Things To Do in Orleans
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Orleans Attractions
Orléans, pop. 116,000, is the chief town of Loiret, on the Loire, and beneficiary of many associations with the French aristocracy. It gave its name to the dukes and duchesses of Orléans. Wander the narrow lanes of the city center to get the feel for what the city might have been like during Joan of Arc’s time. Note the equestrian statue of Jeanne d’Arc on place du Martroi. From the square, you can walk past the elegant arched galleries on rue Royal (rebuilt in 18th-c. style) across pont George-V (erected in 1760). A simple cross marks the site of the Fort des Tourelles, which Joan of Arc and her men captured.
Once the French capital of vinegar, this local tradition is maintained by 200-year-old producers Martin-Pouret, 11 Rue Jeanne d’Arc (tel. 02-38-62-19-64), whose boutique is filled with fine vinegars, mustards and other gourmet products. If you’re more into sweets, your cravings will be satisfied at the Chocolaterie Royale, 51 rue Royale, (tel. 02-38-53-93-43) markers of regal chocolates since 1760.
- Cathedral
Cathédrale Ste-Croix
Begun in 1287 after a Romanesque church here collapsed from old age, the cathedral was burned by the Huguenots in 1568. Henri IV laid the first stone of the present building in 1601; work continued until 1829. The cathedral boasts a 17th-century organ and woodwork from the early 18th… - Religious Site
Eglise St-Aignan
One of the most frequently altered churches in the Loire Valley, St-Aignan was consecrated in 1509 in the form you see today. It possesses one of France’s earliest vaulted hall crypts, complete with polychromed capitals. Scholars of pre-Romanesque art are interested in its rare 10th-… - Historic Site
Hôtel Groslot
This brick Renaissance mansion was begun in 1550 and embellished in the 19th century. François II (the first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots) lived here during the fall of 1560 and died on December 5. It was here that his brother and successor Charles IX met his lovely Marie Touchet.… - Museum
Musée des Beaux-Arts
The best art museum in the region, the fairly large collection is made up of mostly French, but also Italian, Dutch, and Flemish works from the 15th to 20th centuries. It includes some impressive treasures by Tintoretto, Boucher, Van Dyke, and Vélasquez as well as a variety of…
Orleans Shopping
One of the city's main industries, from the Middle Ages well into the 20th century, was vinegar making. You can buy some of the famous Orléans vinegar north of town at Martin Pouret, 236 Faubourg Bannier, Fleury-les-Aubrais (tel. 02-38-88-78-49). The family-owned business dates from 1797. The current M. Pouret is the only person in the region carrying on the slow, traditional vinegar-making method. You can do a wine tasting at one of the region's most comprehensive wine merchants, Cave de Marc & Sébastien, 7 place du Châtelet (tel. 02-38-62-94-11), in the heart of the commercial center, just north of the Loire and west of rue Royale.
Orleans Nightlife
You'll find most of the action in the bars along rue de Bourgogne and a handful of places on rue Bannier. A trendy young crowd drinks the night away at Le Moog, 38 rue de l'Empereur (tel. 02-38-54-93-23), in a modern setting of stainless steel and bordello red lighting, with pop music playing in the background. There's also a terrace for fair weather. A few streets over is one of the better jazz clubs, Paxton's Head, 264 rue de Bourgogne (tel. 02-38-81-23-29), with a down-home English pub feel.
