Talk to a person from Orléans, they will tell you how much their city has changed in twenty years.
Corseted in its past, the Merovingian capital was falling asleep.
But major works have changed the face of its center and returned the Loire to its inhabitants.
The wide satin ribbon that divides the town is today bordered by a promenade where the deckchairs seem to be waiting for some sleeper from the Loire Valley.
Inspired by a new generation of Orleanians, often adopted, young addresses are flourishing in the four corners of the metropolis crisscrossed by golden trams and the Loire trails by bike.
To discover
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Rejuvenated, Orléans does not forget its past.
In May, at the foot of her cathedral, she remembers the virgin who bears her name.
And in September, every two years, it celebrates the boatmen of yesteryear during the Loire Festival.
At the Museum of Fine Arts.
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River city, city of history, city of art, too: its Museum of Fine Arts, unfairly overlooked, houses one of the richest collections in Europe.
One Monday a month, the French Blood Establishment organizes its collection there among the paintings of Vélasquez and the pastels of Chardin.
Enough to attract donors, who, in exchange for their time, have the museum to themselves.
Until March 24, you can admire the most beautiful drawings in history, patiently collected by the Prat couple.
The masterpieces of Poussin, Watteau and Fragonard are presented there according to their date of acquisition and the themes dear to these two lovers of beauty.
“In pursuit of beauty: diary of the Prat collection”, at the Orléans Museum of Fine Arts.
Place Sainte-Croix.
Group ticket with the Cabu hotel, the Museum and the Maison Jeanne d’Arc: €8.
Such.
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83. orleans-metropole.fr
Also read: From Sologne to Touraine, an offbeat trip to the heart of the Loire Valley
What to do and what to visit in Orléans?
THE CRYPTS OF ORLEANS
The crypts date from the 11th century.
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The oldest remains of what was called Cenabum are hidden beneath our feet, in two crypts from the 11th century: Saint-Avit and Saint-Aignan.
The tourist office suggests discovering them during a guided tour departing from the Sainte-Croix Cathedral.
From the first, well hidden behind an anonymous door, only two groin-vaulted rooms remain, witnesses to the architectural progress of the time.
A few minutes away, another is more spectacular.
Do not be fooled by the state of decay of the church which tops it - what was one of the largest religious buildings of its time was destroyed four times and is today closed to visitors.
Discovered in the 1950s, the superb sculpted and colored capitals from the early 11th century are worth the detour alone.
Their exceptional state of conservation attests to the means invested in the design of this Romanesque crypt, but also to the importance of the said Saint Aignan.
The one to whom we owe having recaptured Orléans in the hands of Attila remains the first hero of the city, no offense to a certain Jeanne…
“The city below”.
€9 for a 1.5 hour visit. Reservation required.
Orléans tourist office.
23, place du Martroi.
tourism-orleansmetropol
e.com
“THE WINGS OF DESIRE” AT FRAC CENTER-VAL DE LOIRE
How did architects think about habitat in the sky?
Through many plans and models, the Regional Contemporary Art Fund takes us far from the bottom of the cows.
It begins upon entering this futuristic, tubular and curvaceous building by Jakob+MacFarlane.
The child in us can only melt in front of the creations of the whimsical Guy Rottier, who imagines a flying holiday home in a helicopter or an apartment in a weightless Boulequiroule.
The Englishman Peter Cook takes us instead to Jules Verne, with a multicolored airship transporting his “instant city” from point A to point B (until March 31).
To see in passing, another exhibition, “Architects without architecture”.
Or how the role of the creator can be considered independently of his production.
88, rue du Colombier.
Free entry, guided tour on Saturday: €4.
frac-centre.fr
STREET ART COURSE IN THE CITY CENTER
Street art trail.
Lezbroz: Martin Argyroglo
If street art and Orléans seem as compatible as water and oil, you will have to rethink your copy.
The Johannine city has seen the emergence of several big names in urban art since the 1980s, when students, freshly parachuted into the southern suburbs, at the Source campus, began to color the plaster walls of their gray city.
Among them, a certain Thoma Vuille would become famous under the pseudonym M. Chat.
Witnesses to his passage, 200 felines today flash their carnivorous smile in the walker's beard.
Ten years later, the ceramist Mifamosa began translating the names of the streets of the city center into mosaics.
This gives a gymnast upside down on Rue du Poirier and a glass of wine on Rue de Bourgogne.
As for the old Dessaux vinegar factory, abandoned for almost forty years, it is covered with colorful frescoes that are changed every month.
2-hour guided tour, €9.
tourism-orleansmetropole.com
TEA OR COFFEE ?
Jeanne d'Arc Cafés.
Press photo
The Cafés Jeanne d'Arc have been an institution for nearly one hundred and twenty-five years in Orléans.
It's difficult to find a kitchen without the colorful tea and coffee boxes imagined by this family of creators for five generations.
Because we have to renew ourselves, the Cafés Jeanne d'Arc now organize workshops several Saturdays per month, around themes each more attractive (and specialized) than the other: "Sensory journeys to the heart of Chinese teas", " Japanese teas, elegance and serenity in a cup”, but also “The secrets of gentle coffee extraction”.
For those who don't yet know who Mr. Earl Gray was, that red tea does not in fact contain theine or that Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world, behind Brazil.
€25 for a tea workshop, €5 for a coffee workshop.
13 quater, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Jean.
Such.
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83. tourismeloiret.com
EXCURSION: THE MOULINS DU LOIRET WALK
Le Moulin de la Mothe, located in the territory of the charming and discreet Olivet.
