Amboise to Bayeaux by car

You can do the trip from Amboise to Bayeux in a single day, but staying somewhere halfway remains nice ofcourse. The historic centre of Le Mans is anyway worth a stop, very lovely. Lavadin looks fantastic and depending the time of the year there must be a room free in a B&B in the neighbourhood, using Google Maps just search for “chambre d’hôtes near Lavardin”. Another option is using the website of Gîtes de France, think the coutry’s largest organization concerning B&B’s (chambre d’hôtes) and rental houses (gîtes). https://www.gites-de-france.com/ (under menu you can select English).

Have stayed a few times in the Loir (without an "e" at the end) region, more west and closer to La Flèche. It’s a nice area to explore, very off the beaten path.

It's really not that long a drive.

Thanks for the replies. Appreciate the input.
Although it’s a totally doable drive for many, we like breaking a 3 hr drive up, just our preference.
Regarding Lavardin, I did find several accommodations nearby, but not one IN Lavardin, which seems odd. Once we get settled in a place, we like to be able to walk to dinner. So staying 4-5 miles from Lavardin wasn’t appealing.
I did dig a little deeper into staying in Le Mans, despite the fact that there is barely a mention made of it in the guidebooks, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a charming old city area, Cité Plantagenet, and found a lovely b&b right there, walking distance to everything. One night there sounds perfect. to us.
Link below discusses Le Mans history. They’ve applied for UNESCO status.

https://www.lemans-tourisme.com/en/discover/cite-plantagenet.html

The closest place I can find for staying there is just outside Lavardin, named So Troglo, interesting?

I have visited Le Mans 15 years ago and really loved it and like more places off the radar there were hardly any tourists. The race car museum near the entrance of the race track is worth a visit in case it is of interest. Still on my list to visit, Sainte-Suzanne west of Le Mans is to my opinion worth a closer look. There are several places you can stay if you like.

Wil, yes i also had looked at So Troglo and it looks so charming. We want to be able to walk around in a village at night, without driving there, so we decided against booking.

We also were looking at Sainte Suzanne. Have friends who loved it and stayed in a beautiful place, but it requires 2 night minimum.

We have decided on Le Mans for one night. Found a perfect BandB, called “Le Clos d’Hauteville”, and zeroed in on what looks to be a great restaurant for dinner: La Vieille Porte. Will be content to park our car and wander for the afternoon and the next morning before we head to Bayeaux.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your trip!

Le Mans is surprisingly attractive and interesting. I say this because (as has been pointed out before) most guide books seem to manage avoide mentioning le Mans at all, or just mention the car race.

When we travel to Normandy le Mans is our stop of choice - not because it is necessary (it's about 2 hours from Amboise) but because we always find something intersting (and often unexpected) to see.

Hi, I’ll also be staying in Le Mans next year! I’ll be in France for three weeks in late summer (hubby joining me for the last week). When I’m researching locations for a trip, I like to select a few less touristy places along with the main cities, etc. and have really enjoyed them in the past. In my case I’m coming by train from Chartres and heading to Tours. Le Mans was a perfect location since it’s on the train routes, and I really liked the images I’ve found of the old center, and I want to photograph the beautiful Gallo-Roman wall brick designs.

I will be at the B&B La Demeure de Laclais in the old center. I’ll check out your restaurant choice - thanks!