Le Mans tourism and travel guide

Visit Le Mans: highlights and tourist information
Travel Guide To Visit Attractions Book a visitFrance This Way comment: Le Mans is best known for its famous car race, but also has a very lovely medieval centre to explore
Le Mans is situated in the Sarthe department and Pays de la Loire region.
Important note
This page features a summary of highlights that you might like to explore near Le Mans. For detailed visitor information see the Le Mans travel guide.
Tourist classifications for Le Mans include "secteur sauvegarde" and "town of art and history".
Below you can see some of the places that we have visited and reviewed and can recommend when you are sightseeing close to Le Mans in Pays de la Loire.
Popular places to visit nearby include Sillé-le-Guillaume at 33 km and Parcé-sur-Sarthe at 34 km.
Le Mans, France: places to visit and attractions
Note that all distances below are 'direct' and real driving distances will be greater!

Beaumont-sur-Sarthe
at 28 km (direction north-north-west)It is the countryside around Beaumont-sur-Sarthe that is the main attraction, but...
See Beaumont-sur-Sarthe guide

Sillé-le-Guillaume
at 33 km (direction west-north-west)Sillé le Guillaume has a chateau dating to the 11th century and...
See Sillé-le-Guillaume guide

Parcé-sur-Sarthe
at 34 km (direction west-south-west)Parcé sur Sarthe is a classified petites cites de caractere and has...
See Parcé-sur-Sarthe guide

Asnieres-sur-Vegre
at 34 km (direction west-south-west)The small town of Asnières-sur-Vègre is especially picturesque in the area around...
See Asnieres-sur-Vegre guide

Fresnay-sur-Sarthe
at 36 km (direction north-north-west)The traditional market hall and remains of a medieval castle, and the...
See Fresnay-sur-Sarthe guide

Chateau du Lude
Castle at 37 km (direction south)The Chateau de Lude and its lovely gardens are the closest of...
See Chateau du Lude guide

Solesmes
at 40 km (direction west-south-west)Solesmes is known for its Abbey Saint-Pierre, an important benedictine abbey that...
See Solesmes guide

La Ferte-Bernard
at 41 km (direction east-north-east)The medieval character and picturesque setting make La Ferté-Bernard one of our...
See La Ferte-Bernard guide

Sainte-Suzanne
Most Beautiful Village at 43 km (direction west-north-west), in the Mayenne departmentThe medieval village and the castle in the pretty village of Sainte-Suzanne...
See Sainte-Suzanne guide

Saulges
at 45 km (direction west), in the Mayenne departmentThe principal attraction in Saulges is the caves, occupied in prehistoric times...
See Saulges guide

Saint-Ceneri-le-Gerei
Most Beautiful Village at 48 km (direction north-north-west), in the Orne departmentSaint-Ceneri-le-Gerei is a very pretty village in the Regional Natural Park of...
See Saint-Ceneri-le-Gerei guide

Les Jardins de la Mansoniere
Garden at 48 km (direction north-north-west), in the Orne departmentLes Jardins de la Mansoniere is a lovely garden in the charming...
See Les Jardins de la Mansoniere guide

Evron
at 49 km (direction west-north-west), in the Mayenne departmentThe highlight here at Evron is the Abbey of Notre Dame, in...
See Evron guide

Alencon
at 50 km (direction north-north-west), in the Orne departmentThere are several sites of historical interest in Alencon, best known as...
See Alencon guide
... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Sarthe
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Hotels in Le Mans
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Map of places to visit near Le Mans
Markets in and near Le Mans
Market days in Le Mans: weekly market: every day except Monday;
- Le Mans: market every day except Monday (0km)
- Allonnes: market Tuesday (4km)
- Arnage: market Saturday (6km)
- La Suze-sur-Sarthe: market Thursday (16km)
- Ecommoy: market Tuesday (18km)
- Conlie: market Thursday (23km)
- Connerre: market Wednesday (23km)
- Le Grand-Luce: market Wednesday all day (24km)
- Noyen-sur-Sarthe: market Saturday (26km)
- Loue: market Tuesday (26km)
More information about Le Mans, Pays de la Loire
Tourist attractions near Le Mans, France
What to do at Le Mans? Some places with official tourist classifications and other places of interest to visit nearby that should provide inspiration if you are visiting Le Mans.
Most beautiful villages in France
(see also beautiful French villages)
- Sainte-Suzanne (43km)
- Saint-Ceneri-le-Gerei (48km)
Recommended detour towns (fr: plus beau détour)
- La Fleche (38km)
Churches and religious monuments
- Cathédrale Saint Julien (Le Mans) (3km)
- Abbaye de l'Epau (Yvre-l'Eveque) (6km)
Remarkable gardens
- Jardin du château de Vilaines (13km)
- Jardin d’atmosphère du Petit Bordeaux (18km)
- Jardins du Mirail (19km)
- Jardins de la Massonnière (25km)
- Parc et jardins du château du Lude (37km)
- Jardins du château de Poncé (42km)
Sites of natural beauty
- Mont du Haut-Fourché (46km)
Towns of Art and history
- Evron (49km)
Villages in bloom 4* (fr: ville fleurie)
- Coulaines (5km)
- Cogners (36km)
Zoo and/or wildlife park
- Spaycific'Zoo (8km)
Geography and distances
Le Mans is in the north-west of France - it is the prefecture (capital) of the Sarthe department (general information: Le Mans is 186 kilometres from Paris).
Geographical Information
Commune: Le Mans
Canton: Mans
Arrondissement: Mans
Department: Sarthe
Region: Pays de la Loire
Postcode: 72000
Distance to Le Mans
from Le Mans (prefecture): 4 km
from Paris: 186 km
from Calais: 351 km
from Nice: 725 km
from Bordeaux: 355 km
from Strasbourg: 562 km
Getting here
Most visitors get here by car having taken a ferry, probably to Saint-Malo or Caen, and then a drive of around 2 - 3 hours. For driving distances to Le Mans from anywhere in France see driving distances and route planner.
We have 8 other places listed as being close (less than kilometres from ): Allonnes, Change, Coulaines, La Chapelle-Saint-Aubin, Rouillon, Ruaudin, Sarge-les-le-Mans and Yvre-l'Eveque.
This page in French: Visiter Le Mans