Extended weekend in Alençon

As you know, in recent months I have been exploring our beautiful Normandy in every direction (and almost every corner). This summer, I also had the opportunity to discover the city of Alençon, also known as the City of Dukes, which I didn’t know at all. This city, crossed by the Sarthe River and with a rich historical past, is also the gateway to Normandy as well as to the Pays de la Loire region. This getaway to the prefecture of the Orne department (I recently told you about my stay in Bagnoles de l’Orne in the same department) was also an opportunity for my favorite photographer and me to set off with our blogger friends Faustine and Mathieu from Parisian Touch, and I must admit that we shared some memorable moments together during this trip, which was rich in emotions!

The city is also very spiritual as it is the birthplace of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, and a sanctuary dedicated to the saint attracts many pilgrims every year. In fact, the weekend we were in Alençon was the Jubilee of the 160th wedding anniversary of the Martin couple, the parents of Saint Thérèse.

Half-timbered house, Rue Saint-Blaise, Alençon, slate roof.

Cobbled alley in Alençon with old houses, a car, and a small tree.

Traditional timber-framed house with slates in Alençon (number 10).

Some Practical Information:

Since there were four of us, we chose to go to Alençon by car, because it’s not actually that far from Paris (about 2.5 hours by car from Paris if you take the highway), and it seemed like the most economical way to get there as well.

Table of Contents

Things to see and do in Alençon

As usual, I’m offering a small selection of ideas for outings, visits, and things to do to discover the city. Obviously, I highly recommend exploring the city on foot (it’s not very big); it’s always the best way to discover it. However, I advise you to watch out for roadworks, as there are many in the city at the moment.

River and old buildings of Alençon with a bridge in the distance.

Visit the city of Alençon with a greeter

This way of discovering the city is a real good deal because it is free (I actually mentioned it in my article about Tours)! Reservations can be made via the Alençon Tourist Office or on the Greeters website (link below).

To discover: take a route through the old town, see the birthplace of Saint Thérèse and the Sanctuary, see the remains of the castle of the Dukes, the Maison d’Ozé (a medieval dwelling built around 1450 by the governor of the city, which today houses the Alençon Tourist Office), the Hôtel de Guise (which now houses the Prefecture), the Notre-Dame Basilica…

Our greeter, Thierry Janvier: This enthusiast shows visitors passing through his city of Alençon for free and as a volunteer. He is a truly fantastic guide who lacks neither humor nor class (I think many Parisian hipsters could envy his impeccable white beard). If you pass through Alençon, you absolutely must take a little tour of the city in his company, and especially don’t hesitate to say hello to him on our behalf. He will also help you discover some hidden gems of the city, like the 1^st floor room of the library (photo below).

Footbridge over the city stream of Alençon with a woman walking.

Tourists observing the river and dense vegetation near a parapet in Alençon.

Cobbled street corner in Alençon with stone houses and passersby.

Alençon Tourist Office and flower garden.

Half-timbered houses and facades of Alençon with "For Sale" signs.

Medieval keep of the city of Alençon, stony exterior with a wall walk.

Keep and ramparts of the Alençon castle seen through an orchard.

Large church organ in Alençon in front of a colorful stained glass window.

Gothic facade and portal of the Alençon cathedral.

Diolez Library in Alençon, interior with carved wooden shelves and central table.

Facade of the Alençon City Hall with flags and passersby.

Architectural facade of the Sainte-Diolez church in Alençon with dome and wooden door.

Belfry and roofs of a historic building in Alençon under a blue sky.

Typical half-timbered house in Alençon with flowered geraniums.

Large flowered planter in a cobbled alley of Alençon, sunlight.

Greeters Alençon
Alençon Tourist Office
Maison Ozé
Place de la Magdeleine 61000 Alençon
Duration of visits: between 1h30 and 2h

Visit the Museum of Fine Arts and Lace of Alençon

The city of Alençon is the cradle of the Point d’Alençon lace craft, which has made the city world-famous. This unique skill (registered as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO) has been passed down orally and through gestures over the centuries, and there is also a conservatory workshop for this technique in the city linked to the Mobilier National. This museum, housed since 1857 in the former Jesuit college, is therefore the ideal place to discover this craft through the museum’s beautiful collection, which spans from the 15th to the 20th century.

