Alençon
Situated on the crossroads between the routes from Brittany to Paris and from Belgium to the Loire Valley, Alençon is an ideal stopover point for visitors travelling further afield, yet also offers much worth spending time to visit. Once known as the “Cité des Ducs”, the town boasts a fine old town hall, 15th Century church as well as the Dukes’ Palace dating from the 14th and 15th Centuries.
However, it is most famous for its lace making tradition which gave the name to the “Alençon stitch” and there are two museums dedicated to this important heritage, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle.
Famous too for its links with St Thérèse who was born in the town in 1873, Alençon’s St Leonard district is an attractive architectural mix of newer and older buildings, with their spiral staircases and iron balconies, in the medieval streets. It is accessible by train from Paris Montparnasse and also on the Caen-Tours main line.
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