We are planning to take a day trip from Paris to LeMans. We want to visit the racetrack and the museum. We will be going on a Sunday and plan to take in the Jacobins Market and stroll through the old section of town as well. Is this a doable walk from the train station? Has anyone here gone to LeMans and your thoughts on it? My husband is a huge race fan so this is high on his list. As always, thanks for any input.
Posted by
Paris
6905 posts
Le Mans is really, really worth a visit - amazingly well-preserved town center and a great cathedral. The train station is about a mile from the edge of the old town, but there are trams (streetcars).
As you'll see, the 24 Hours museum is a bit out of town, but again, the tram takes you fairly close (1/2 mile away, if that?), or they might be buses but not sure about Sunday service.
Posted by
Savannah, GA
1337 posts
Le Mans' old town is fantastic. I at at the restaurant Le Perigord Gourmand and had a wonderful life-altering meal (that was almost a decade ago though)
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
1980 posts
The historic centre of Le Mans is stunningly beautiful and so agree worth visiting. Some twenty years ago I had a car accident on the way to the museum and still in shock during my visit, so didn’t enjoyed it very much. The collection of endurance race cars is unique, but should be better displayed, however nevertheless worth visiting too.
Posted by
OP
55 posts
Thank you all for your input. I am glad to know the tram will make things accessible. From what I've seen in photos the town does look charming so I'm looking forward to. This forum is wonderful!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7307 posts
I don’t know when you’re going, but Le Mans and several other cities in the area have wonderful light shows at night during the summer (not sure of their schedule during the year). They may be too late for you if you’re doing a day trip, but I will mention it in case you decide to stay overnight. I stayed at the La Demeure de Laclais B&B next to the cathedral, and it was very easy to take the tram from the train station to the cathedral.
Be sure to walk down the stairs from the Plantagenet medieval area to see the interesting designs in the ancient brick wall & towers, too.
Posted by
PA, USA
67 posts
The Roman wall at Le Mans is amazing. The Romans created patterns with different colored bricks. It's the best preserved Roman wall in Europe and is worth crossing the river to see. The wall is 30' high; the 19 remaining towers are 50' high.
There is currently an exhibit about the wall, on till January of 2023.
https://www.lemans.fr/dynamique/des-idees-de-visite/les-musees/les-expositions-temporaires/au-pied-du-mur-lenceinte-romaine-du-mans/
The cathedral has one lovely chapel ceiling where angels play musical instruments. On the outside, look near the main entrance for the dolmen.