The Circuit de lar Sarthe is the host of the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, with a total length of 13.626 kilometres (8.467 miles). Opened in 1923 and hosting the race ever since, the circuit is a semi-permanent course, with public roads utilised for the race.
The permanent track within the Circuit de la Sarthe is the shorter Bugatti Circuit, which also hosts the annual MotoGP Grand Prix de France, World Motorcycle Racing’s French motorcycle Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race and held the 1967 Formula One French Grand Prix.
Location & Travel
The Circuit de le Sartheis located about 7km to the south of the town of Le Mans, which is located in the west of France.
Air: The closest international airport can be found at Tours Val de Loire Airport which is approximately an hour from Le Mans and has direct flights to London Stansted, Dublin, Porto and Marrakech.
A little further afield, the larger international airports of Paris (Charles de Gaulle and Orly) have a larger selection of destinations which are approximately 2 and a half hours away by car.
Thinking of flying? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Bus – Lines 3, 7, 12 and 17 all run from Le Mans to within a 15 minute walk of the circuit.
Driving/Parking – Le Mans is easy to access via road, with the ferry ports of Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre and St Malo all lying within 3 hours drive, whilst Calais is a 5 hour drive. Paris is approximately a 2 and a hour half drive away from Le Mans, with other towns and routes including:
- From Paris – 205 km – 2 h 00 (A11)
- From Rouen – 210 km – 2 h 15 (A 28)
- From Nantes – 183 km – 1 h 40 (A11)
- From Rennes – 161 km – 1 h 35 (A81, E50)
- From Caen – 160 km – 2 h (A88, A28)
- From Tours – 102 km – 1 h 30 (A28)
- From Alençon – 53 km – 40 min
- From Bordeaux – 425 km – 4 h 20 (A28, A10)
There are 6 complimentary car parks available at Actisud, M1, Bleu, Fresne, Raineries (free shuttle included) and Héronnière.
Further information is available here.
Train – The Gare du Mans is the major railway station in Le Mans, with TGV services to Lille (2 hours 30 mins), Marseille (4 hours 45 mins), Nantes (1 hour 15 mins), Rennes (1 hours 15 mins), Paris Montparnasse (54 mins), Charles de Gaulle Airport (1 hour 40 mins) and Orly Airport (1 hour 30 mins).
Search & book your tains through the Trainline here.
Tram – The east entrance of the circuit (Garage Vert) is close to the tram stop, with regular trams travelling from Le Mans between 5:30am and 1am.
Tickets
Ticket prices vary considerably for both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and MotoGP depending on which day you attend and which kind of ticket you want – varying from VIP to Grandstand to General Admission.
24 Hours of Le Mans – There are a variety of different ticket packages available for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Grandstand tickets starting at €55. For further information, consult the official website here.
MotoGP – For further information and to purchase tickets, visit the official website here.
Where to Stay in Le Mans
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Le Mans by clicking here.