Mantes-la-Jolie, Administrative commune in Yvelines, France
Mantes-la-Jolie is a commune on the banks of the Seine in the Yvelines department, located about fifty kilometers west of Paris. The town spreads across both sides of the river, connecting residential neighborhoods with commercial areas along the main roads.
The settlement was established in the 12th century as a fortified town at a river crossing. The merger with neighboring Gassicourt in 1930 doubled the area and population of the commune.
The name "la Jolie," meaning "the pretty," was added in the 1950s to reflect the town's pleasant setting along the river. Local markets and cafés line the streets near the old quarter, where residents gather on weekends.
Visitors will find most public facilities and shops in the center, which is easy to walk through. The two train stations sit a few minutes apart and offer regular connections to Paris and other towns in the region.
The Notre-Dame church features a Gothic west portal that sculptors modeled after the Paris cathedral in the 13th century. Some of the wooden beams in the church roof come from forests cut down more than seven hundred years ago.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
