It was built in 1205 and its construction took 66 years. Chartres has also been a site of Christian pilgrimage since the Middle Ages.
The Eure River, which divides into three branches at Chartres, is crossed by several ancient bridges, and is fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications. The steep, narrow streets of the old town contrast with the wide, shady boulevards which encircle it and divide it from the suburbs. When you rent a holiday cottage in the Eure-et-Loire be sure to visit La Maison Picassiette, a house decorated inside and out with mosaics of chards of broken china and pottery.
Châteaudun is another delightful town to explore when you visit Eure-et-Loire. Châteaudun is 50 km south-southwest of Chartres; its charming château is one of the department’s main attractions and is known for being the first on the road to Loire Valley, from Paris.
The town of Illiers-Combray is featured in the works of Marcel Proust (but referred to as Combray in the Proust novels). Swann Park, found in Illiers-Combray was designed by the author's uncle.
Travelling to your self-catering Eure-et-Loir holiday rental property, France
By train: The Gare de Chartres railway station offers frequent services to Paris, and a few daily connections to Le Mans. By road: The A11 motorway connects Chartres with Paris and Le Mans. Chartres is located 96 km southwest of Paris and the journey time takes approximately 1hour 30 minutes. By air: Paris Orly is the nearest airport to the department. CityJet flies from London City, British Airways flies from London Heathrow and Flybe operates a regular service from Southampton.