The Gare de Chartres railway station offers frequent services to Paris, and connections to Le Mans, Nogent-le-Rotrou and Courtalain. The A11 motorway connects Chartres with Paris and Le Mans.
Nogent-le-Rotrou is a commune part of the Eure-et-Loir department and is considered as a ‘recommended detour’ according to the town’s official classification. It is shaped by an imposing chateau, the so called ‘Chateau Saint-Jean’, a former fort built in the 10th century. Converted as a museum in 1959, you can not only discover the social and economic life of the region. But you can also dive into the architecture and the artistic history of the 9th century with paintings by Louis Moullin, Clara Filleul or sculptures by Camille Gaté.
You will be enchanted by the properties for sale in this area. They are characterised by a ‘Perche style’ which is synonym to exposed beams and stones, the utilisation of traditional terracotta tiles, lime-rendered walls, hessian and flax. Everything is presented in a ‘countryside chic’ spirit.
Access
Nogent-le-Rotrou is part of the Eure-et-Loir department, in northern France. It is the capital of the beautiful Regional National Park of Perche, created in 1998 and spread over two departments: Orne and Eure-et-Loire. Nogent-le-Rotrou is also strategically located between south-west of Paris (155km), capital of France, and north-east of Le Mans (65km), worldwide known for its 500 race (24h du Mans).
History
Nogent-le-Rotrou was formerly called ‘Nogionum’ (‘land recently cleared’), following by ‘Novigentum’ and ‘Nogentum’ (‘new people’, ‘new town’) during the Gallo-Roman times. In the 11th century, the city changed its name for ‘Castrum Nogenti’ (‘Nogent’s chateau’) with the construction of the chateau Saint Jean. And it is since the 12th century that the city wears its actual name ‘Nogent-le-Rotrou’.
The first human habitation can be traced to the Gallo-Roman times. Roman ovens have been discovered in the city, as well as foundation remains at the base of the retaining walls. Until the 16th century, a vast forest covered a large part of the region, nowadays called ‘Regional National Park of Perche’. Not only this forest was been used as a refugee for armies during the High Middle Ages, but was also a country which lasted for nine centuries, before being removed during the French Revolution. The territorial identity subsisted until the modern era. The creation of the Regional National Park of Perche in 1998 permitted to affirm this identity again. Today, the development of the green tourism allowed the Perche to gain notoriety, with the Percheron horse as one of the most known emblem of the region.
Activities
The chateau Saint-Jean is raised on a plateau offering a 360-degree view across the valleys of the Perche. Inside the Chateau at Nogent-le-Rotrou you can visit the museum dedicated to the history of the town and the Perche region. In addition to this impressive chateau, you will find, between the chateau and the old town, the ‘Saint Jean Marches’ which are steps that have been added in the 16th century. Walking through them, you can pass the Rue du Paty and discover the most impressive historical buildings from the Renaissance. The tourist office of Nogent-le-Rotrou proposes touristic visits of the town but also discovery trails that can be done by a horse-drawn carriage. During this expedition, you can follow the route of sites and abbeys. The cities of Belleme and Mortagne-au-Perche are also destinations that you can explore when you are visiting the region of the Perche.
Every Saturdays morning, Nogent-le-Rotrou hosts a market in the city centre where you can find both fresh food and manufactured products. Punctually, there are also festivals like the free music ‘Festival du Thé Vert’ (the ‘Green Tea festival’) which takes place on the first weekend of July, but also ‘La Fête du jeu’ (the ‘festival of the game’). Finally, in May you can go to the Festival of Percheron Horse, where you can take part of spectacles and animations having the themes ‘Middle Ages and Renaissance’. You will also discover the production of the local artisans.
As local activities, the city offers a Municipal Music School, a cinema, 3 performances halls with one dedicated to contemporary music (the ‘Arsenal’), a theatre managed by the theatre group ‘La Baraque du Theatre Buisonnier’. An arts gallery the ‘Label Friche’ can also be found, it offers many expositions, but also a Municipal library. Concerning the sportive equipment, Nogent-le-Rotrou offers 6 sports halls, 2 football stadiums, and a canoe kayak club. A covered swimming pool called ‘Aquaval’ is open until 8pm during the week, but is also offering a well-being area with a hammam, a sauna, a Jacuzzi and a solarium, and a bowling. A free lake is also dedicated to pedal boat and fishing.
Drink and food
The region of the Perch is known for its artisanal cideries. You can visit the cidery of ‘l’Hermitière’ in the city of Le Theil: www.cidrerie-traditionnelle-du-perche.fr, which is open until 7pm during the week days.
Furthermore, the region of le Perche is a breeding land. The region developed the traditional and local agribusiness such as the culture of nails, one of the traditional meals in France! You can try in at the restaurant: www.escargots-du-perche.com
Restaurants
- Le Brocéliande, 28 Rue de Sully, 28400 Nogent-le-Rotrou, no +33237818376, excellent French crêperie
- Domaine de Villeray, 61110 Condeau, no +33233733022, renown for the Percheron gastronomy : www.domainedevilleray.com/en
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property for sale in Nogent-le-Rotrou. We have a large network of estate agents near Nogent-le-Rotrou. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Nogent-le-Rotrou matching your requirements.
Travel from the UK
Road access:
- from Paris: highway A11 linking Paris – Le Mans, highway exit number 4 (Nogent-le-Rotrou)
- from Chartres (58km): departmental road D923
- from Le Mans (65km): departmental road D323
- from Alençon: departmental roads D311 and D955
Train access:
A train line links Paris Montparnasse to Le Mans and stops at Paris Montparnasse, Versailles, Rambouillet, Chartres, La Loupe, Nogent-le-Rotrou (in 1h30mn), La Ferté Bernard and Le Mans.
Air transport:
- Paris-Orly airport : 1h30 minutes
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport : 2h10 minutes
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Nogent-le-Rotrou . We have a large network of partners in Centre. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Nogent-le-Rotrou matching your requirements.