Ariane Citron - stock.adobe.com
South of the city, a few minutes by car or bike, this walk of around 5 km along the Loiret offers an immersion in an impressionist landscape.
Overlooked by a high-perched heron, this path in the shade of century-old trees runs alongside old mills, witnesses of a vanished local industry.
On the opposite bank, we can glimpse, shyly behind the branches, beautiful bourgeois residences, the properties of Orléans notables from past centuries.
Some have their own boat garage, adorable little castles on the water, the prettiest of which was designed by Charles Garnier.
To continue in this devilishly romantic vein, take the time to sit down in one of the beautiful restaurants on the right bank, such as Le Pavillon Bleu or Le Rivage.
This walk is suitable even for rainy days, the canopy offering a cozy refuge sheltered from the drops.
Departure: Reine Blanche car park.
1051, rue de la Reine-Blanche 45160 Olivet.
tourism-orleansmetropole.com
Where to sleep in Orléans?
BEE HOTEL
Early 19th century spirit and roof terrace with a view of the cathedral: one of the best addresses in Orléans.
Photo L’Abeille / Press photo
Opened in 1903, l'Abeille is the oldest hotel in Orléans.
Self-service piano, toile de Jouy and silverware: in this 24-room house, a stone's throw from the station, we find a bit of the old-fashioned atmosphere of Agatha Christie's novels - minus the crime, rest assured .
The family who has owned the place since 1919 has insisted on preserving the early 20th century spirit without skimping on comfort (large beds, renovated bathrooms).
This results in a place full of charm, a bit old-fashioned, where the smiling welcome and lavish advice make you forget the creaky parquet floor.
Climb to the fourth floor (the hotel unfortunately does not have an elevator) to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Sainte-Croix Cathedral from the roof terrace.
From €99 per night in a superior double room.
64, rue d’Alsace-Lorraine.
Such.
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87. hotel-de-lbee.amenitiz.io
CABOCHER
Unusual accommodation and experience.
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When it comes to unusual accommodation, originality sometimes takes precedence over comfort.
This is anything but the case in this boat moored in the city center.
Vast as a large Parisian studio, it has been carefully fitted out and equipped to accommodate people with reduced mobility, a rarity for a boat.
On the menu: a real double bed (retractable), a kitchenette, a large bathroom with walk-in shower, cozy bathrobes and slippers like in a hotel, not forgetting a wood stove that crackles and warms the body and hearts, even in this month of January.
After guests board at 7 p.m., the boat stops in fine weather at restaurants on the banks of the Loire to pick up dinner before a moonlit walk.
This winter, due to the lack of a tavern, family dishes from the region such as chicken and crayfish are concocted by our host while the walk is best done at breakfast, lulled by the gurgling of the river and the cries of the egrets... Fixed
price of 550 € for the night, dinner, breakfast and commented walk on the Loire.
Such.
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66. cabocher.fr
Where to sit?
GRIC RESTAURANT
Opened in September by thirty-year-old Marie Gricourt, the “Gric” of the name, former right-hand woman of Christophe Hay, the great chef of the Center region, this restaurant in the Les Halles district offers dusted-off family cuisine.
Cooked before the eyes of customers seated at the counter, in a large open room with a contemporary look, the dishes are cooked precisely and have perfect technical skills.
Mention: delicious for the beef cheek, tender and crispy at the same time, enthroned on its creamy parsnip puree.
With its thirty family dishes to share, the Sunday brunch has become in just a few months the most popular event in all of Orléans.
Book well in advance!
8-10, rue des Halles.
Wednesday to Saturday lunchtime and evening.
Sunday brunch: €39.
Lunch menu: €25.
restaurantgric.fr
PAUL AND JULIET
In the aptly named rue de Bourgogne - the rue de la soif d'Orléans -, a big-hearted Ch'ti - pleonasm - named his restaurant after his two younger siblings.
Jerry receives his guests in a two-story room with stone walls and exposed beams, where the spaced tables invite confidence.
His “little bistro”, as this former construction professional modestly calls it, has many other stories to tell us on the plate side.
It’s not these busty scallops taking it easy in linguine with pink berry gin that will say the opposite.
Gourmet and regressive as can be!
233, rue de Bourgogne.
Starter-main course-dessert: €38.
paul-et-juliette.fr
Shopping
LOCAVORE
To hell with the stiff image of Orléans!
Several shops, each more friendly (and committed) than the last, have popped up in recent months in town.
Among these young shoots,
Flowers flowers flowers
.
At this florist like no other, we learn to consume local and seasonal.
Little is known, but 80% of bouquets sold in France are made from foreign flowers.
This winter, on its pretty sun-colored work surface, an assortment of cabbages, mimosas and anemones.
And don't expect to find roses there on Valentine's Day!
Another concept but the same breath of fresh air: going back towards the station,
Maison Henri.M & Ma Came
plays on two tables.
On one side, a selection of hand-picked crockery, household linen and decorative objects;
on the other, exquisite designer pieces, new this time;
all beautifully presented in a cozy cocoon.
We come away with gems for all budgets and a furious desire to reupholster our interior with old and modern…
Fleurs fleurs fleurs, 63, rue des Carmes.
“Seasonal Bouquet” workshops three times a month.
fleursfleursfleurs.com Maison Henri.M & Ma Came, 3, rue de la Cerche.
Such.
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In video -
Diving into the discreet Val-de-Loire region