E-travelguide
To Le Mans
Search
e-travelguide
Reservations: UK 0871 508 8768, International +44(0)118 971 4700
Le Mans, France
Le Mans in France with e-travelguide.info
Welcome To the e-travelguide to Hotels, guest houses and attractions in Le Mans.
Make the most of your time in Le Mans, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links above to plan your visit.
Le Mans is set in the mid-west of France in the region of Pays de la Loire and is famous for something new and modern and for something traditional and historic. Just to the south of the city are the ever-popular race tracks – the Circuit de la Sarthe and the Bugatti Circuit, which welcome speed and skill the year round, while inside the city’s boundaries there is a beautiful Old Quarter with lovely medieval streets, half-timbered houses and winding alleyways.
And it is this stark contrast that ensures Le Mans is an excellent place for all sorts of visitors, from those looking for the thrills of speed to those hoping for a quiet weekend break or family holiday. The city acts as a convenient base between the Loire Valley to the south and the region of Normandy to the north. It has good connections with the likes of regional capital Nantes as well as the likes of Angers, Tours and national capital Paris.
The River Sarthe runs through Le Mans and it is after the river that the famous Le Mans 24-hour race is named. The world-renowned event takes place in mid-June each year and stands on the shoulders of more than 100 years of history. The track’s first big race took place in 1906, before Wilbur Wright tested his prototype aeroplane on the course two years later, staying in flight for a record one hour and 31 minutes. The year 1923 saw the first Le Mans 24-hour race which took place around the existing 13.65-kilometre-long circuit. The smaller Bugatti Circuit shares some straights and corners with its larger neighbour, but mostly tucks inside the confines of its giant sister circuit.
The city’s cathedral, named after St Julien, overlooks the aforementioned Old Town part of Le Mans and is another aspect of the picturesque nature of the centre. Third and fourth century Roman walls encircle the town encompassing within its winding streets and traditional buildings. Uniquely, there is a tunnelled road under this part of the city, a passage which dates back to the 1850s. In addition, there is a monument in the vicinity to commemorate the life and times of Wilbur Wright, the man who tested an early flying machine in the city.
Le Mans is home to several museums which are dotted around the city. There is the Musee de la Reine Berengere which features various ceramics, the Musee de Tesse which is home to a whole host of statues and pictures, the Musee de l’Automobile which is set near to the race tracks and the Musee Vert. Other places well worth a visit near to Le Mans are the Papea City wild-west amusement park, the Roman baths, the Arboretum de la Grand Pree and the Jardin des Plantes du Mans.
Four kilometres outside the city is the 1229-founded Abbaye de l’Epau, while a little further away, to the north, there are plenty of towns such as Saumur, Chateau de Loire and La Fleche which prove popular for day trips. There has been much talk of the traditional parts of the centre of the city; however, there is also the Place de la Republique which is a modern area and contains various bars, restaurants and churches. Finally, a culinary speciality in the region comes in the form of a shredded pork pate and goes by the name rillettes.