Alencon: Lace, History and Cycling Routes

Alencon brings together an internationally recognised lace-making craft, sites connected with the Martin family’s history and several cycling routes with published descriptions. When looking for a hotel for your stay, you can first decide whether culture and architectural history or cycling will shape your travel plans. The sights and routes focus on different things, which you can assess by looking at their specific themes and route descriptions.

Lace-making, Martin family sites and architectural history

Point d’Alençon is a rare needle-lace-making technique practised in Alençon, in Normandy in north-western France. In 2010, the craft was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. An understanding of the local tradition therefore includes both the distinctive production technique and its recognition as intangible cultural heritage.

The Basilique Notre-Dame connects two important dates in the lives of Louis and Zélie Martin with a specific place: the couple married there in 1858. On 4 January 1873, their ninth child, the future Sainte Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus, was baptised in the basilica. These events took place at different times and give the basilica a connection to the family’s history that goes beyond a single date.

Another place connected with the family’s history is the Maison de la famille Martin. Its chapel opens onto Louis and Zélie Martin’s marital bedroom. The same room was Thérèse’s birthplace and the place where Zélie Martin died. These different connections can be traced through a single room without conflating the individual events.

The one-hour tour “Les Secrets de la Basilique” focuses on the architecture, stained-glass windows and history of the many chapels in the Basilique Notre-Dame. If you want to include this tour in your plans, check the current dates in advance. The basilica also has an organ with a case dating from the 16th century. It was restored, and its inauguration and blessing took place in September 2016.

The Château des Ducs offers another way to explore architectural history. It was extended in the 14th century, making it one of the largest and most important châteaux in Normandy. The entrance pavilion with its crenellated towers, the residential building and the crowned tower have been preserved. The Halle au Blé, by contrast, stands out for its circular shape: this impressive round building has a majestic glass roof and now hosts temporary exhibitions, events or performances. The programme may vary.

Cycling routes on different scales

For cycling visitors, the routes described differ in length, destinations and types of path. The 450-kilometre Véloscénie connects Paris with Mont-Saint-Michel, with Alençon as an important stage on the route. Check the route details before setting off. The 250-kilometre La Vélobuissonnière® connects Alençon with Saumur in the Val de Loire and runs through natural landscapes along quiet roads and greenways.

The “La petite reine” cycling circuit is on a different scale: it is 130 kilometres long, starts in Alençon and follows small roads and a greenway from the Alpes Mancelles to the Perseigne State Forest. The three routes differ in length, destinations and surface. Check the route conditions before setting off on “La petite reine”. When planning the cycling part of your trip, you can take the length and course of each route into account.

The cultural sites and cycling routes offer two different approaches to a stay: you can explore the lace-making craft, family history and architecture, or consider Alençon as a stage or starting point for one of the described routes. Which approach suits you depends on whether you want to focus more on the city’s historical connections or on the route itself.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Germain-De-La-Coudre, Condeau, Neuville-sur-Touques, Le Theil, Briouze, La Genevraie, Ménil-Hermei, Berjou

For the broader travel overview: Orne.