Le Mans Old Town

Most people know Le Mans for the twenty-four hour race, which happens on a circuit south of the city, but the Cite Plantagenet is the older attraction: a hill of cobbled lanes and timber-framed houses enclosed by Roman walls built in the late third century, about half a kilometre of which survives with towers, decorated in geometric bands of pink and white stone, the most complete Roman enceinte in France. Henry II of England was born here. The cathedral joins a Romanesque nave to a soaring Gothic choir with flying buttresses fanned out around it. Each summer the walls and old town are used for a light projection festival.

What you actually see

• The Roman walls - patterned bands of pink and white stone with towers.
• The cathedral - Romanesque nave meeting a tall Gothic choir.
• The timber-framed lanes - stepped cobbled streets used constantly for filming.
• The summer projections - light shows across the walls at night.

When to go

April to October; the light festival runs on summer evenings. Race week in June fills every hotel in the region and should be avoided unless attending.

Honest expectations

The old town is small and quiet, with few shops or cafes inside the walls. Streets are steep and cobbled. The racing circuit is well outside the centre and unrelated to a visit here.

Nearby

Sainte-Suzanne lies west; the Loire chateaux are south.