A privileged land for the tourist discovery, gateway to the Loire Valley, the Loiret does not do in uniformity. In the Loiret, there is Jeanne d'Arc and the Sologne ... but there are also Colette, Voltaire or Charles Péguy, majestic castles, gourmet shops and ingenious wines, fun flea markets and trendy accommodation ...
Far from the pictures of Epinal which also have their charm, the Loiret invites you to discover its true nature : a sparkling and authentic countryside rich of addresses of charm with the forest or the borders of the Loire by way of neighborhood, elegant. Not to forget the riches of Orleans or towns and villages of character ... Take the key to the fields only 1h30 south of Paris, in a preserved, true, intimate, surprising and racy place where it is good to dawdle, visit and discover ...
Local specialties
A land of wealth, which is at the origin of a tourist land : the Loiret constitutes part of the granary of France (thanks to the famous Beauce and the market gardening crops of Orléanais).
La Beauce, a cereal land : colza oil, cereals and flour for cooking, but also saffron (Boynes was the European capital of saffron in the 20th century - saffron museum in Boynes), once again cultivated by saffron trees in the Loiret.
A fertile land also thanks to the old bed of the Loire : Loire Valley vegetables : asparagus, watercress, red beets - Loire wines : 2 vineyards AOC: coteaux du Giennois and Orléans-Cléry - Fruits of the Orléanais : apples , Pears, Olivet cherries, Orleans strawberries.
Specialties : Orléans mustard and vinegar, Gâtinais saffron, Orléans cotignac (Orlean quince jelly), Orléans fruit macaroons, Olivet pear (In bottle from a very young age, on the tree), the award-winning Arlicot, beers such as the Belle de Loing, the Johanna and the Octopus ...
A land of undergrowth : Wild mushrooms, berries, game...
Major events and venues
MAIN EVENTS :
A destination full of festivities and events (music festivals : Sully and Loiret in May, Orléans jazz in June, Cléry-St-André's Son & Lumières, Loire Festival in Orleans in September 2017, vegetable festivals throughout of the year,…)
PLACES OF UNCONTOURABLE VISITS :
St Brisson-sur-Loire Castle (defensive fortress of the XIIth century, its war machines and warrior art of the Middle Ages), Sully-sur-Loire Castle (former property of the Duke of Sully, Meung-sur-Loire Castle (one of the oldest castles of the Loire, residence of the bishops until the Revolution), Beaugency Castle, having belonged to Jean de Dunois, companion of Jeanne d'Arc, La Bussière Castle (and its gardens) and Chamerolles (and its perfume museum), La Ferté St Aubin Castle in Sologne.
History of France, including : The Marine of Loire, the Museum of the Navy of the Loire and the vinegars of Orléans.
A rich religious heritage, with : The Abbey of St Benoit-sur-Loire, the Cathedral of St Croix d'Orléans, the basilica of Cléry-St-André, Germigny-des-Pres, Ferrières-en-Gâtinais Abbey .
Some fifty museums in Loiret, on various themes, such as : Art notably with the rich Museum of Fine Arts of Orleans, which possesses a remarkable pastels cabinet, the second richest cabinet in France after that of the Louvre , Art crafts with the museum of the earthenware of Gien, circus and fairground arts, souvenir (museum of the resistance, CERCIL).
A "green" destination appreciated for its preserved environment (eg the greenway along the Orléans canal with the Buges site at the crossroads of the canals of Orleans, Briare and Loing, and the current site of the Belle Of Grignon, at Grignon, the meander of Guilly, countryside maintained and alive, bocages ...).
3 canals in Loiret (Canal du Loing, Canal d'Orléans, canal lateral to the Loire) with the rental of barges (without license), the charming town of Briare, its canal bridge and its enamels.
The Loire à Vélo : 155 km of cycling routes, between Chatillon-sur-Loire and Tavers.
Many leisure activities to be practiced in Loiret (river cruises, golf courses, cycling or walking tours, canoeing, hot-air ballooning, ...).
Vegetal charm of the Loiret : The largest national forest of France (massifs of Orléans-Lorris-Ingrannes), north of the Loire. Beyond the Loire, another forest, the Sologne, with private lands sheltering more than 3000 ponds.
A range of fifteen private and public parks and gardens, some of which are labeled "Gardens remarquables".
Hiking : More than 4,600 km of hiking trails are signposted in the Department.
