Bourges Cathedral

The glass lover's alternative to Chartres, and usually far quieter. Bourges was begun around 1195, at much the same time as Chartres, and apart from the axial chapel it still keeps most of its original ambulatory glass from about 1215, some of the finest 13th-century windows anywhere. Walk the ambulatory slowly and read the stories panel by panel. The nave itself costs nothing to enter. In summer, a guided climb of the north tower's 396 steps gives a view over the whole town; it runs only in set time slots, so book ahead.