The Musée de Vire Normandie is housed in an 18th-century Hôtel-Dieu. Its tour presents the history of the town from prehistoric times to the Reconstruction through more than 500 collection objects, including games, multimedia elements, models, animated films and a scent installation.
Travelers who choose Vire as their destination may be planning to rent a holiday apartment.
Culture
The Tour aux Raines is a 13th-century tower belonging to Vire’s former fortified town wall and was listed as a historic monument in 1951. The Tour de Geôle was a former 13th-century prison tower and belonged to Vire’s former medieval fortifications.
The Porte-Horloge of Vire was built in the 13th century together with the town walls and was Vire’s main entrance for several centuries. Its square tower is 33 metres high and was extended at the end of the 15th century to house a clock.
The Church of Notre-Dame in Vire is listed as a historic monument and was faithfully restored between 1948 and 1957. It was built entirely from local granite in the 13th century and was expanded and altered several times up to the 16th century.
Nature
The platform of the Tour de Geôle offers a panoramic view of the Vaux de Vire, a landscape classified since 1918. Le Rocher des Rames has been a classified landscape site since 1918.
The wooden racks at Le Rocher des Rames were used to spread out woolen fabrics processed in the fulling mills along the Vire for drying. The ruins of the Donjon féodal de Vire stand on a granite spur above the Vire. The Donjon de Vire is accessible daily.
Getting Around
Vire is connected to Paris by the Paris–Granville railway line; the town administration gives the journey time as 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The historic promenade through the town of Vire is available in a downloadable brochure and can be taken as an audio-guided tour using the izi.TRAVEL app installed on a smartphone.
Local Specialties
Andouille de Vire is made from finely sliced pork intestines, which are then salted and smoked over beech wood. The Foire de l’Andouille takes place every year in Vire during the All Saints’ weekend.
Other destinations: Osmanville, Cahagnolles, Les Loges-Saulces, Estry, Pont-Farcy, Thiéville, Saint-Germain-La-Blanche-Herbe, Saint-Jean-De-Livet.
