# A weekend in Orléans > We went to Orléans for the long All Saints’ weekend. The perfect chance to rediscover this city we already knew, but in autumn colours. Source: https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/en/blog/weekend-in-orleans/ Published on 1 November 2021 We went to **Orléans** for the long All Saints’ weekend. The perfect chance to rediscover this city we already knew, but in autumn colours. Orléans is easily [reachable from Paris thanks to the regional train](https://fnty.co/c/r-gGNzbOfb): the journey lasts only an hour and the fares are affordable (**32€ return**). So find out what to fill your weekend with in Orléans and the surrounding area, in particular in Meung-sur-Loire! ## What to see in Orléans ### The monuments of Orléans #### Sainte-Croix cathedral in Orléans The star of Orléans, that is her! Listed as a Historic Monument, the **Sainte-Croix cathedral in Orléans** is among the largest Gothic cathedrals in France. We read that it took nearly 600 years to build, between the start of the works in 1287 and its inauguration in 1829. An architectural jewel to discover (_for free_)! Do not hesitate to walk around it to get other perspectives and also discover the little **jardin de l’Evéché**. The finest view of the cathedral is the one you get from the **rue Jeanne d’Arc** which offers a magnificent perspective. We were lucky enough to have a magnificent sunset in pink and purple hues: the proof in pictures. ![Shopping street and tram rails leading to the cathedral](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-02-153dc693.webp) ![Flower beds in the foreground of the cathedral's two towers](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-03-730dd58c.webp) ![Passer-by sitting on the fountain at the foot of the portal](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-04-c795e9b6.webp) ![Cathedral lit up under an end-of-day sky](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-05-1754e686.webp) ![Vaulted side aisle and chapel railings inside](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-06-e59916bb.webp) ![Pink sky behind the towers and the clipped yews](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-07-6662814e.webp) ![Vast nave and black and white chequered floor](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-08-a73ebe6d.webp) #### Hôtel Groslot If there is a second monument not to be missed in Orléans, it really is the **hôtel Groslot**, with its red brick façades, located right next to the cathedral. Visiting it is completely free and lets you discover the different rooms on the ground floor (the salon of honour, the former council chamber and the former mayor’s office) and its superb period furniture. When we came at All Saints’, the **place de l’Etape** was decorated and filled with flowers on an autumn theme. The colours were magnificent! ![Potted chrysanthemums in front of a public building](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-09-f7549bbb.webp) ![Renaissance brick facade of the Hôtel Groslot and its garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-10-94ba6bfb.webp) ![Autumn beds at the foot of a pink brick facade](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-11-a9aef410.webp) #### The historic centre Orléans is a city that is easily covered on foot! You will not have many steps to take before coming across a half-timbered house, a pretty cobbled square or the banks of the Loire. From east to west, you can narrow down the heart of Orléans from the house of Joan of Arc to the rue de la Tour Neuve in the Bourgogne district. No need for a map: wander and stroll through the shopping streets as the mood takes you. Just one tip: do not miss the **place du Martroi** and the **rue Royale** with its arcades (to see by day as by night). ![Cobbled lane and wooden gable of an old house](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-12-af5eb2d8.webp) ![Grocery shopfront dressed with climbing plants](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-13-7247e13d.webp) ![House with red half-timbering on a street corner at dusk](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-14-b4867a12.webp) ![Rooftops, quays and tram rails seen from the heights](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-15-69c8ab62.webp) ![Tall half-timbered house standing alone at the edge of a square](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-16-4006b902.webp) ![View down a straight street lined with classical buildings](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-17-2ad11eca.webp) ![Lit arcades along a wet street in the evening](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-18-fe8d5798.webp) ![Large Renaissance house with half-timbering and lattice work](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-19-9bf4f04b.webp) ### The gardens and parks of Orléans #### Jardin de la Vieille Intendance The **Jardin de la Vieille Intendance** is one of our favourite places in the centre of Orléans! This small, intimate and peaceful garden is the property of the courthouse, the hôtel Brachet. The discreet entrance is on the corner of rue des Huguenots and rue d’Alsace-Lorraine. Here, you will not meet any tourists: you will be (almost) alone! ![Stroller leaning on a railing in an autumn garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-20-30ced674.webp) ![Young woman in front of the garden gate beneath the fallen leaves](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-21-79bf218b.webp) ![Wooden bench beneath the yellowing trees of the garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-22-0e36054e.webp) ![Path covered with leaves in front of a private mansion](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-23-c69a148b.webp) #### Parc Pasteur The **parc Pasteur** is in the north of the city, just behind the D97 road. It is a very leafy park with architectural features