THIS DOOR LEADS THE WAY TO AHOST OF SURPRISES

LE MANS,6 000 years of history

Although life here dates back to the Neanderthals, the town of Le Mans began to flourish during the Roman era (first 2 centu-ries AD). The 8- metre-high fortification walls with their extraor-dinary facing and friezes, the Roman baths and the Cathedral of St Julien, built between the 11th and the 15th centuries, and the remarkably well-preserved old town make Le Mans a place of outstanding historical importance, unique in Europe.The Plantagenet quarter, known locally as the Cité Plantagenêt in the town centre not only harbours many architectural gems, it is the home and workplace of a host of talented chefs and craftspeople renowned throughout Europe.

This is not just a historical town; it lives and breathes history!

THE CITé PlanTagEnêT

The oldest Gallo-Roman fortifications in Europe, candidate for Unesco world heritage.

@ crédits photos : Gilles Mousset

THE CITé PlanTagEnêT, where the combination of rare

architectural wealth, talented

craftsmen and creative chefs

creates a unique atmosphere

Standing high above the river Sarthe, the Plantagenet quarter has commanding views of the whole town. Hotels and charming guest houses.

The Cathedral of Saint Julien took over 500 years to build and com-prises rare features . It is an architectural and historical gem.

STaY In a TOWn STEEPED In HISTORY

Ville et Pays d’art et d’histoire

@ crédits photos : Gilles Mousset

LE MANS,Vibrant with culture

As early as 1989, Le Mans became a natural choice as a filming loca-tion. Many film stars, among them Steve Mac Queen (le Mans), al Pacino, gérard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac) and Daniel auteuil (On guard), have graced the paved streets of the old town.

Every summer, the Plantagenet quarter is bathed in the spotlights of "la nuit des Chimères", a mythological light show featuring chimera. The streets and historic buildings are draped in a kaleidoscope of colour as the magic unfurls. The show, designed and produced by Skertzo, is entirely free and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. The first edition of the accompanying festival was held in 2013 and gathered major names in theatre, literature and music.

Le Mans is also a venue for the international jazz festival Europa Jazz, a circus arts festival, Le Mans fait son cirque , and Be Bop, a pop-rock festival ranked among the top 10 music festivals in France.

Here in Le Mans, we move with the times!

CHIMERa & CInEMa

THESE WallS ENCLOSE

A HOST OF

SURPRISES...

Exceptionally well-preserved streets. A celestial concert : musical angels escape from the cathe-dral to give a celestial concert.

Angels and demons : the cathedral towers become a boundless stained-glass window.

géRaRD DEPaRDIEU, al PaCInO, DanIEl aUTEUIl… FaMOUS naMES.

la nUIT DES CHIMèRES: THE MagIC OF lIgHT

LE MANS,Vibrant with culture

The first Automobile Club de France Grand Prix was held in Le Mans in 1906. A few years later, the concept of endurance racing became widely accepted as a way of comparing the resistance of cars. The Le Mans 24 Hour race was born.

Since then, the demands, the difficulties, the excitement and the long history of the race have made it a worldwide legend. The most famous manufacturers and experienced drivers take part.

lE ManS 24 HOUR RaCE

The world’s greatest race!The most famous car manufacturers and experienced drivers, who are often superstars, take part in the most demanding race in the world.

The Welcome is a thoroughly modern, well-equipped reception venue.

The world-famous Dunlop bridge that spans the track. A 200 000 strong crowd flocks to watch the race.

lE ManS THRIVES On MOTORIng

lE ManS 24 HOURLIVING THE LEGEND

SINCE 1923 WWW.lEManS.ORg lE ManS 24 HOUR MOTORBIKE RaCE

Tens of thousands of motorcyclists flock to Le Mans each year to watch this race.

Crédits photos : Gilles Moussé Crédits photos : Gilles Moussé Crédits photos : Gilles Moussé

LE MANS,mouthwatering tastes, enthusiasm and entrepreneurship

Rillettes, poultry, the black Le Mans chicken… Olivier Boussard, a Miche-lin-starred chef, is just one of the town’s many culinary talents.

Le Mans and the surrounding area have long been known for fresh produce and the capacity of the local people to forge ahead with new culinary conquests. For generations now, thanks to rillettes ( potted pork ), the dry white wine called Jasnières and its chicken and pork farming traditions, the town has earned a reputation for gastronomy.The local chefs who work in restaurants in Le Mans and throughout the world ara known for their skills in combining age-old traditions with new ideas.Le Mans has plenty of roots in the past but its sights are firmly set on the future. Many start-ups and service companies are setting up in the town’s modern business quarters, joining long-established companies in the automobile, agro-food and manufacturing sectors.

TRaDITIOn & InnOVaTIOn

JaSnIèRES : A FRUITY WINE WITH A GOOD NOSE,

SAID TO BE ONE OF THE BEST DRY WHITES

IN FRANCE.

The Novaxis business quarter and the surrounding area attracts many large companies and start-ups and offers high quality accommodation for business and tourist travellers.

The town has an excellent public transport network and modern infrastructure.

Both industry and services are keenly focused on Research and De-velopment.

lE ManS CUlTIVaTES COMPETITIVE anD InnOVaTIVE SPIRIT…

LE MANS,Accessibility & Simplicity

A transport hub located between Paris, Normandy, Brittany and the South West of France, Le Mans benefits from an unrivalled location in terms of road and rail infrastructure and accessibility of tourist attractions.

Paris, Mont Saint-Michel, Nantes and the Loire Valley châteaux are less than two hours away.

THE KEYS TO EaSY TRaVEl! Crédits photos : Fotolia

Crédits photos : Fotolia

Crédits photos : Fotolia

PaRIS

lE ManS

Le Mans is at the crossroads of several motorways with links to the major cities in the west and centre of France, Normandy and the Paris region, all in less than 2 hours .

BY aIR

BY RaIl

BY ROaD

Daily high-speed train links to main cities :• 54 minutes to Paris• 1 hour to Tours or Angers• 1.5 hours to Rennes or Nantes• 3 hours to Lille or Lyon• 4 hours to Marseille or Strasbourg

Direct airport links via high-speed train : • Massy TGV (for Orly airport) : 47 minutes• Paris Charles de Gaulle airport : 1.5 hours

Château de la loire

Champs Elysées

Château de Chambord

de Chenonceau

Tour Eiffel

nanTES

Mont Saint-Michel

2H du Mont Saint-Michel

2H de nantes

55 min de Paris

Mont Saint-Michel

Le MansTOURIST OFFICE16 rue de L’Etoile72000 Le MansFRANCETel: +33 (0)2 43 28 17 22Fax: +33 (0)2 43 28 12 14

contact@amazing-lemans.comwww.amazing-lemans.com

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