RNT Paddock · Le Mans track guide
Le Mans spectator guide: where to watch, park, camp and eat
Ten places to watch on our own Le Mans circuit map, from the pit straight down the Mulsanne Straight to Arnage and the Porsche Curves, plus the ACO campsites, parking and ticket rules for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 9-13 June 2027. Checked against the organiser’s own information.
In short
A 13.626 km lap, partly on public roads
- Where: the Circuit des 24 Heures, also called the Circuit de la Sarthe, runs along the southern edge of Le Mans in western France. The organiser is the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO).
- Getting there: from Paris by the A11 motorway. The ACO advises park and ride at the motorway exits, with shuttles to the circuit; full travel details for 2027 follow closer to the race.
- The race: the 95th 24 Hours of Le Mans runs on 9-13 June 2027, round 5 of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The start is on Saturday 12 June at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK, 10:00 US Eastern).
- Time: local time is Central European Time, in summer CEST. All times in this guide are local unless stated.
- Tickets: sold only by the ACO. ACO members can book from 3 November 2026, everyone else from Friday 6 November 2026 at 10:00.
- Not allowed: only service dogs may enter the circuit, and expect bag checks at the gates. The ACO publishes the full list of banned items before the race.
Two circuits, one week in June
The 24 Hours lap borrows a permanent track and closes the public roads
Le Mans has two circuits. The 24 Hours runs on the long Circuit des 24 Heures; the short Bugatti circuit is permanent and shares the pit straight, the Dunlop curve and the final Raccordement with it. After Tertre Rouge the lap leaves the closed circuit and uses public roads that are shut for the race, until it rejoins the circuit at the Porsche Curves.
Circuit des 24 Heures: 13.626 km
The full lap of the 24 Hours, in its current form since 2018 according to the ACO: pit straight, Dunlop, the Forest Esses, Tertre Rouge, the Mulsanne Straight with two chicanes, Mulsanne Corner, Indianapolis, Arnage, the Porsche Curves and the Ford Chicanes.
Bugatti circuit: 4.185 km
The permanent circuit, used for events such as the 24 Heures Motos. On the map it is the orange line; where it overlaps the 24 Hours lap you see orange inside the white.
Le Mans Classic: 1-4 July 2027
The historic festival returns in 2027 for its 25th anniversary, according to its organisers. We add the spectator details here once they are published.
Le Mans circuit map
Le Mans circuit map with ten places to watch
Our own drawing of the Circuit de la Sarthe and the Bugatti circuit, made from OpenStreetMap data. Tap a red number to jump to that spot. Yellow marks grandstands, green the ACO campsites, blue parking.
Where to watch
Ten places to stand, from the pit straight to the Ford Chicanes
The numbers match the map. What we list per spot comes from the ACO; where a detail is from an earlier year, we say which. Grandstands need a grandstand ticket; general admission covers the general enclosure. The ACO publishes the 2027 shuttle routes and big-screen locations closer to the race.
Pit straight: the start, the grid and the grandstands
In 2026 all three classes, Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3, started here, and the ACO calls the pit straight the best place to be for the first laps. The main grandstands line the straight opposite the pits, among them T13 Singher, the drivers’ grandstand.
- 24 Hours
- 2027 timetable for Saturday 12 June: gridwalk 13:35 to 15:00 (separate Paddock Gridwalk ticket), start ceremony 15:00 to 15:45, start at 16:00. Grandstands need booking; T13 has a free platform for wheelchair users, subject to availability.
Dunlop: the bridge, the curve and the chicane
The fast Dunlop Curve, under the famous Dunlop bridge, leads into the Dunlop Chicane, a left-right added in 1987. The ACO describes it as a place with plenty of overtaking and viewpoints on both the inside and the outside of the track.
- 24 Hours
- In 2019 the ACO described the Dunlop footbridge as easy to reach from the main gate. Check the 2027 circuit plan for the grandstands here.
Forest Esses: dips, a crest and no room for error
Fast left and right dips through the trees, with the Chapelle curve on the way in. “Many a race has been cut short here,” the ACO writes. A grandstand named Chapelle appears on the ACO’s grandstand plan.
- 24 Hours
- Grandstand ticket for the Chapelle stand; check the 2027 plan for general admission areas on this section.
Tertre Rouge: the last corner before the public road
The right-hander that opens onto the Mulsanne Straight, so a clean exit decides the next five kilometres. After this corner the lap leaves the closed circuit. The ACO’s grandstand plan lists a Tertre Rouge grandstand.
