Location: Le Mans
Top Things to do in Le Mans
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Le Mans, France
Le Mans is famous as the setting for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the grueling round-the-clock car race. But it's also an ancient town, with Roman walls, a beautiful cathedral and plenty of museums to see. Car aficionados will especially like the Musée Automobile de la Sarthe, where there's a great collection of vehicles.
Restaurants in Le Mans
1. Entre Cours et Jardins - Cite Plantagenet
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 623 reviews
Reviewed By deborah r - Hastings
We had visited the Le Mans museum and decided to go into the town centre for lunch.
The town is stunning, a real hidden gem. The architecture is beautiful, cobbled streets and lots of little shops owned by artists there are also plenty of places to eat.
Finally don't forget to look up, the street lamps are real works of art, each with a different design painted on them.
2. Cathedrale de Saint-Julien de Mans
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 533 reviews
3. Circuit des 24 Heures
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 399 reviews
Reviewed By Ashley K
Attended the 85th running of the 24 hours. Camped at houx annexe for the event. good facilities and very friendly staff and security personnel.
It's been a lifelong dream of mine to attend this circuit and it didn't disappoint. Issues I had was firstly finding the camping site as I was on foot and they are designed specifically for visitors with cars; however the staff were very helpful and couldn't do enough for you.
I also had a grandstand seat over the pitlane which was amazing. Food was incredibly expensive and very basic so I preferred taking the tram into town and eating there. also worth noting that you can't access the entire circuit; From Tertre Rouge to Indianapolis. Very Highly recommend.
4. Arche de la Nature
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 175 reviews
Reviewed By ML M - Le Mans, France
Arche de la Nature is a farm run by the city of Le Mans. If you have children, this would be a great place to visit. The farm has the usual suspects: pigs, goats, rabbits, geese, cows, etc. If you are lucky (being there at the right season), you may find baby goats, pigs, cows, etc. The farm also has some nice percheron horses (big work horses). We also like its vegetable Gardens. There is nothing exceptional or extraordinary in the sense of a tourist attraction. This is just a very pleasant place to be if you like nature, since it is surrounded by a forest. This is a free activity, however, the farm does have closing hours (which depends on the season). Check with the tourist office 02 43 28 17 22 (from outside of France: +33 2 43 28 17 22).
5. La Nuit des Chimeres
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 603 reviews
Reviewed By ADsMum - Stoke on Trent
Returning from our family holiday in southern France, and scoping out Le Mans for a short stop, I saw La Nuit des Chimeres advertised. Website wasn't very clear on dates as we were at the very end of the season, but we eventually confirmed it was on.
We picked up a map from the Tourist Information in the centre of town and eventually understood how the event worked - light displays are played across a number of sites in the town from dusk for approx 2 hours. It is entirely free and the sites are all operational at the same time. The advise from the Tourist Information was that you could potentially get around all sites within the 2 hours, however we found this easy to achieve as some locations are fairly static whereas others feature shows that last between 5 and 20 minutes. Despite the age of our children (5 and 10) and the language issues, we enjoyed a good couple of hours checking out the sites, returning to see some twice as they improve visually as it gets dark. The pavement projections were also fun and captivating.
Certain installations attracted bigger crowds than others - the town walls and Cathedral in particular - whilst others have smaller groups that tend to linger for a few minutes then move on.
Well worth visiting, not least to see bits of the town you might not otherwise see. And a fab free evening's entertainment too!
6. Abbaye Royale de L'Epau
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 137 reviews
Reviewed By Gagal - Florida
This is a trip out from town and not very much to see there. If you have seen an abbeys then this one is not worth the effort. It took us about 45 minutes to see and photograph all there was of interest.
7. Musee des 24 Heures du Mans
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 601 reviews
Come and discover the exciting story of the 24 Heures du Mans and the legendary heroes. Through 120 vehicles, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest tells you the epic of the automobile in the Sarthe and the success of its international event. Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Ford, Porsche, Matra, Audi ... all the big names are represented by their mythical models that immerse the visitor in the world's greatest endurance race. 300m² of temporary Exhibitions complete this themed route, which can be continued by visiting the famous 24 Heures du Mans circuit.
Reviewed By rayraynewby - Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom
This was the highlight of my trip to Le Mans. The display of cars was very extensive with not just racing cars but also old classic cars and some service vehicles connected with the 24 hr race. The museum is well laid out with some other exhibits detailing the history of the race and there are plenty of screens telling the race's history. There is a shop but no cafe. However there are vending machines if you require refreshments.
8. Carre Plantagenet
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 83 reviews
Reviewed By KLE2013 - Centreville, Virginia
This modern, light filled museum provides the visitor with a wide ranging overview of the history of Le Mans from Roman times through the Medieval period. Major construction outside the building makes handicap entry almost impossible for the next several weeks.
9. Enceinte Gallo-Romaine du Mans
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 80 reviews
Reviewed By snooza - Melbourne
It was by accident that we found these amazing fortess walls which looked spectacular in the late evening twilight. The designs within the construction were very detailed and ornate. It's hard to fathom the vision of the time to not only construct a walled fortress but to also include such beautiful detail.
10. Papea Parc
Overall Ratings
4 based on 468 reviews
Reviewed By Mrcbayes - Angers, France
We went on a august weekday and whilst we had an enjoyable time and were tired out at the end, the parc was not very well maintained and with a distinct lack of food / drink availability
1. Long queues at the entrance , only two cash desks open , not 6.
2. Swan pedelao out of action
3. Train ride not working
4 Many food concessions not opened and mid park restaurant closed.
So overall it's a so- so visit
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