Le Mans Christmas Market

Le Mans Christmas market sets up its fifty or so chalets on Place de la République, a short walk from the cobbled lanes of the Cité Plantagenêt. It is this closeness that gives the city its character once winter comes: on one side the lively village and its heated guinguette, on the other the medieval old town, its half-timbered houses and its Roman wall tinted by light projections after dark.

If you know Le Mans for the Nuit des Chimères, the summer show of giant images projected onto the cathedral and the ramparts, you will find a family resemblance at Christmas. The city gives the old town a winter version of the creations of Philippe Echaroux, the artist behind those summer projections. The result: you wander from the market to the old lanes without a break, a cup of something hot in hand.

Le Mans Christmas market on Place de la République

The commercial heart of the city provides the setting. Place de la République hosts the wooden chalets, with a competition for the prettiest chalet thrown in, and a winter guinguette open every day under a heated tent from 11am to 9pm. It is the meeting point for a break between two rounds of shopping.

As for attractions, a giant fir-tree-shaped carousel turns in the middle of the aisles (€4 a ride, €10 for three), and a toboggan run delights children and grown-ups alike (€1.50 a ticket, €5 for four). Santa steps down from his sleigh on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 2pm to 7pm. At weekends, musical parades link the Saint-Nicolas quarter, Place de la République and Place des Jacobins.

Ferris wheel and ice rink on Place des Jacobins

A few minutes' walk away, Place des Jacobins is where the big installations are concentrated. The Ferris wheel dominates the scene and offers a view of Saint-Julien cathedral, while the open-air ice rink returns every winter for the school holidays. These two often stay in place after the market, until early January, which leaves you time if you come between Christmas and New Year.

This is where the walk makes most sense. From the Jacobins, the staircase climbs straight up to the Cité Plantagenêt. In a few steps you go from the hubbub of the market to the silence of the old lanes, lit by the winter projections. A contrast few Christmas markets can offer.

What to bring home from the market

The Sarthe has plenty to fill a basket. Rillettes du Mans, a speciality of slowly confited pork, take pride of place on the food stalls. Loué chicken, a recognised Label Rouge product, finds its way into festive dishes. Add apples from the Maine, local cider and a few artisan sweets to complete the table.

On the sweet side, you find the classics of any Christmas market: hot chocolate, waffles and of course spiced mulled wine. If you want to make it at home, this homemade mulled wine recipe takes about twenty minutes, with cinnamon, orange and a touch of star anise.

Getting there and extending your visit

Place de la République is served by both tram lines (République and Comtes du Maine stops), with a service that runs late into the evening. By car, the Cenovia underground car park, open 24 hours a day, is directly under the square (€1.50 for the first hour during the day, €1 in the evening). From Paris, Le Mans TGV station puts the city under an hour away, and the centre is reached on foot or by tram.

Once there, keep an evening for the illuminated old town: the 692 LED motifs and the garlands dressing the neighbourhoods are worth seeing after dark. And if you are building a regional circuit, the neighbouring markets of Nantes, Tours and Angers are also worth the detour, all reachable by train within the day.