Car Hire Orléans - Mini guide to Orléans
Orléans is the northernmost city on the Loire. This ancient city, best known for its saint (Jeanne d'Arc), is a sprawling labyrinth of ancient buildings. One of the best times to visit is May 8 (Joan of Arc Day), when the city is alive with parades.
The Cathédrale Ste-Joan, which has survived over 600 years of wars, is an historic building worth seeing. At the end of rue Jeanne-d'Arc, on place Général-de-Gaulle, is the Maison de Jeanne d'Arc, an interesting reconstruction of Joan’s house.
Walk over to the Musée des Beaux-Arts opposite the Hôtel de Ville, where you’ll find collections of 14th- to sixteenth-century Italian, Dutch and Flemish works on the second floor and eighteenth-century French portraits on the first floor. If you head back east you’ll come upon the medieval university of Orléans.
On the rue de Bourgogne there is a string of restaurants and other forms of nightlife. There is everything from French and Middle Eastern to Indian and Asian cuisines. One of the best is Majestic Café, on 2 rue des Trois Maries.
A little further afield, north of the city centre, next to the Gare Routire, is the Muséum de Sciences Naturelles at 2 rue Marcel-Proust. This small museum is quietly enchanting, with a large rooftop tropical greenhouse. East is the Parc Pasteur, a nice relaxing spot for a picnic.
Only an hour away from Paris, you can take a direct train to Orleans or hire a car from Paris Charles de Gaulle or Paris Orly Airports. The Centre d'Arc, a modern shopping centre, is the first thing you'll see when you come out of the Gare SNCF. The tourist office is in the Centre d'Arc.