White Alençon lace on a bright red background, close-up.

Fine and intricate Alençon lace, exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts and Lace.

Alençon lace on a black mannequin, exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts.

White Alençon lace displayed at the museum of fine arts and lace.

Museum of Fine Arts and Lace
Cour carrée de la Dentelle 61000 Alençon
Rates: €4.10 adult / €3.05 reduced / free for under 26s and for everyone on the 1st
Sunday of the month
guided tour €6.60 adult / €5.60 reduced
Open Tuesday to Sunday from September to June and every day in July and August from
10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm
link to the museum’s website

My favorite addresses in Alençon

As usual, I suggest a great guest house where you can stay around Alençon, an address we tested during our stay, as well as a few gourmet addresses, restaurants in Alençon, and a cider farm located in the surroundings.

Stone street facades in Alençon with a red "Bar à Papa" storefront and blue door.

Where to stay near Alençon? La Garenne Gîte/Guest house

This beautiful gîte in the heart of the Normandy-Maine Regional Natural Park is a lodging of character that can accommodate up to 10 people. We, the four of us, were staying on the upper floor of the gîte, which was somehow reserved for us, and we shared the same bathroom (so it’s perfect for two couples of friends, for example).

The place is really soothing and the country setting is so relaxing, because the house is truly in the heart of the fields. However, of course, it is better to have a car to get there. The owners have two horses if you want to do some equine therapy (psychic care based on the presence of a horse) by paying them a little visit in the enclosure at the back of the site. Breakfast can be taken on one of the site’s two terraces (one in front of the building and the other at the back) when the weather is nice, which I highly recommend if you visit the gite during the summer season.

La Garenne guest house in Alençon, exterior with guests.

Pink spike flowers of a garden rose bush in Alençon.

Close-up of a pink Mallow flower, Alençon context.

Pretty bucolic guest house in Alençon with a green garden.

Exterior of a guest house in Alençon: terrace with wrought iron furniture and a dog.

Old wooden door with a chain on an outbuilding near Alençon.

Old chair overgrown with moss in a garden near Alençon.

Guest house Alençon: woman sitting on a bed looking out the open window.

Living room of La Garenne guest house Alençon, under the eaves.

Digital piano and woman getting ready in a guest house in Alençon.

Two brown and black horses looking over a wooden fence near Alençon.

Guest house in Alençon with double bed and lace decoration.

Breakfast outdoors at a table with rattan chairs near a stone house.

Rustic interior with man at the dining table in Alençon.

Rural path towards a house near Alençon with fence and fields.

Wooden fence and gate near a field under the trees in Alençon.

Family breakfast on a wooden terrace, La Garenne gîte Alençon.

Breakfast at a guest house in Alençon: orange juice, coffee, croissants.

Colorful lounge chairs on a lawn with a view of Alençon.

Flowered stone well with a metal cover in a garden near Alençon.

Two women relaxing at a garden table in front of a stone house in Alençon.

Stone house facade with white shutters and garden, gîte near Alençon.

La Garenne Gîte/Guest house
La Garenne, 72610 Arçonnay
Rates: from €65 to €75 per night in a guest room / from €450 per week in a gîte

L’Epicure Restaurant in Alençon

This traditional and local restaurant, where the young chef Pauline Thomas works, offers a nice little interior terrace for the summer and quite simple and hearty dishes.

Restaurant appetizer in Alençon: fish tartare and avocado cream.

Caprese salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and pesto on a black plate, Alençon restaurant dish.

Gourmet avocado tuna salad, hot goat cheese, raw ham and melon in Alençon.

Assortment of cheeses served with salad and creamy sauce in Alençon.

Slate with the menu of dishes at the Alençon restaurant: Starters, Main Courses, Desserts.

Alençon dessert: mango sorbet, exotic fruits, whipped cream and slivered almonds.

