Loiret: what to see and do
22 sites listed in the département. In the heart of the Loire Valley, the Loiret combines royal châteaux such as Sully-sur-Loire, the game-rich Orléans forest and art cities such as Orléans, city of Joan of Arc. This département charms with its UNESCO-listed river heritage.
Orléans
Prefecture of the Loiret liberated by Joan of Arc in 1429, whose street named after her leads straight to the cathedral of Sainte-Croix.
Arboretum National des Barres
A former nineteenth-century property of the Vilmorin family, the Arboretum national des Barres has been enriched over the years thanks to the discoveries of famous botanists, and now gathers one of the richest collections of trees and shrubs from the five continents.
Château de Chamerolles
Château de Gien
Château de La Bussière
Château de La Fontaine
Château de Malesherbes
Château de Meung-sur-Loire
Château de Saint-Brisson
Château de Sully-sur-Loire
The château de Sully-sur-Loire, with its high towers and deep moats, is a superb example of a medieval fortress.
Château de la Ferté
Château du Duc d'Antin
Château-musée de Gien
This château marks your entry into the famous Valley of the Kings and the starting point of the Route Jacques Cœur. You can visit a museum whose collection of hunting art is one of the most important in Europe.
FRAC Centre
A place of discovery and conviviality, Frac Centre offers visitors a programme of exhibitions and a cultural programme around the relations between art, architecture and design.
Jardin des plantes d'Orléans
The Jardin des Plantes is a pleasure and discovery garden of 3.5 hectares. It is also the plant experimentation site of the City of Orléans.
Le Gros Chêne et les 5 Frères
The Orléans Forest was long the largest in France; "Deep as the sea, for whoever is inside", this old saying defined it very well.
Musée de la Résistance de Lorris
Parc floral de la Source
This landscape park, visited by Voltaire, friend of Lord Bolingbroke, was completely remodelled for the 1967 International Floralies.
Rochers de Malesherbes
Source du Loiret
One of the major curiosities of the Orléans Parc Floral. It is a resurgence of the Loire after waters circulate deep underground over 14 km in the Beauce limestone.
Sullyvagues
Come and enjoy its leisure pool (bubble bench, water at 27 °C), its paddling pool for the little ones, its sports pool (depth from 0.80 m to 1.60 m), its giant slide (42 m glide), its wave pool and its jacuzzi at 30 °C.
Yèvre-le-Châtel
Set on a spur, on the boundary of the former bishoprics of Orléans and Sens, whose frontier was marked by the Essonne and the Rimarde, Yèvre-le-Châtel was fortified very early.