The Musée des 24 Heures du Mans is situated at the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans. The location makes the Le Mans Museum a must on the itinerary of anyone travelling for the race – especially if you’ve never been before!
Dating back to 1961, this pilgrimage site of motoring heritage houses legends of the Circuit de la Sarthe from across the whole century. More than 100 historic cars feature in the museum’s collection, which has a footprint of around 5km2.
The Le Mans 24h race week may see the longest queues to visit the Museum at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but it is the perfect moment to appreciate the history and build excitement ahead of such a seismic sporting event.
And with a bit of planning, you can still avoid the worst of the crowds.
Plan your visit to the Le Mans Museum
This 24h of Le Mans is held from Saturday to Sunday which falls on the 15 and 16 June in 2024. Many fans arrive on the Wednesday or even Tuesday before the race, allowing time to pitch camp, check in and explore Le Mans. Another advantage of doing so – apart from avoiding the worst of the traffic – is ticking the museum off your list before the horde of almost 300,000 people descend on the town.
There is no busier time of year to visit the Musée des 24 Heures du Mans than the 24h race week. However, you can book tickets in advance. These tickets are valid for a year after purchase, which gives you freedom to attend the museum at any point through the Le Mans race week.
Opening times for the Le Mans Museum are 10am to 7pm everyday and last entries at 6pm.
Entry prices for the Le Mans Museum are €12 for adults, €9 for students, disabled people and job seekers, €7 for children between 10-17 and free for children under 10. There is also a family group discount.
Book your tickets to the Le Mans Museum here.
What cars are in the Le Mans Museum?
There are few places in the world where you will find a more impressive collection of classic race cars. From the 1878 La Mancelle to the more contemporary 2015 Nissan GT-R LM Nismo, the collection maps the staggering progress in machines that have graced the tarmac at Le Mans at an ever quicker pace.
You can see the full list of cars on display on the museum’s website.
There is also a model room where small replicas of the cars that have competed at Le Mans over the years are placed in order. Visitors can track the history of the 24h of Le Mans right back to its maiden edition in 1923.
Guided tours of the museum are also available if you want to really get the most out of the experience. They’ll be sure to point out things you may miss, such as iconic race winners and information you won’t find anywhere else. English language tours are available.
A well-stocked gift shop means that you won’t leave Le Mans without some essential souvenirs to take home.
Still not got your tickets to the Le Mans 24h race? It’s not too late – book now!