"A City with an Old Cathedral & a 24-hr Motor Race" Top 5 Page for this destination Le Mans by hquittner

Le Mans (150K pop.) is a city of many sights. We have been there 3 times but not when the racing circuits (car or cycle) were on. Each stop was a day trip on our way elsewhere and lasting 2-5 hours. It is a great cathedral "hop". The Cathedral is older than the Old Town, part Gothic added to Romanesque. There is a Sunday market, not at all for tourists, of which there are none.

Old Houses on a Gallo-Roman Wall

Outside the cathedral on its South edge is a large dark red-stone menhir, the first we had ever seen. Going away from the church, the streets were filled with old houses with fine wood carving on some. Further on downhill, we saw other old houses built onto the remains of Roman defensive walls.

There is an Art Museum with some worthy French Masters as well as locals. On a Sunday we encountered a large vigorous market devoid of tourists. On one trip we arrived early with our 10 yr old grnadson on his first trip abroad. It was too early for him to stay awake. We drove the grand car circuit and he kept nodding off, he did not want to get up for the car museum next.(He has regretted this for the next 10 years but has preferred Italy adventures to returning). But he did like the chocolate crepes (cool man! but not ham galettes) from a cart at the market.

• Pros:A Fine Church and Fine Roman Walls
• Cons:We are not into racing
• In a nutshell:We have been there 3 times. Is that enough said?