Laval : city of art and history

Nested in the Vicoin's valley in the heart of the countryside, the Thuboeuf’s Mill and its magnificent guest rooms is the perfect starting point for exploring Laval and its vicinity.

With a soothing and quiet atmosphere and being far from the bustle in large touristic destinations, Laval is a city of art and history. Home of the Douanier Rousseau (father of “naives”), Alfred Jarry (Ubu Roi), Alain Gerbault (aviator, tennis player and solo yachtsman), Robert Tatin (Oceania painter) and Ambroise Paré (French Kings and battlefields surgeon, father of Modern Surgery), Laval will not fail in surprising you by its beauty and its patrimony richness.

Why not starting your journey with a walk on the Mayenne River’s banks? Walk aimlessly without looking at your map and let your inner spirit guide you in this undervalued city which opens up to you.

Cross the old bridge at the foot of the castle with its imposing dungeon and discover the old city with its many houses made of wood. Don’t miss out the Laval market on Saturday morning in the Cathedral area – Trémoille – Saint Tugal, which is an opportunity to enjoy local products and do not hesitate to try out the delicious galette – saucisse (pancake with sausage). Every Saturday many farmers come to sell their farm products such as vegetables, eggs and fowls.

The Laval-Loiron information centre (1 allée du Vieux Saint-Louis - 02.43.49.46.46 office.tourisme@agglo-laval.fr) can provide you with a sound documentation to discover the city but also organises out of the ordinary visits :

• Industrial background to discover 35 local companies
• Exploring visits with comments in different city’s areas to discover features of the local patrimony
• Musts, unusual journeys and thematic visits to cook with a chef, visit the judiciary city, explore sewers, discover the “foirail” (animals market) and why not tasting the “veal head”...
• Artists, painters and sculptors’ studios from Laval unveil their universe
• Free exploring routes, tracking games, thematic visit routes

• The Laval Castle is located on a rock pit dominating the city. Founded in the 11th century it went through multiple successive modifications. Nonetheless it possess something that confers it a unique status in the castle world: the most ancient and well preserved slab structure in France. You can visit the castle with a guide. It is definitely worth it as you gather interesting facts about Laval in past centuries and especially on how dangerous were Bretons and Normands. We can also see a surgery bag that belonged to Ambroise Paré.
• Fortifications are more than 1100 meters long and enclose a 9 ha garden and formerly constituted a 27 towers compound. Nice vestiges are still visible: the Northern and Southern walls (Anne Allègre walk) as well as the Renaise Tower and the Beucheresse Door.
• The Perrine Garden is a botanical garden, a children playground with animals and ponds. You can me all year long to admire the flower diversity composed by gardeners according to seasons and enjoy a family walk. Special mention to the whirligig.
• The Alain Gerbault complex is a museum dedicated to the life of the first solo yachtsman who was born in Laval. Disillusioned with the modern civilisation he decided to leave everything behind in 1923 and embark on his sailing boat the Firecrest. He crossed the Atlantic for the first time while on a world tour. You can visit the museum in following his life steps: first his youth then the First World War and his sea adventures and his port in Polynesia.
• The Naive Art Museum is located in a medieval castle. The Douanier Henri Rousseau who is acknowledged as the “Father of Naives” was born in Laval in 1844. This museum about naive art is one of a kind but unfortunately the Douanier Rousseau is not that represented. He wrote to the Laval city at the end of his life to offer them a painting but the city simply refused... The naive art never fails to surprise and is very hard to interpret. It is not the illustration of a doctrine. Naive artists are fringe people often from a humble background (Séraphine of Senlis of which we can admire several paintings was for instance a housekeeper...Information about this artist are rich and interesting).
• The André Besnier Lactopole is a 5000sqm educational complex showing the evolution of a rural and traditional job which has gradually become a powerful and high-tech industry. It is before all a testimony of how the countryside has changed in less than two centuries. Milk production has shifted from a homemade method to a truly high-tech industry which is nowadays the pride of the French industry. You will guided through for approximately two hours in a world of beauty and light and you will finally understand why France is the country of cheese.
• The Public School Museum is a charming museum which is opened to public since 1991 and which is set on awakening our school memories. It gathers more than 10 000 items (books, pedagogic documents or furniture) that will bring back to life the school from long ago. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions.
• Cruise Boat on the Mayenne : for a simple cruise or a yummy one, off you go! On board of a brand new boat the Vallis Guidonis you can embark on new visits of Laval and its vicinity.
• The “Halte Fluviale” is located in the city centre in the Boston Square 5mn away from the old city. You are welcome to enjoy being surrounded by Nature and have a foretaste of holidays. Hosting complex for walkers, water tourists but also a place for renting licence-free motorboats, canoes, pedal boats, water bikes.
• The Avesnières Basilisk is a roman basilisk, a Marian sanctuary and a pilgrimage destination which has kept a beautiful chevet. There is a gothico-renaissance arrow that was drawn in 1538. In the choir you can see nice capitals a polychromic Christ representation from the 15th century and a miraculous statue from Notre-Dame. You can also find modern stained glass windows from Max Ingrand and at the entrance two huge polychromic wood statues of Saint-Christophe and “Saint Sauveur”.
• Notre Dame of Pritz in spite of its small size played an important part in the region evangelisation thus justifying such a lavishly adorned piece of work. The chapel was built in the 11th century and was the first Laval church. You will have a chance to see a season calendar dating from the 13th century.