Best known for the 24-Hours of Le Mans, Sarthe mixes motorsport buzz with riverside calm and forested countryside. Le Mans boasts a gorgeous walled old town (perfect film-set medieval streets). Market towns such as La Flèche and Sablé-sur-Sarthe sit by gentle waterways, while the Sillé-le-Guillaume Forest offers lakes and trails. Expect value-priced farmhouses, character townhouses, and village homes within an hour of Paris by TGV.