Le Mans

Le Mans is a city at the junction of the Sarthe and Huisne rivers in western France. Gallo-Roman walls measuring about 1.5 km (roughly 0.9 miles) encircle the old town core and form one of the most complete Roman fortifications north of the Alps.

The settlement began in the 1st century as Roman Vindunum and later became the seat of the counts of Maine. In the 13th century it passed to the French crown and lost its status as an independent principality.

The cathedral of Saint Julian rises above the old town and reflects the city's past as a capital of the counts of Maine. Visitors notice the narrow timber houses of Cité Plantagenêt lining cobbled lanes and tracing the medieval layout.

The main train station sits about 1 km (0.6 miles) southwest of the old town and offers fast rail links to Paris in under an hour. A walk through the walled old quarter takes about half an hour and is easy to explore on foot.

The walls display a checkerboard pattern of white limestone and red brick that Roman builders used in the late 3rd century. The Circuit de la Sarthe race, held each June since 1923, uses partly public roads outside the old quarter.

Location: Le Mans Métropole

Location: Sarthe

Location: arrondissement of Le Mans

Elevation above the sea: 63 m

Shares border with: Saint-Pavace, Sargé-lès-le-Mans, Trangé, Yvré-l'Évêque, Allonnes, Arnage, Changé, La Chapelle-Saint-Aubin, Coulaines, Mulsanne, Rouillon, Ruaudin

Address: Le Mans, France

Phone: +33243474747

Email: mairie@lemans.fr

Website: http://lemans.fr

GPS coordinates: 48.00417,0.19694

Latest update: December 14, 2025 19:32