Parc Floral de la Source à Orléans © Orléans Val de Loire Tourisme Parc Floral de la Source à Orléans © Orléans Val de Loire Tourisme
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A weekend getaway one hour from Paris

Looking for ideas for a weekend outing just 1 hour from Paris? Escape to the heart of the Loire Valley and discover Orleans!

Parc Floral de la Source à Orléans © Orléans Val de Loire Tourisme

A tour of discovery in and around Orleans…

If you wish to venture outside the city centre during your time in Orleans, you have a choice of 21 other towns and villages within the metropolitan area that all offer reasons to visit!

Go for a walk at the confluence of the Loiret and Loire at Pointe de Courpain, a small headland where you will also find an ancient alluvial forest and a section of the Saint-Mesmin nature reserve.

Also worth a visit is Parc Floral de la Source, just minutes from Orleans city centre. Set between the Sologne region and the Loire Valley, Parc Floral de la Source is named for its primary feature, the source of the Loiret, and boasts floral gardens, remarkable trees, a butterfly house and lots of other surprises !

Olivet, cultural heritage in the heart of nature… Following the river out of Orleans, you will come across watermills, the last remaining testaments to traditional livelihoods on the river now turned into houses, boathouses (the most famous of which—La Quétonnière—was built by Garnier, the founder of the eponymous opera house in Paris), beautiful riverside estates and much more!

Hop on a bike and pedal along the Loire all the way to Combleux! A charming fishing village that still bears traces of its glorious Loire heritage, Combleux is a perfect place to stop and picnic on the banks of the locks.

If you find yourself in Chécy, climb aboard a traditional boat on the Loire or hop on a barge to explore Orleans canal!

Balade en bateau de Loire © Orléans Val de Loire Tourisme
Terrain de golf d'Orléans Métropole © Christophe Mouton CRT Centre-Val de Loire

Jewels in the crown of Centre-Val de Loire

In addition to its must-see landmarks, Orleans includes a wider region that stretches from the Loire Valley to Sologne and Gâtinais. Set off and explore these wide-open spaces!

Want to get your golf on?

Take advantage of eight prestigious golf clubs in the lush Sologne and Loire Valley countryside just an hour from Paris!

What about extending your trip with a visit to one of the region’s châteaux?

Orleans boasts an ideal location in the Loire Valley, making it a perfect launchpad for a tour of the famous châteaux in Loire and Loiret. Several of them are even less than an hour from Orleans, such as the châteaux of Sully-sur-Loire, Meung-sur-Loire, La Ferté-Saint-Aubin, Chambord and Blois.

If these breathtaking properties have left you wanting more, visit the main sites around the Loire Valley and châteaux such as Cheverny, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Chenonceau, Villandry and others. For those looking for a more active holiday, bike the Loire à Vélo cycle trail to the sumptuous châteaux in the Loire Valley.

Vue aérienne sur le Domaine national de Chambord © Photos Drone Contraste

A weekend in Orleans for a successful city break!

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