Start with Hôtel de ville d'Alençon: the sights of Alençon
Alençon and its surroundings hold 6 châteaux, 4 attractions and 2 museums. Mapped in Alençon are 10 places to visit, and within 5 km of its centre another 8. The town’s list includes 3 listed historic monuments. Within 1 km of the middle there are 6 of the places on the list. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Sées lies 20 km out, the pick for a day trip.
Where to start in Alençon
The rest of the best known are 2 gardens, a museum and an attraction.
AttractionHôtel de ville d'Alençonin town
MuseumMusée des beaux-arts et de la dentellein townAttractionAttractionChâteau des ducs d'Alençonin townFortFortRemparts d'Alençonin townGardenGardenArboretum Koutialain townGardenGardenParc des Promenadesin townBest known first: by how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each place (Wikidata’s count). It isn’t a ranking of how good they are.
Where to go
The farthest of them, Château de Lonrai, is 5 km out.
The first 20 on the list, numbered as below. The shape is the commune of Alençon; the orange dot is its centre. © OpenStreetMap contributors · commune boundary: IGN
Kinds of place
Count 7 châteaux or heritage sites and 4 other sights.
Dark: in Alençon. Light: in the communes within 5 km of its centre.
Every entry
The town has 10; within 5 km of its centre, the list finds 8 more.
The 10 places in Alençon first, then those within 5 km of its centre.
Beyond the town
Most famous of the 7 is Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Sées, 20 km from the centre.
AttractionCathédrale Notre-Dame de Sées20 km north, in SéesChâteauChâteauHaras national du Pin35 km north, in Le Pin-au-HarasChâteauChâteauChâteau de Ballon30 km south, in Ballon-Saint MarsAttractionAttractionAbbaye Notre-Dame d'Argentan36 km north, in ArgentanChâteauChâteauChâteau de Bonnétable37 km southeast, in BonnétableAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye d'Almenêches30 km north, in AlmenêchesChâteauChâteauChâteau de la Motte33 km northwest, in Joué-du-PlainPlaces within 40 km of Alençon with an article in both French and English Wikipedia, nearest first.
Common questions about Alençon
What is there to see in Alençon?
The first on our list in Alençon are Hôtel de ville d'Alençon, Musée des beaux-arts et de la dentelle, Château des ducs d'Alençon and Remparts d'Alençon. We list 10 places in town. Another 8 are within 5 km of the centre.
Are there museums in or near Alençon?
3 museums and galleries in town or within 5 km, including Musée des beaux-arts et de la dentelle, Les Bains Douches and Maison de la famille Martin.
Which places in Alençon are listed historic monuments?
3 places on this page in Alençon are listed or registered historic monuments (Mérimée), including Hôtel de ville d'Alençon, Château des ducs d'Alençon and Remparts d'Alençon.
What well-known places are within a day out of Alençon?
The nearest with articles in both French and English Wikipedia: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Sées (20 km), Haras national du Pin (35 km), Château de Ballon (30 km), Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Argentan (36 km).
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap and Wikidata: named museums, galleries, châteaux, abbeys, gardens, zoos, theme parks and other visitor attractions whose mapped point lies inside the commune of Alençon, then those in the communes within 5 km of its centre, and well-known places within 40 km. Houses, ruins and gardens need a sign they’re open to visitors; places marked private, closed or disused are left out. The historic-monument link is the Culture ministry’s Mérimée record. A place that isn’t mapped isn’t listed, so this isn’t everything there is to see.
Sources: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0: descriptions, websites, Wikipedia articles), the Culture ministry’s Mérimée database (Licence Ouverte 2.0), IGN commune boundaries. Distances are from the commune’s centre point.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Hôtel de ville d'Alençon: Paolo Carnassale, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée des beaux-arts et de la dentelle: This illustration was made by Peter Potrowl ., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Sées: Viault, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.