Travel Guide Le Mans

Less than an hour by TGV southwest of Paris, this city in the Pays de la Loire region, bathed by the Sarthe and Huisne rivers, is the capital of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Long before this mechanical epic, the city was the birthplace of Henry II Plantagenet (1133-1189), husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who became King of England. "A city that I loved above all else" he said of Le Mans... City of Art and History, Le Mans shelters in its heart a jewel with the Plantagenet City. At the foot of its cathedral, there are 20 hectares of cobbled streets, lined with half-timbered houses and Renaissance hotels, sheltered behind a Roman wall to discover with your guide in hand. The heritage of this destination is breathtaking. You can also visit interesting museums such as the Reine Bérangère, a popular art museum installed in half-timbered buildings and the Tessé museum with its park and gardens. The Saint-Julien cathedral is one of the largest in France (134 m long and 5,000 m² of surface), a splendor. Don't miss the painting of the angel musicians on the ceiling. An exterior menhir testifies to the human occupation of the site since prehistoric times. The collegiate church of Saint-Pierre-la-Cour is worth a visit. Le Mans is also an International Tertiary Cluster and a Territory of Medical Excellence. A land of innovation and a university town. There is no shortage of names for Le Mans: city of tanners, city of wax (manufacturing from the ^16th to the ^19th century), city of silk (^17th and ^18th centuries). It is also the red city because of the color of its walls and not in reference to the period when it was a working class city.