There are many villages worth exploring in Normandy, and if you’re looking to deviate from the touristic path, this 1-day itinerary to Alençon is the perfect choice!
Keep reading on to learn how to spend a day discovering one of Normandy’s best-kept secrets…
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Alençon 1-Day Itinerary
Alençon is classified as a Remarkable Heritage Site, and rightly so. The town dates back to the 9th century, and it was one of Normandy’s most important fortified towns in Normandy during the Middle Ages.
Having survived numerous battles and wars over the centuries (including WWII), the historic richness you’ll find in Alençon is unique.
Not too far from the Alençon town centre, you’ll also find a secret fairytale village that I’ve included in this itinerary…
How to get there
Alençon is located in the south of the Normandy region, and can be easily accessed by multiple transport options:
Train
The city is easy to reach by train from Paris Montparnasse or Saint-Lazare stations in as little as 2 hours, depending on train times. Usually, one change is required at either Le Mans, Caen, or Argentan.
Alençon is also easily accessible by train with one or fewer changes from other cities in Normandy like Cherbourg, Caen, and Rouen.
The Alençon train station is located on the edge of town, only a 15-minute walk from the Basilica. Book your train tickets easily with Omio.
Car
As a small historical town, parking in the centre of Alençon is limited and rarely free. The best chances for free parking in the city centre or within walking distance are here, here, here, and here.
Bike
If you’re cycling through Normandy, it’s very easy to add Alençon to your itinerary. The city is part of three cycling routes: La Véloscénie, La Vélobuissonnière, and La Sarthe à vélo.
Map: Alençon walking itinerary
You can find a map below with a suggested walking route for exploring Alençon’s streets and sights. This route takes around 2-3 hours, including the visit to the Fine Arts and Lace Museum.
The map features restaurants, cafes, free parking spots, additional points of interest outside the walking route, and descriptions in each point that you can read on the go.
Coffee and Breakfast
If you need to start the day with a coffee, I recommend paying a visit to L’Atelier du Biscuit.
It’s a small but quaint tea room just around the corner from the Basilica, with indoor seating. They serve homemade cakes, pastries, and biscuits (that you can also buy from their shop).
Wander through the Saint-Léonard District
The Saint Leonard District is the main historical area of Alençon.
Because Alençon was never attacked during WWII (rather, it was occupied by the Germans), the town largely escaped war destruction and therefore many buildings remain remarkably preserved.
This picturesque neighbourhood was founded in the 4th century and boasts an ensemble of coexisting architecture from various time periods and styles.
Make sure not to miss Maison à l’Étal at No. 10 Rue de la Porte de la Barre, which is considered to be Alençon’s oldest house, dating back to the 15th century. It’s suspected that it was originally a bakery, due to the unique stone slab under the windows on the ground floor.
Also, don’t forget to look up and pay attention to street and wall corners. Often, you’ll find carvings and sculptures in buildings scattered all over town, dating back from Medieval times.
Through your walk, you’ll find several hidden corners and charming medieval courtyards, such as Cour Jacques René Hébert and Cour Cochon de Vaubougon.
Be adventurous and wander through the narrow streets – you’ll be amazed at how many curious details you’ll notice.
Château des Ducs d’Alençon
Nowadays, all that remains of the fortified castle is the entrance wing and its three imposing towers, which give us an idea of how it looked during the time of the Dukes of Alençon.
The first castle of Alençon was built in timber but, by the 14th century, its structure had been enlarged and strengthened making it one of the largest and most important castles of Normandy.
Unfortunately, it was partially demolished in the 16th century by Henry IV, leaving only the three towers we can observe today.
In 1804, the castle was used as a prison – and it remained so until very recently! The last prisoner was released in 2010 when the prison was closed. Unfortunately, the castle is not open to the public, as it is currently undergoing renovations by the municipality.
If you walk inside the courtyard to the left of the castle’s entrance wing, you can visit Simone Veil Park, which was created in 2019 in what had been the prison yards.
The Former Jesuit Collegiate Church
On your way from the Castle towards the Fine Arts and Lace Museum, you’ll pass by a few interesting buildings. For example, on Place Foch, you can spot the Judicial Court and the Town Hall sitting side by side in very contrasting architectural styles.
Walking further along Rue du Collège, you’ll find the former Jesuit Collegiate Church, which houses Alençon’s Municipal Library.
The building dates back to the 17th century and features a distinctive imperial roof crowned by a small bell tower and a weathercock.
If you can visit during opening hours, it’s well-worth taking a peak inside at the reading room’s intricate oak woodwork. The library stores an impressive heritage of written works, including over 130 medieval manuscripts.
Visit the Fine Arts and Lace Museum
One of Alençon’s most important highlights is the Fine Arts and Lace Museum.
The Alençon lace has been part of the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, and you can learn about its techniques and history during a visit to the museum.
The museum also includes a Fine Arts’ and a Cambodian section. Most people visit the museum in about one hour – just beware of opening times, as it closes on Mondays and during lunchtime on all other days.
Often called the “Queen of lace and the lace of queens“, Alençon’s rare needle lace-making technique was exceptionally expensive and a favourite of monarchs such as Marie Antoinette.
Notably an effort- and time-intensive technique, the point d’Alençon requires about 7 hours of work to complete one square centimetre of lace! What’s more, it can only be made by hand, because no machine is capable of imitating it.
Nowadays, the lace-making skill is preserved by a publicly-funded workshop that employs 9 lace-makers. It takes around 5-8 years for a lacemaker to become fully-trained in the craft.
