Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #1 in Le Mans, France

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Nature
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Historical
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Tour Facts

Number of sights 14 sights
Distance 2.9 km
Ascend 106 m
Descend 77 m

Experience Le Mans in France in a whole new way with our self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.

Individual Sights in Le Mans

Sight 1: Église Notre-Dame-du-Pré

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Église Notre-Dame-du-PréThis illustration was made by Peter Potrowl. Please credit this with : © Peter Potrowl in the immediate vicinity of the image. A link to my website sitemai.eu would be much appreciated but isn't mandatory. An email to Peter Potrowl would be appreciated too. Do not copy this image illegally by ignoring the terms of the license below, as it is not in the public domain. If you would like special permission to use, license, or purchase the image please contact me Peter Potrowl to negotiate terms. More free pictures in my website. Donations are accepted here and here. / CC BY 3.0

The Church of Notre-Dame-du-Pré is a Catholic religious building built in the city of Le Mans between the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Wikipedia: Église Notre-Dame-du-Pré (FR)

590 meters / 7 minutes

Sight 2: Église Saint-Benoît

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The Church of Saint-Benoît is a Catholic church located in the city of Le Mans, in the historic district.

Wikipedia: Église Saint-Benoît du Mans (FR)

403 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 3: Enceinte romaine

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The Gallo-Roman enclosure of Le Mans, also called Roman pregnant of Le Mans, in the city formerly known as Vindinum or Vindunum, capital of the Gallic people of the Aulerques Cenoman, was built in the Roman Lower Empire, at a long time supposed to be the end From the 3rd century but more recent studies now placed at the beginning of the 4th century.

Wikipedia: Enceinte romaine du Mans (FR)

89 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 4: Hôtel Richer de la Jousserie

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This table lists all the listed historical monuments in the city of Le Mans, Sarthe, France.

Wikipedia: Liste des monuments historiques du Mans (FR)

198 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 5: Palais du Grabatoire

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The Palais du Grabatoire is the current episcopal residence of the Bishop of Le Mans. It is a former canonical palace built in the first half of the sixteenth century for Jean de Couthardy. The palace is located in the Cité Plantagenêt district, the historic heart of Le Mans. The building faces the west door of the Saint-Julien Cathedral, Place du Cardinal Grente. Its name has commonly been reduced to Grabatoire or the Hôtel du Grabatoire. Its surface is of an unusual size. Very few documents, books or magazines from Le Mans have retraced the history of the building. It is one of the city's most unknown monuments. Le Grabatoire has been listed as a historical monument since 1927.

Wikipedia: Palais du Grabatoire (FR)

26 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 6: Saint Julian stone

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The Pierre Saint-Julien, is a menhir sculpted in pink sandstone with a height of 4.55 meters, located in Le Mans, France.

Wikipedia: Pierre Saint-Julien (FR)

116 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 7: Saint Julian Cathedral

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Le Mans Cathedral is a Catholic church situated in Le Mans, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Julian of Le Mans, the city's first bishop, who established Christianity in the area around the beginning of the 4th century. Its construction dated from the 6th through the 15th century, culminating in 1430 and it features many French Gothic elements.

Wikipedia: Le Mans Cathedral (EN)

399 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 8: Hôtel de Vignolles

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The Hôtel de Vignolles is located in Old Mans, Place Saint-Pierre. It was built in 1549 by Jean de Vignolles. The hotel was never finished. Its architecture is of a local Gothic style. Its circulation axis is resolutely vertical due to its transition architecture. The hotel is part of a particular position in the city, bringing a revival to the traditional 15th century party. The hotel is widely marked by the stately architecture of Haut-Maine, however. However, it attests to similarities in the roots of rural and urban seigniorial residences. If its construction is not, by definition, luxurious; Its spreading on the ground is monumental compared to the other hotels built mainly in height, within the Old Mans. Its particular architecture situates it halfway between Parisian architecture and Loire architecture, such as the position of the city and its natural attractions on the map of France. There is no doubt that Vignolles was particularly attentive to the effect produced on the visitor. First, he wanted to bring more Parisianism to Le Mans with its external architecture. Then he took into account the visitor's approach. The goal was certainly to impress, flatter and dominate all the fine flower of regional Protestantism and in particular Saumur Protestantism. The Hôtel de Vignolles is the typical example of the National Hotel National which will be built in Paris as elsewhere in France until the middle of the 17th century. Property of the city of Le Mans since 1926, the hotel is partially classified as historic monuments in 1946. Even today, the restorations continue, a division in two of the hotel in 1799 having deeply marked or even disfigured its original beauty .

Wikipedia: Hôtel de Vignolles (FR)

79 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 9: Escalier des Ponts Neufs

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The Escalier des Pont-Neufs is a staircase located in the commune of Le Mans in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France.

Wikipedia: Escalier des Pont-Neufs (FR)

47 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 10: Mairie du Mans

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The collegiate church of Saint-Pierre-la-Cour is a former collegiate church located in the city of Le Mans. This is the former church dedicated to the Counts of Maine whose palace was adjacent. Built like the cathedral straddling the Gallo-Roman wall, it is attested as early as the High Middle Ages. Initially a simple chapel, it was endowed with a chapter of canons by Hugh I, who was also the first count to consider Saint-Pierre as his personal chapel. The collegiate church then benefited from the rise of the Count dynasty, and Count Elias I had it rebuilt at the end of the eleventh century. Until the Revolution, it contained the relics of Scholastica, the patron saint of Le Mans, who was invoked in particular against fires. Henry II of England restored the collegiate church in the twelfth century, but it was above all the addition of the monumental two-storey chevet in the thirteenth century by Charles II of Anjou that completed the building's imposing stature.

Wikipedia: Collégiale Saint-Pierre-la-Cour (FR)

151 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 11: Musée Jean-Claude-Boulard / Carré Plantagenêt

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Musée Jean-Claude-Boulard / Carré Plantagenêt

The Museum of Archaeology and History of Maine, or officially the Jean-Claude-Boulard Carré Plantagenet Museum, is a museum located in the city of Le Mans, in the Saint-Nicolas district, close to the central sector. Completely restored and refurbished by architect Bernard Althabegoity, it was officially opened on 19 June 2009 and opened to the public the following day.

Wikipedia: Musée d'archéologie et d'histoire du Mans (FR), Website

223 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 12: Paul Henri Balluet d'Estournelles de Constant

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Paul Henri Balluet d'Estournelles de Constant

Paul Henri Benjamin Balluet d'Estournelles de Constant, Baron de Constant de Rebecque, was a French diplomat and politician, advocate of international arbitration and winner of the 1909 Nobel Prize for Peace.

Wikipedia: Paul Henri Balluet d'Estournelles de Constant (EN)

113 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 13: Centre culturel « Les Quinconces - L'Espal »

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The Municipal Theatre of Le Mans, or Théâtre des Jacobins, is a performance hall that has been present, in various forms, since 1842.

Wikipedia: Théâtre municipal du Mans (FR)

469 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 14: Musée de Tessé

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Musée de Tessé photo par J.-F. Gaulon statue par Ernest Christophe (1827-1892) / CC BY 3.0

The Musée de Tessé is the fine arts museum of the city of Le Mans in France. It offers many guided tours on various themes and is located on the fringes of the natural setting of the Quinconces des Jacobins and the Parc de Tessé.

Wikipedia: Musée de Tessé (FR), Website

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Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.

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