- 24 Hours
- Since 2025 the Tertre Rouge “Chill Zone”, for more than 10,000 spectators with a big screen and refreshments, is reached through the Tertre Rouge gate and needs no separate ticket. Le Mans’s tram line ends at Antarès, on the north side of this part of the circuit.
Mulsanne Straight: 345 kph on a public road
The Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, “the world’s most famous stretch of road” according to the ACO. Hypercars reach up to 345 kph here, and since 1990 two chicanes, Daytona and Michelin, break up the straight. For the rest of the year it is an ordinary road.
- 24 Hours
- The ACO publishes no spectator area along the straight itself. Two restaurants on the straight are in our list below.
Mulsanne Corner: from top speed to first gear
At the end of the straight the cars brake from top speed to first gear, which the ACO calls some of the most impressive braking of the lap. It is also one of the trickiest braking points: a mistake means going straight on.
- 24 Hours
- General admission includes the Mulsanne and Arnage corners, according to the ACO (2025). The Mulsanne campsite, one of the three ACO campsites with a view of the track, is in this area.
Indianapolis: a fast kink into a banked left
A right-hand kink followed by a left-hand dip on a banked section, approached at close to full speed. The ACO opened a public area here in 1937, and the slower speed through the corner makes it a favourite of photographers.
- 24 Hours
- Part of the general enclosure in earlier years (ACO, 2015 and 2019), with a small grandstand. A spectator car park for Arnage and Indianapolis lies between the two corners.
Arnage: the slowest corner on the lap
“Arnage is the slowest corner on the circuit,” says the ACO, and a good place to watch the drivers work. In 2019 the ACO noted that spectators can get close to the track here, with big screens for the rest of the race.
- 24 Hours
- Included in general admission (ACO, 2025). The Arnage campsite, with a view of the track, is one of the fourteen ACO sites in 2027.
Porsche Curves: the drivers’ favourite
A quick right-left-right where the lap rejoins the closed circuit, called “the drivers’ favourite spot” by the ACO. Good for comparing the lines and braking of the Hypercars and the GT3 cars.
- 24 Hours
- Since 2025 the Karting area, a grass bank for several thousand people with a fan zone, big screen, food and toilets, needs no extra ticket; the nearest gates are Karting, CIK and Maison Blanche. The Maison Blanche grandstands need a separate ticket.
Ford Chicanes: kerbs, then the Raccordement
Two left-right chicanes, added in 1968, before the Raccordement where the lap joins the Bugatti circuit and runs back onto the pit straight. In 2019 the ACO noted that the GT cars ride the kerbs here while the prototypes avoid them.
- 24 Hours
- The T23 Raccordement Motul grandstand has a free wheelchair platform, subject to availability. In 2019 this spot was accessible with a grandstand ticket.
Race week and the grid
At Le Mans the race lasts a week
The ACO’s 2027 programme lists race-week dates from Friday 4 to Sunday 13 June. So far only Saturday’s timetable is published; we add the test day, practice and qualifying times when the ACO confirms them.
Getting there and parking
Le Mans parking: park and ride from the motorway, P3C inside
By car. From Paris take the A11 towards Le Mans. The ACO recommends the park and ride car parks at the motorway exits, with shuttles to the circuit, and advises using Waze on the day; the 2027 routes follow closer to the event.
Paid car parks. Parking tickets are valid only on the days shown on the ticket. On practice days a one-day parking pass is cancelled once you leave the car park. There are no car parks for motorhomes: they go to the campsites.
Visitors with a disability. P3C, inside the circuit, is for cars of disabled visitors only and must be booked in advance per day, with the blue badge uploaded when booking. Electric wheelchairs and assistance dogs are allowed throughout the circuit.
By train and tram. Le Mans has a railway station, and the city’s tram line ends at Antarès, next to the circuit near Tertre Rouge. The ACO publishes public transport details for 2027 before the race.
By air. The Le Mans-Arnage aerodrome, for business aviation, lies right beside the circuit.
Camping
Le Mans 24 camping: fourteen ACO sites, open from 4 June
The ACO campsites for 2027: Arnage, Beauséjour, Clos Fleuri, Épinettes, Hippodrome (35 m² and 20 m²), Houx, Houx Annexe, Houx Annexe Club, Prairie, Prairie Camping-Car, Prairie 20 m², Mulsanne and Nürburgring. Arnage, Beauséjour and Mulsanne look out over the track. They are open from Friday 4 June until midday on Monday 14 June 2027.
