Orleans: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Orléans is the city Joan of Arc saved. In the spring of 1429 the English had besieged it for half a year, and the arrival of a 17-year-old girl from Lorraine turned the war. This walk links the places of that story, all within a kilometre of the main square. The old centre is flat and mostly pedestrian.
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A short history of Orleans
In antiquity this was Cenabum, a town of the Carnutes tribe, which in 52 BC rose in revolt against Caesar and was destroyed. The emperor Aurelian rebuilt it, and the name Orléans comes from his. In 1306 a university was founded here. On 8 May 1429 Joan of Arc lifted the English siege of the city after seven months, the turning point of the Hundred Years' War; the city still celebrates the date every year. In 1940 the centre was bombed, and it was rebuilt after the war. Sainte-Croix Cathedral, rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 17th and 18th centuries, dominates the city's skyline.
The ten best sights in Orleans
1Cathédrale Sainte-CroixGothic outside but mostly rebuilt after 1568; the nave windows tell the story of Joan of Arc
2Maison de Jeanne d'ArcA rebuilt house on the spot where Joan lodged in 1429; short film and models of the siege
3Musée des Beaux-ArtsA large collection beside the cathedral; the pastel portraits room is the quiet highlight
4Hôtel GroslotRenaissance mansion still used for weddings; the ornate rooms are free to visit when no event is on
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5Hôtel Cabu
The history museum; come for the Gallo-Roman bronze treasure of Neuvy-en-Sullias
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6Les Turbulences - FRAC Centre
Architecture and design museum behind a facade of glowing tubes; best seen after dark
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7Centre Charles Péguy
The poet was born in Orléans; the centre is in a fine Renaissance house
8Château de Meung-sur-LoireThe bishops' castle 17 km downstream, with a real dungeon below
9Basilique Notre-Dame de CléryA royal church in a village; Louis XI chose to be buried here
10Château de ChambordThe biggest château of the Loire, 42 km away; give it half a day
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Orleans →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Orleans:
Free walking tours in Orleans
In Joan's footsteps
Orléans is the city Joan of Arc saved. In the spring of 1429 the English had besieged it for half a year, and the arrival of a 17-year-old girl from Lorraine turned the war. This walk links the places of that story, all within a kilometre of the main square. The old centre is flat and mostly pedestrian.
- Statue équestre de Jeanne d'Arc · The bronze statue by Denis Foyatier was unveiled in 1855. The reliefs around the pedestal follow her life from Domrémy to the stake in Rouen.
- Maison de Jeanne d'Arc · Joan stayed in the house of Jacques Boucher, the treasurer of the Duke of Orléans, during the siege. The original was destroyed in the bombing of 1940 and what stands today is a reconstruction.
- Hôtel Cabu · Besides the Joan rooms, the museum keeps the bronze treasure found in 1861 at Neuvy-en-Sullias, hidden by Gauls in Roman times. Its centrepiece is a bronze horse almost a metre high.
- Hôtel Groslot · The young King François II, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, died in this house in December 1560 at the age of 16. It later served as the town hall for almost two centuries.
- Cathédrale Sainte-Croix · Protestants blew up the cathedral in 1568, during the Wars of Religion. Henri IV paid for the rebuilding, which went on in Gothic style until the 19th century.
- Pont George V · On 7 May 1429 Joan was hit by an arrow while storming Les Tourelles, the fort at the south end of the old bridge. The fort fell that evening and the English lifted the siege the next day, 8 May, still celebrated every year.
Châteaux around Orléans
Orléans itself has no great château, but the country around it is full of them. This loop goes north into the forest, then down the Loire and across the Sologne to the biggest of all. The châteaux are very different from each other: a bishop's fortress, a perfume house, a royal church and a hunting palace. Chambord alone deserves half a day.
- Château de Chamerolles · The Renaissance château in the Orléans forest houses a museum of perfume. Its rooms walk through the history of scent from the 16th century to today, with a garden of plants once used for perfume.
- Château de la Source · The 17th-century château in the Parc Floral is today the office of the president of the University of Orléans. Behind it the Loiret river rises from a spring fed by Loire water that disappears underground upstream.
- Basilique Notre-Dame de Cléry · Louis XI was devoted to this church and asked to be buried here rather than at Saint-Denis with the other kings. His tomb is in the nave, and he died in 1483.
- Château de Meung-sur-Loire · In 1461 the poet François Villon was held in the dungeon here by the Bishop of Orléans. He was freed only when the new king, Louis XI, passed through the town.
- Château de la Ferté-Saint-Aubin · A 17th-century château of brick and stone at the edge of the Sologne. Visitors may wander most rooms freely, down to the old kitchens.
- Château de Chambord · François I began Chambord in 1519. At its heart is a double-helix staircase where two people can climb at the same time without meeting, and the park around it is closed by a wall about 32 km long.
