Le Mans is no stranger to celebrity faces. Brad Pitt, Patrick Dempsey, and Keanu Reeves have all jetted in for its flagship motorsports endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Leonardo DiCaprio’s 1998 movie The Man in the Iron Mask was shot in its exquisitely preserved medieval cité. More recently, Christian Bale and Matt Damon were in town shooting Ford v Ferrari. Yet this unassuming riverside city in France, between Normandy and the Loire Valley, still flies under the radar of most tourists.
As Le Mans celebrates the centenary of the 24 Hours race in 2023, take the time to discover the city beyond its star-studded sporting calendar. You’ll stumble upon architectural treasures, Instagrammable alleyways, and a dynamic street art scene underpinned by a fascinating Anglo-French history.