What you get. Most pitches are unnumbered plots of 35 square metres for a car with a tent, a campervan or a caravan; Houx and Houx Annexe are numbered. Hippodrome 20 m² and Prairie 20 m² are for tents only, Prairie Camping-Car for motorhomes only and Nürburgring for cars with tents. Every site has toilets and showers. There are no electric hook-ups; small generators are allowed, plugging into the organiser’s power is not.
The rules. Each vehicle needs its own pass, and your gear, vehicle included, must fit on your pitch. Your ticket is scanned at the entrance and swapped for a sticker. One customer can buy up to two camping tickets. Under-16s must stay with a ticket-holding adult on the campsites too.
Booking. Only through the ACO’s official ticket shop. We list no prices until the ACO publishes them for 2027.
Where to eat
Le Mans restaurants on the Mulsanne Straight and in Arnage
A short list of places near the circuit that publish their own information. Opening hours change around race week, so check before you go.
L’Auberge des Hunaudières
On the Hunaudières straight since 1923, decorated with Ray Toombs watercolours, and a place where 24 Hours teams have celebrated their wins, according to the restaurant itself.
aubergedeshunaudieres.comO’24heures
Also on the Hunaudières straight, serving French dishes with oriental specialities, plus halal and vegetarian options.
o24heures.eatbu.comAuberge des Matfeux
A gastronomic restaurant in Arnage, close to the circuit, with creative cooking based on fresh seasonal produce.
aubergedesmatfeux.frLe Mans city centre
For more choice, the city’s tourist office lists restaurants across Le Mans, from the old town to the streets around the station.
lemans-tourisme.comStaying near the circuit
Le Mans hotels: four places to look
- Le Mans: the city north of the circuit, with the railway station and the tram line that ends at Antarès, by the circuit.
- Arnage: the town to the west, by Arnage corner and the Le Mans-Arnage aerodrome.
- Mulsanne: the village to the south that gave its name to the straight and the corner.
- Ruaudin: to the east, along the Mulsanne Straight, where the restaurants on our list are.
The ACO publishes accommodation information on its 24 Hours website, and the Le Mans tourist office lists hotels in and around the city. RNT Paddock will list partner hotels later; we do not recommend any hotel yet.
Tickets
Le Mans 24 tickets: on sale from 6 November, only from the ACO
RNT Paddock is an independent news and editorial service from RNT-Motorsports. We do not organise the 24 Hours of Le Mans or any other event, we are not linked to the organisers or the circuits, and we do not sell event tickets.
Sale dates
ACO members can book from Tuesday 3 November 2026, the general public from Friday 6 November 2026 at 10:00. Up to four Weekend or Full Week tickets per buyer. The ACO warns against buying anywhere else because of counterfeits.
ACO ticket info →Ticket types
Test day, practice days, Weekend and Full Week general admission, Admission + Grandstand packs, the Paddock Gridwalk and VIP packages. The Full Week pass costs €126, or €75 for ACO members. Mobile tickets go into the official LeMans Tickets app; paper tickets can be sent by DHL for a fee.
FIA WEC race page →Children
Admission-only tickets are free for under-16s on race day, with a ticket-holding adult; one adult can bring up to four children. Under-8s sit free on an adult’s lap in the grandstands. Students under 25 get a reduced rate.
Special rates →Test day vs practice vs race
Three ways into race week
24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans: 9-13 June 2027, the 95th edition
The 95th 24 Hours of Le Mans is round 5 of the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship. McLaren and Ford join the Hypercar class in 2027, and Legends of Le Mans, a series for historic prototypes and GT cars, races as a curtain raiser. The full 2027 programme follows on the ACO’s website; we add the times here and on our calendar and results pages.
Planning your weekend
Pick your days, then pack your pass
The dates, the entry list and the results of the 24 Hours are on RNT-Motorsports. Going this year? The RNT Paddock Race Weekend Pass puts your schedule, what is open at this event and the news of your weekend in one place. For the layout and history of the lap, see our Circuit de la Sarthe overview. Heading to the other 24-hour races too? Read our Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring spectator guides.
Information checked on 31 October 2026. Times, parking and camping rules can change per event; always check the organiser’s website.
Where do you watch at Le Mans, Arnage at night or the Porsche Curves, and what should we add to this guide? Tell us via our contact page.