The city of Orleans is considered a gateway to the Loire valley, and is an excellent base for exploring the region's natural and architectural wonders. The region offers a number of outdoor recreations, such as cycling tours of the Loire, historic châteaux, and some excellent golf courses. Popular with Parisian commuters, Orleans is steeped in history and offers a vast number of monuments and architectural curiousities.
The city is perhaps best known for its heroine, Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc), the Maid of Orléans. It was in Orléans, towards the end of the Hundred Years War, that Jeanne managed to lead the lifting of the English siege on the city in just nine days. Her timber-framed house on place du Générale de Gaulle is now a museum, and the building is a standout amongst the modern stone façades of the rest of the square. There are a number of other monuments dedicated to the city's favourite daughter, including a Jeanne d'Arc learning centre, a statue in her honour, and a number of cafés bearing her name. The city holds a festival in her honour every year.
The Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans has been built and re-built many times since the 7th century, and is considered a centrepiece of the city.
The rose-coloured Hôtel Groslot, on the place de l'Etape, is a fine example of the city's Renaissance architecture and now functions as the Hôtel de Ville. The city is home to a number of historical, religious buildings. There are many to see, including the 14th-century Eglise Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance, named after the city's sailors who were safely returned home, and the 12th-century Collégiale Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier, which is the oldest church in the city.
Beyond architecture, Orléans has excellent shopping, with a focus on dozens of markets, offering books, antiques, flowers, local specialties and organic produce. There is a branch of the famous French department store Galleries Lafayette and a large shopping centre at Les Halles-Châtelet.
