Paris-Nice is a regular fixture in the department of Yvelines and Magnanville has seen its riders pass through several times. It even hosted an intermediate sprint during the opening stage of the 2022 edition of the “Race to the Sun” that was held around Mantes-la-Ville. Jean-René Bernaudeau claimed the points for the King of the Mountains classification there during stage six of the 1984 Tour de France by leading over its steep hill. In addition, Magnanville has been the start town for Paris-Camembert for more than 20 years now.
- Commune in Yvelines (78)
- Population: 6,400; 433,300 within the Grand Paris Seine et Oise municipality; 1,485,200 in Yvelines
- magnanville.fr • yvelines.fr
Magnanville and cycling
Paris-Camembert has retained this more iconic name, even though this spring semi-classic has, in fact, started from Magnanville and headed towards another town in the Pays d’Auge – Vimoutiers or Livarot – since 2023. In 2026, it was Pierre Gautherat who claimed victory there. This small town on the outskirts of Mantes-la-Jolie was also part of the route for the first stage of Paris–Nice around Mantes-la-Ville, won by Christophe Laporte in 2023. Sandy Casar, from Mantes, who won Paris–Camembert in 2011, was effectively racing on home turf.
Sights
Magnanville Castle
Built: 18th century.
History: built between 1750 and 1753 by architect François II Franque on behalf of Charles Savalette, Keeper of the Royal Treasury, the château—whose splendour astonished contemporaries—was destroyed in the early 19th century. A more modest château, which still stands today and has been converted into a geriatric care centre, was rebuilt in 1807 for Baron Robillard de Magnanville, regent of the Banque de France.
Current use: care home.
Manor farm
Date of construction: 18th century.
Features: the outbuildings of the former farm consist of several structures, including the main house and the former stables, built between 1750 and 1755. A cowshed was situated near the stables. Alongside these were the farm buildings, the barns and a sheepfold. Today, this part has been converted into a socio-cultural centre. An imposing dovecote completes the complex of the former farm.
Current use: socio-cultural centre.
In Mantes-la-Ville (2 km)
Parc de la Vallée
Spanning 11 hectares, Parc de la Vallée offers a magnificent view and a pleasant route for walks. The Vaucouleurs river runs through La Vallée, home to flora and fauna thriving in complete freedom, much to the delight of walkers. This green space also features play areas and an open-air theatre where events are held during the summer months.
Saint-Étienne Church
Built: 10th to 20th centuries.
Style: Romanesque.
History: Saint-Étienne Church in Mantes-la-Ville was founded in 974. The church was damaged during Allied bombing raids in the Second World War, and restoration work began in 1968 and continued until 1981. There was a heavily damaged 16th-century porch, which was demolished during this restoration work.
Characteristics: an east-facing church with an elongated plan, comprising a single nave with two bays. The chevet is cut away at the corners. The western façade features a basket-handle arch, surmounted by a gable with an oculus. The walls are pierced by pointed-arch windows and supported by stepped buttresses. An extension has been added to the south wall. Bell tower situated at the level of the last bay of the nave.
Sulzer Factory Hall
The vast hall of the former Sulzer pumps and motors factory, established in 1958 and closed following a fire in 2003, will, from 2027, house part of the Mantes university campus, bringing together the Mantes-en-Yvelines University Institute of Technology, the Yvelines Institute of Science and Technology, ISTY, and a training centre for engineering apprentices, CFA Mécavenir. Work began in 2025.
Selmer Manufacture
Founded in 1885 in the Montmartre district of Paris by clarinettist Henri Selmer, the brand draws on the expertise of musicians to design, innovate and improve its range of instruments. For over a century, Selmer has been manufacturing the entire family of saxophones (sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass) in France at its workshops in Mantes-la-Ville, in a wide range of finishes (lacquered, silver-plated, black, brushed, solid silver, gold-plated, passivated). The company expanded into the United States as early as 1904 and established its factory in Mantes-la-Ville in 1919. In 1929, Selmer acquired the company founded by Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone.
Since its inception, the brand has crafted trumpets for Louis Armstrong and Maurice André, saxophones for Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane, and even guitars for Django Reinhardt. In 2018, Thomas Pesquet took a Selmer saxophone into space. The Selmer range of instruments can be viewed in the brand’s showroom on Rue Marcadet in Paris.
Buffet-Crampon Workshops
Like Selmer, Buffet-Crampon, one of its main competitors, is based in Mantes-la-Ville. The brand, founded in 1825 on the Passage du Grand-Cerf in Paris and based in Mantes-la-Ville since 1850, is best known for its clarinets, but manufactures all kinds of wind instruments (saxophones, bassoons, oboes, English horns). Its repair workshop is still located in Mantes-la-Ville. The brand remains the world’s leading manufacturer of clarinets.