Orléans is on the banks of the mighty and slow Loire River, the longest river in France. In the Loiret region (45), Orleans is better known as the city of Joan of Arc. It is a less known city than many others in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as Blois to the southwest or Bourges to the southeast of the Loire Valley, but it is a prosperous place with a charming old part and a magnificent cathedral, which is beautifully lit at night It is also worth visiting the Parc Floral de la Source du Loiret, an extensive garden designed around the source of the River Loiret.
Orleans is a true gateway to much of the Loire Valley, whether you go east to Gien, Cosne and Nevers or west for the better known part, beyond the great castles of Chambord, Blois and Amboise. , where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years and in Tours.
The very different gardens that you will find throughout the Loire Valley are also worth visiting. This is a rich and fertile area, spacious and gracious. Some of the gardens are attached to the great castles; others are further apart. The large gardens range from Ainay-le-Vieil in the east of the Loire to Villandry in the west. Also worth visiting each year is the famous Garden Festival in Chaumont-sur-Loire, France’s smallest and most different answer to London’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Finally, the Loire Valley is a good place to visit in winter. Some of the theaters are open all year round and many of the cities have good Christmas markets from late November until the new year.
Paris to Orleans by train
Direct intercity trains run from Paris to Orléans, starting at Gare d’Austerlitz, 55 quai d’Austerlitz, Paris 13. There are frequent trains that take between 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Transport links to the Gare d’Austerlitz
Metro
- Line 10: Austerlitz to Boulogne Pont de St-Cloud
- Line 5: Bobigny Pablo Picasso to Place d’Italie
For buses, see the Paris Bus Map to plan ahead.
From Charles de Gaulle Airport, the easiest and fastest route is through Tours, which takes 3 hours and 50 minutes.
Popular direct connections to Orleans include Blois in the Loire Valley, Bourges, Tours, Argenton, and Vierzon.
Orléans Station is on place d’Arc, opposite a modern shopping center, just a few minutes from the busy roads of the old center.
Tourist Office
2 pl de l’Europe
Tel.: 00 33 (0) 2 38 24 05 05
Tourist Office website
Book your train ticket
- From the US, Book Tickets on Rail Europe
- From the UK, book tickets on travel- sncf
Paris to Orleans by car
The distance from Paris to Orleans is 133 km (82 miles), and the journey takes around 1 hour and 40 minutes, depending on your speed. There are tolls on the Autoroutes.
Getting from London to Paris
- By train (Eurostar)
- You can travel by Eurostar between London, Paris and Lille
- By bus / coach Eurolines offers a cheap service from London, Gillingham, Canterbury, Folkestone and Dover to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris Gallieni. Six coaches a day; 2 all night; Travel time is 7 hours. The Eurolines stop is located at the Paris Gallieni bus station, 28 ave du General de Gaulle, right next to the Gallieni metro station, near Porte de Bagnolet (metro line 3, final stop).
- IDBus also operates between London and Lille and London and Paris. IDBus also runs from Lille to Amsterdam and Brussels.
