The greatest Gothic cathedral in France stands in Chartres, a pretty town on the Eure River in the Loire Valley. Chartres is only an hour by train or car from Paris, and many visitors make it a day trip — ride through the countryside, tour the cathedral, have lunch, and ride back. Some wonder why all the fuss over one more medieval stone church with soaring spires, flying buttresses, and stained glass windows. You have to see it to understand the answer to that question. Chartres Cathedral