The city supposedly derives its name from an ancient Gallic tribe, Cenomani. It was first mentioned by Ptolemy under the name of Vindinium. St. Julien evangelized it in the 3rd century. From the 6th century, it became the seat of the Counts of Maine. In 1129 Geoffrey of Anjou, Count of Maine and Anjou and founder of the Plantagenet dynasty, married Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England, and their son, the future Henry II was born. It was not until the 13th Century that Le Mans came under the French crown. The English invaded it again during the Hundred Years' War. Royalists and Republicans fought over it during the French Revolution. It was the headquarters of Germany's 7th Army during World War II and was heavily bombed by the Allies in preparation for the invasion of Normandy.

Today, Le Mans is best known for motorsports but there is more to it than the racing events. The picturesque old town lies on a hill and is encircled by the remains of Gallo-Roman walls. They are several hundred metres long, date back to the 3rd - 4th Century, and are said to be the best preserved in Europe. Steps descend to the river Sarthe on the north-western side, and to the main square of the modern town, Place de la République, on the southern side.

The medieval streets of the old town are lined with finely preserved buildings, some displaying Renaissance stonework, others half-timbering, still others - imposing Classical facades. One of the Renaissance houses contains a museum of Queen Berengaria, the wife of Richard the Lionheart and 'the only English queen never to have set foot in the country'.