Table set number 23, Alençon restaurant interior, napkins and glasses.

Epicure Restaurant
10 place à l’Avoine 61000 Alençon
Open Tuesday to Friday from 12pm to 2pm and from 7pm to 10pm as well as Saturday evening
Reservation recommended
Price: starter + main course or main course + dessert package at €14.90 at lunch and €19.90 in the evening / starter + main course + dessert package at €19.90 at lunch and €24.90 in the evening
link to the restaurant’s Facebook page

Le Rive Droite Restaurant in Alençon

This gourmet restaurant, run by chef Christophe Renou, is one of the most sought-after addresses in the city, especially for its terrace, ideally set on the water’s edge. On the plates, we find fresh, seasonal cuisine prepared with good products.

Three friends having lunch on a terrace in Alençon.

Restaurant terrace in Alençon with guests seated under a pergola.

Restaurant terrace in Alençon with Moët & Chandon umbrellas and greenery.

Three refreshing cocktails, including a purple Schweppes in close-up.

To taste:

Sea bass tartare and passion fruit, chive cream
Beef carpaccio, pink radishes and hazelnuts
Duo of fish bouillabaisse style
Market fish, vegetable tian and hollandaise sauce
Beef fillet, Salardaise potatoes and béarnaise sauce
Apple baba
Strawberry shortbread, diplomate cream

Dioliez fish tartare with cream and parsley on a white plate.

Beef carpaccio garnished with radishes, cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley.

Grilled fish fillet on vegetables and orange sauce Alençon.

Slices of rare beef with sauce, with sautéed potatoes and bacon.

Two-diolez type dessert, cream and tuile on a black plate, Alençon.

Gourmet strawberry tartlet, cream, pistachios and biscuit on a white plate.

Restaurant le Rive Droite
31, rue du Pont Neuf 61000 Alençon
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm to 2pm and from 7pm to 10pm
Price: gourmet menu with starter + main course or main course + dessert at €29.50 and starter + main course +
dessert at €34.50
Edit 07/02/2023: the restaurant is permanently closed

La Ferme Desfrièches

This cider estate is located in a beautiful farm surrounded by 10 hectares of apple trees (managed in organic farming) and 1 hectare of pear trees (with ancient varieties). During the visit, you can discover the orchards, the press, the cuverie, and the aging cellars for pommeau and calvados. It will end with a tasting of the farm’s products and why not some shopping to bring back local products.

Six Diolez Cider House in Alençon, stone buildings under a blue sky.

Bottle of Calvados from the Cinq Diolez Cider House near Alençon.

Bottles of Cider Brandy and Calvados Hugues Desfrièches for tasting.

Bottom of a 2017 Calvados barrel with cooperage tools, Alençon.

Bottle and glass of Hugues Desfrièches Pear cider near Alençon.

Calvados barrels stacked in a cellar, including one marked "Calvados Pays d'Auge".

2015 Pommeau cider barrel with artisanal markings in a cider house near Alençon.

Farm products: pear and apple juice, cider, poiré (pear cider), Normandy pommeau, white brandy, Calvados.

Ferme Desfrièches
Lieu dit l’Aunay
61320 Sainte Marguerite de Carrouges
Open all year round (closed for 1 week in February), every day from 10am to
12:30pm and from 2pm to 7pm
link to the farm’s website

Thanks to the Alençon Tourist Office for this welcome and to Sébastien for the organization.

Tourist in front of the Alençon Tourist Office reading information.

I hope that with all this, I will have made you want to discover Alençon and its surroundings, and if you also have your own favorite addresses and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!

White bearded goat looking at the camera in a green field, near the Moulin d'Andé.

Find all my articles about the Normandy region below:
⇒ All my articles on Normandy

MY ARTICLES ON NORMANDY DEPARTMENTS
⇒ The Orne
⇒ The Seine Maritime
⇒ The Eure
⇒ The Calvados
⇒ The Manche

Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez
Photos are not royalty-free, authorization from the photographer is mandatory before any use