A route through a town steeped in history: Allonnes

La Tour aux Fées / the Gallo-Roman temple, the rainbow bridge, the Tour Etoile, the social housing blocks, the houseboat… are often mentioned when people talk about the town of Allonnes. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg, as the town and its history have so much more to tell, so come and discover more about this former commuter town in the Sarthe.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.12 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 190 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 174 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 269 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 131 ft

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Leclerc in Allonnes.

(S/E) Before setting off, take a moment to admire the Maison de la Raterie, the Exelsior barge, the Rainbow Bridge and the social housing blocks. Continue along Rue de la Raterie. At the roundabout, turn left onto Route des Fondus. At the junction where the gendarmerie is located, carry on straight ahead along Rue du Breil.

Stop at the junction of Rue Claude Chappe and Boulevard Pasteur to see the 1937 wayside cross. As you continue along Boulevard Pasteur towards Rue des Termes, you’ll pass an old main road. Turn right onto Rue des Coquelicots, then left onto Rue Louis Desprès to reach Place du Mail, where the Étoile Tower and Allonnes Town Hall (the former tram station from 1897 to 1944) are located.

(1) During the most recent redevelopment of the Mail, traces of ancient times (a Carolingian artefact, a Roman-era pit and possibly a forum) were also discovered there.

To get to the town centre at Place de la Paix (St Martin’s Church and the shops), walk along Rue Pierre Curie.

(2) In the village centre, don’t forget to stop off at number 51 (the first hairdresser’s) and number 61 (the first optician’s) on Rue Pierre Curie, as well as in front of the ‘Mancelle’ house at 31 Rue Claude Chappe.

Start heading down Rue d’Argenton, then take Ruelle du Vieux-Bourg and Boulevard Pasteur; turn left onto Rue Hélène Boucher, then take Rue St Exupéry, Rue des Tonneliers, Rue Savetier and Rue Auguste Renoir in that order.

(3) You are now in front of the sign for Perrières, the name of this neighbourhood. Walk up Allée Verte to the residential area overlooking it, on the site of the former Château des Perrières. As you pass, don’t forget to take a good look at the field on your left, where a Gallo-Roman temple lies buried. In the distance, you’ll spot a house. This is the Perrières farm. Return to the ‘Perrières’ sign by taking Rue Pablo Picasso.

(3) Continue your walk along Rue des Boisseliers and then Rue des Tisserands, which form a circular route, and cross the Plaine des Sports (Ferme du Marin, then Collège Le Marin / swimming pool) via Rue de la Dentellière.

(4) Take the footbridge over the Route de Spay (CD51) (Château de la Foresterie, known as Château Brûlé, at the end of the private road) and continue along Boulevard d’Anjou towards Collège Kennedy. Walk alongside it, turning right onto the path leading to the water towers. Carry on by turning left onto the other path at the crossroads towards the Tour aux Fées (Gallo-Roman temple).

(5) You are now in front of the Tour aux Fées (Gallo-Roman temple). Leave the Marshain woods via Rue Charles Gounod. Immediately, at the circular section, head towards the CAPRA, formerly known as Foyer le Petit Cloteau. Carry on straight ahead at the first junction, then turn left at the next junction. With a view over the River Sarthe and the Boulevard Nature, head downhill towards the Leisure Centre and the Chaoué mill, following a wall. Make your way to the Chaoué footbridge.

(6) Walk alongside the River Sarthe, turning left to take a short detour to the Raterie lock.

(7) Return to the footbridge via the same route.

(6) Turn right onto Rue du Moulin de Chaoué. At the junction, pass Rue Léo Delibes on your right and continue straight on along Rue Charles Gounod. When you reach the steps leading up to the Chaoué Theatre, go past them and head for No. 10 Rue Charles Gounod.
This used to be Building G (social housing); it is now the Yvon Luby Intercultural Community Centre.

(8) Carry on straight ahead along Rue Georges Bizet as far as the post office, then turn right onto Rue Léo Delibes.

(9) Just before the roundabout on Avenue Charles de Gaulle (formerly Avenue du Maine), turn right onto Rue Claude Debussy; this is the car park for the Stade Claude Voisin. Return to Avenue Charles de Gaulle via Allée André Legendre. Turn right and continue straight on until you reach the Leclerc supermarket, ending up back at the starting car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 148 ft - Leclerc car park in Allonnes
  2. 1 : mi 1.17 - alt. 174 ft - Place du Mail (town hall)
  3. 2 : mi 1.57 - alt. 161 ft - Place de la Paix (church)
  4. 3 : mi 2.36 - alt. 171 ft - Perrières
  5. 4 : mi 3.31 - alt. 180 ft - Plaine des Sports / Château Brûlé
  6. 5 : mi 3.85 - alt. 223 ft - Tour aux Fées
  7. 6 : mi 4.45 - alt. 154 ft - Chaoué footbridge
  8. 7 : mi 4.86 - alt. 141 ft - La Raterie Lock
  9. 8 : mi 5.44 - alt. 187 ft - Yvon Luby Intercultural Community Centre
  10. 9 : mi 5.75 - alt. 164 ft - Claude Voisin Stadium
  11. S/E : mi 6.12 - alt. 148 ft - Leclerc car park in Allonnes

Notes

(S/E) The walk starts and finishes at the Leclerc car park in Allonnes, where you can park if you’re coming by car.
From Le Mans, take bus number 16, which runs from Le Mans railway station to Allonnes.
(6) From the Chaoué footbridge, you can walk along the towpath beside the River Sarthe.
- If you cross the bridge, you’ll be heading towards Le Mans on your left as you change banks.
- If you stay on the same bank, you’ll be heading towards La Gèmerie in Arnage on your right.
(See the walk “A tour of the Gèmerie leisure centre starting from Chaoué” suggested by GANA72 on Visorando)

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
kartavan
kartavan

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This partly urban route offers the chance to discover a little-known city.

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Pauline72
Pauline72

At point (3), a housing estate is currently under construction opposite the greenway / the ‘Les Perrières’ sign.

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Pauline72
Pauline72

As a former resident of Allonnes with a passion for history and a love of walking, I was keen to share my knowledge of the town where I spent my youth.
Indeed, behind the walls of this former commuter town, the town has a rich archaeological past…
In fact, it is a key site for the Gallo-Roman period, home to the Tour-aux-Fée.
For further information, you can also find this walking tour, complete with images (old photographs, maps, etc.), on the GuidiGo app.
Thanks to boussine for their comment.

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boussine
boussine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Thank you for this city route, which has allowed us to discover the architecture of the social housing era as well as the area’s historical past.

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