Basilica Notre-Dame d’Alençon
On your way towards the Notre-Dame Basilica, you’ll pass by a couple interesting buildings. For example, the Halle au Blé is a circular monument topped with a majestic glass dome from the 19th century, unique in France and now a venue for temporary exhibitions and live shows.
Closer to the Basilica, the Maison D’Ozé is a 15th-century historic building named after its former owner, François d’Ozé. In 1903, the building was saved from demolition and listed as a protected historical monument. Today, it houses the Tourist Office and overlooks a picturesque garden.
Alençon’s Notre-Dame Basilica has been a landmark in the town’s centre for over 600 years, as its construction in Gothic style began during the Hundred Years’ War.
From the outside, you can admire its beautiful stone lace, and inside, you can experience the coloured light seeping through the stained-glass windows and listening to the recently-restored organ.
Listen closely for the ring of the bells from the clock tower, which happens every 15 minutes.
Lunch
By now, you might have already forgotten about those delicious pastries you had for breakfast!
I recommend stopping for a casual lunch at Le Petit Normand on your way out of town. They serve local dishes at affordable set menu prices.
Alternatively, if you prefer a more refined lunch in the town centre with good set menu prices, book a table at GÁLLOS Expérience.
Their menu features predominantly seasonal local ingredients, and you can also try Normandy’s pear cider “Poiré” or the regional aperitif “Pommeau“.
Afternoon Trip to Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei
No Alençon itinerary is complete without visiting the nearby fairytale village of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei. It takes a while to learn how to pronounce its longwinded name, but you’ll feel very rewarded once you get it!
To get there, the only options are driving or cycling. Unfortunately, there are no public transport links, but it is only an 18-minute drive or a 45-minute bike ride away from Alençon.
Normandy is a great cycling destination for warm and sunny days, so if that’s on your bucket list, this is the perfect opportunity!
Considered one of France’s most beautiful villages, Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei has been a source of inspiration for artists and painters since the 19th century.
The 14th-century chapel of petit Saint-Céneri, in particular, has been featured in many landscape paintings.
You can enter the chapel – and legend has it that if young women successfully place a needle at the base of the statue of Saint-Céneri, they will find a soul mate within a year!
Another curious evidence of artists’ love for Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei lies hidden inside the Moisy sister’s inn. During the 19th century, the inn was a favourite gathering place for artists and villagers in the company of the sisters Léonie and Adelaïde.
On the upper floor dining room, now known as ‘the room of the beheaded‘, painters used to draw the customers’ side profiles lit by candlelight and using charcoal (much like Chinese shadow play).
Another place to visit in Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei is the 11th-century Roman church, which stands proudly over the village and overlooking the Sarthe river.
Inside, you can see the frescoes and wall paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries. These had been plastered over in the 17th century, which helped preserve them for about 200 years.
When they were uncovered, a local artist from Alençon “restored” them by re-painting, and at some points, making up his own interpretations of the original images.
Evening Drinks
Returning to Alençon, it’s time to wind down the itinerary with a good drink and laid-back vibes.
For beer-lovers, I recommend heading to Le Bercail on Rue du Bercail for a varied choice of craft beers from their in-house brewery, wines, and charcuterie boards.
Alternatively, if your timing is right and you’re in the mood for something a bit more funky, Alençon’s contemporary music venue La Luciole organises monthly After Work events with bar service and concerts from up-and-coming bands of various genres.
The events are free and don’t require booking – check out their program here for their events marked as After Work.
Dinner
If you choose to stay around Le Bercail for dinner, I recommend their delicious homemade pizzas with special pizza-of-the-month topping choices!
If you’d rather go for a more refined French meal, everyone’s favourite dining spot in Alençon seems to be Restaurant La Suite.
This restaurant, run by two brothers, earned its spot on the Michelin guide shortly after opening, and offers an incredible price-to-quality ratio on their set menus.
Where to stay in Alençon
I stayed in Alençon for three nights at the quaint Les Deux Marguerite, a small boutique hotel right in the centre of town. The owners are genuinely lovely and helpful, speak good English, and the hotel itself is quiet, well-kept, and very tastefully decorated.
The main highlight of my room was the view from the bathroom over to the third remaining tower of the Château des Ducs. Wow!
I was lucky to get a double view, as I could also see the tower from the balcony facing the river on the opposite end of the room.
The rose gardens in full bloom at the time of my visit in June just made the scenery look even more magical.
Other accommodation in Alençon:
Staying longer? More things to do in Alençon:
Immerse yourself in Parc RustiK’s medieval kingdom
If you’re travelling to Alençon with a group of friends or as a family, I highly recommend adding a day at Parc RustiK to your itinerary. This is Europe’s first-ever fully-immersive medieval fantasy park, in a 40-hectare forest space designed to look and function as a medieval kingdom!
Your group will dress up, train on how to fight with a sword, and receive a quest that you must complete by exploring the kingdom and interacting with real-life characters (you may even have to negotiate or fight them!).
This is a very popular attraction and it’s imperative to book ahead of time. They also do night quests and you can even sleep at their onsite accommodation!
Visit the birth place of Saint Theresa
Alençon is also a popular destination for being the birthplace of Saint Theresa, one of the world’s best-known saints.
If you’re interested in spiritual and religious experiences, you can visit the bridge where Saint Theresa’s parents met, the house where she was born, and the Notre-Dame Basilica, where she was baptised.
Last thoughts
In my opinion, Alençon is a hidden gem in Normandy and well-worth the visit. I hope my itinerary helps you make the most out of your day in Alençon!
Feel free to write any questions you may have in the comments – I’ll do my best to help!
*This review was possible as part of a press trip with Normandy Tourism and Alençon Tourisme. However, I was not requested or obliged to write this guide. As always, all opinions are entirely my own and without bias.
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