Up the Loire
East of Orléans the river runs wide and wild between sandbanks, and the villages along it hold some of the oldest treasures in France. This route follows the Loire upstream past the battle of Jargeau and the old river port of Châteauneuf, to a Carolingian mosaic and a great Romanesque abbey. It ends at a moated fortress. The Loire à Vélo cycle path follows the same bank.
- Parc Floral de la Source · The Loiret is a strange river: it is fed by water the Loire loses into the limestone upstream, which comes back up in the park. It flows only about 12 km before joining the Loire again.
- Maison de Loire · In June 1429, a month after Orléans, Joan of Arc took Jargeau from the English. The riverside centre here explains the Loire's wildlife and its shifting sandbanks.
- Musée de la Marine de Loire · Until the railway came in the mid-19th century, the Loire was a highway of flat-bottomed sailing boats. The museum tells the life of the mariniers who carried wine, salt and stone on them.
- Oratoire de Germigny-des-Prés · Theodulf, Bishop of Orléans and adviser to Charlemagne, built this oratory around 806. Its apse holds the only Carolingian mosaic left in France, showing the Ark of the Covenant guarded by angels.
- Basilique Saint-Benoît de Fleury · Monks brought the relics of Saint Benedict here from Monte Cassino in the 7th century, and they still lie in the crypt. The poet Max Jacob, born Jewish, lived beside the abbey and was arrested here in 1944; he died in Drancy days later.
- Château de Sully-sur-Loire · Maximilien de Béthune, Henri IV's chief minister, bought the fortress in 1602 and took his title, Duke of Sully, from it. The oak roof frame of the keep dates from the 14th century.
Getting to Orleans and getting around
- Gare d'Orléans · The city-centre terminus; many Paris trains actually stop at Les Aubrais, one tram stop north
- Gare des Aubrais · The main-line station for Paris, Tours and Blois; a shuttle train and tram A link it to the centre
- Gare Routière · Regional buses to the towns along the Loire leave from beside the station
Cheap eats in Orleans
The Orléans region is not about one big dish but about small sour and sweet things. Its vinegar was once the most famous in France, because the barrels of wine that went sour on the river journey were turned into vinegar here. The sweet side is cotignac, a clear quince jelly sold in little round wooden boxes with Joan on the lid. Lunch is easy: bakeries everywhere, a market by the river and a crowded strip of quick places around the main square.
- Maison Nadal · A local bakery-pâtisserie chain; a sandwich and a pastry about €6-9
- Patisserie de la Cathédrale · Cakes and a coffee by the cathedral, about €4-7
- L'Epi des Halles · Bakery by the covered market; a baguette about €1.20
- Histoire de pains · Bread-based sandwiches and salads to take away, about €6-10
- Martin Pouret · A bottle of vinegar or a jar of mustard, about €5-10
- Les Halles Châtelet · Cheese, charcuterie and bread for a riverside picnic, €10-15 for two
Museums in Orleans
- Musée des Beaux-Arts · Five floors of European art from the 15th to 20th centuries
- Hôtel Cabu · The Gallo-Roman bronzes are the star
- Maison de Jeanne d'Arc · Half an hour with a film on the siege
- Les Turbulences - FRAC Centre · Models and drawings of experimental architecture
- Château de Chambord · Climb the double staircase to the roof terraces
Holy places in Orleans
- Cathédrale Sainte-Croix · Look for the Joan of Arc windows in the nave
- Église Saint-Aignan · Ask about the Romanesque crypt beneath the choir
- Basilique Notre-Dame de Cléry · A king's tomb in a village church
- Oratoire de Germigny-des-Prés · Small, but the mosaic is 1,200 years old
- Basilique Saint-Benoît de Fleury · Monks still sing the offices; check the times
Nature and day trips near Orleans
- Parc Floral de la Source · Roses, iris and the spring itself
- Jardin des Plantes · A free stroll with a 19th-century glasshouse
- Île Charlemagne · Lake beach, paddling and cycling on the Loire bank
- Domaine du Ciran · Trails through Sologne ponds and woods
- Maison de Loire · Learn to read the river before walking its banks
Where to eat in Orleans
- Rue de Bourgogne · Walk it and pick: dozens of bars and bistros
- Le Brin de Zinc · Classic bistro dishes near Martroi
- Aux Fines Gueules · Market cooking and a good local wine list
- Tante Jeanne · Relaxed French dinner a few steps from the square
- Quai du Châtelet · Summer evenings: drinks and food stalls on the riverbank
Frequently asked questions about Orleans
What is there to see in Orleans?
The top sights in Orleans are Cathédrale Sainte-Croix, Maison de Jeanne d'Arc and Musée des Beaux-Arts. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Orleans?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Orleans without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Orleans?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Orleans, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: In Joan's footsteps.
How do you get to Orleans and get around?
The main ways are Gare d'Orléans, Gare des Aubrais and Gare Routière. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Orleans, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Orleans that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Orleans for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.