France Guide
The Loire
Orléans
ORLÉANS is the northernmost city on the Loire, sitting at the apex of a huge arc in the river as it switches direction and starts to flow southwest. Its proximity to Paris, just over 100km away, has always shaped this ancient city. Far from its glory days, but nonetheless there have been welcome signs of progress lately; high-speed train and motorway links to the capital and a rash of cosmetics factories set up in the suburbs have brought new jobs and prosperity. The ancient riverside quays have been redeveloped and ultramodern trams have been introduced – a perfect foil to the handsome eighteenth- and nineteenth-century streets of the old centre. The city is deservedly most famous for its heroine Joan of Arc and her deliverance of the city in May 1429. One of the best times to visit is the evening before and the day of May 8 (Joan of Arc Day), when the city is filled with parades, fireworks and a medieval fair.
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