Tuffé

Tuffé offers several distinct ways to explore its heritage: visits to the abbey, a trail, and exhibitions at the former railway station. Decide whether you would like to visit the abbey buildings and gardens, explore the heritage trail, or learn more about the railway and the landscape. Each offering has its own focus, making them easy to distinguish by their content.

Visits and events at the abbey

The Abbaye de Tuffé offers self-guided and guided visits of the abbey buildings and gardens. This lets you choose the type of visit that best suits your interests. The opening season is relevant, so check when visits are available before you travel. Visits to the buildings and gardens should be distinguished from the events programme: they offer access to the abbey buildings and gardens, while events and workshops focus on the heritage of the Perche Sarthois.

Events and workshops relating to the heritage of the Perche Sarthois are also held at the abbey. The programme may change from season to season. If you would like to plan your visit around a workshop or event, check the current dates in advance. This makes it easy to include this seasonally changing offering in your travel plans without confusing it with visits to the abbey buildings and gardens.

Trail and extension

The Parcours-découverte de Tuffé-Val-de-la-Chéronne is a circular trail about 2.4 km long. It introduces key elements of Tuffé’s heritage, spanning the period from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The route therefore combines a specific distance with a broad historical scope. If you are interested in how the area developed over several centuries, the trail offers a distinct way to explore this.

An extension to the trail is described as a 3.7 km route that goes around the lake and as far as the private Château de Chéronne. If sections cross private land, check access before your visit. The distances refer to different routes: about 2.4 km for the circular trail and 3.7 km for the extension. This helps distinguish the two descriptions when planning. The extension focuses on the lake and the private château as its endpoint.

Railway and landscape at the former station

Two permanent exhibitions at the former Tuffé railway station are free to visit. As access arrangements may change, check the current options before your visit. The exhibition “Tuffé, une minute d’arrêt” explores the railway, particularly the history of the Mamers–Saint-Calais line, on which Tuffé station was located. This directly connects the history of the railway with the site of the former station.

By contrast, the exhibition “Paysage en R’évolution” focuses on the landscapes of the Perche Sarthois. Richly illustrated panels, digital information stations, and a number of objects present their diversity and how they have changed over time and as a result of human intervention. The two exhibitions therefore have different emphases: one focuses on the railway and a specific line, while the other explores landscapes and how they have changed. You can choose your visit based on which of these topics you would like to explore further.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Villaines-sous-Malicorne, La Bruere Sur Loir, La Ferté-Bernard, Maigné, Solesmes, Flée, Saint-Pavace, La Fontaine-Saint-Martin.

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