such as a pond and its fountain and a carved doorway from the former Saint-Samson des Jésuites _church_. ![Rockery and statue above a pond in the park](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-24-3c25c47f.webp) ![Rectangular pond lined with benches and flower beds](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-25-7ef9554b.webp) #### Jardin des Plantes We also went to the small **Jardin des Plantes in Orléans**, which is about fifteen minutes on foot from the city centre. It is not an essential visit, especially at the beginning of winter because the garden is not in flower. You can make a detour there if you are walking along the Loire between the pont Georges V and the pont Joffre. ![Blue and yellow flower planters on a wet path](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-26-fa15f5a8.webp) ![Wooden footbridge crossing a pond in the garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-27-f25a727b.webp) ![Large tree with russet foliage standing on the lawn](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-28-ba3f2141.webp) ## What to see in Meung-sur-Loire During this long weekend, we also discovered the village of **Meung-sur-Loire**, located south-west of Orléans. The village is small but has several points of interest such as its **château** (unfortunately closed when we came), **the Saint-Liphard collegiate church, the porte d’Aumont and the mauves** (streams that run through the town). We also walked along the **quai Jeanne d’Arc** and the towpath which was showing lovely autumn colours. If you have more time, you can carry on along the Loire as far as Beaugency or even Blois. ![Stone bell tower and enclosed courtyard in Meung-sur-Loire](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-29-9b6d1f38.webp) ![Couple in front of a house covered with red Virginia creeper](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-30-97076298.webp) ![Avenue of yellowing plane trees leading out into the countryside](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-31-ca9b09bb.webp) ![Traditional flat-bottomed boat moored on the banks of the Loire](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-32-cf69b875.webp) ![Narrow canal bordered by a wall covered with red creeper](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-33-58f145e2.webp) ![Sloping street lined with pale houses with closed shutters](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-34-cf6d07a3.webp) ![Fortified gate topped with a clock belfry](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-35-b3a81d1a.webp) ![Stone apse of the church and its silvery flower beds](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-36-427d4f30.webp) ## Our accommodation in Orléans We booked a small studio on [Airbnb](https://www.airbnb.fr/rooms/48809232?source_impression_id=p3_1638269223_qQ9CzUZGpRRRzSis&guests=1&adults=1) right in the heart of Orléans to be as close as possible to the shops and restaurants. We paid **152€ for the 3 nights** for this renovated flat, ideal for short stays. We recommend it if you are looking for a place to stay in Orléans that is not too expensive. ## Our favourite places to eat in Orléans - **[La Petite Absinthe](https://www.google.com/maps/place/la+Petite+Absinthe+Cr%C3%AAperie+-+Bar+%C3%A0+Bi%C3%A8re/@47.9009003,1.9065203,19.52z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47e4e4d3dfb6a651:0xa8837ac0e6b4596e!8m2!3d47.9012388!4d1.9058193)**: both a crêperie and a beer bar at very affordable prices - **[Le comptoir de Mamie Bigoude](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Le+Comptoir+de+Mamie+Bigoude+Orl%C3%A9ans/@47.9012691,1.902794,16.52z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47e4e5be42451753:0x8340bed8103c6a5f!8m2!3d47.8991837!4d1.9040231)**: a good crêperie in the centre of Orléans (eat in or takeaway) - **[Pastel’s](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pastel's/@47.9008038,1.9057911,17.55z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x47e4e4d3dfb6a651:0xa8837ac0e6b4596e!2sla+Petite+Absinthe+Cr%C3%AAperie+-+Bar+%C3%A0+Bi%C3%A8re!8m2!3d47.9012388!4d1.9058193!3m4!1s0x0:0x667c5419fbb85e95!8m2!3d47.9002537!4d1.9113294)**: a good empanada spot to eat on the go or take away - **[Oh terroir](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oh+Terroir+version+fast+good/@47.9012691,1.902794,16.52z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47e4e4d0350d10b5:0xbf75f428b2e93d79!8m2!3d47.8984694!4d1.9083162)**: the “fast good” place that saves you on a Sunday when all the restaurants are closed! Comforting homemade dishes (pasta, shepherd’s pie, burger…) - **[Aux palets d’or](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Aux+Palets+Or/@47.9012691,1.902794,16.52z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x47e4e5be42451753:0x8340bed8103c6a5f!2sLe+Comptoir+de+Mamie+Bigoude+Orl%C3%A9ans!8m2!3d47.8991837!4d1.9040231!3m4!1s0x0:0x4f03332eaec70dcc!8m2!3d47.9034278!4d1.9031296)**: our lovely find of the stay, an excellent patisserie where we went back three times ## What we thought of Orléans We enjoyed going back to Orléans for the second time. The city has a certain character with its historic centre and its major monuments like the cathedral. The big advantage? [The regional train journey](https://fnty.co/c/r-gGNzbOfb) which takes only an hour from Paris. If you have more days and a car, you can discover the surroundings which are worth it (Meung-sur-Loire, Beaugency, Sully-sur-Loire…)! **So we recommend this city if you are looking for a destination for a two-day weekend.** Need ideas for your weekends and holidays in France? Read [our articles about our beautiful country](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/en/destinations/france/)! ![Young woman on a footbridge in the middle of a russet garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/un-week-end-a-orleans-37-28f8d7a4.webp)