Orleans

Orleans was under English siege in 1429 when Joan of Arc arrived and the siege broke within nine days, a turn that made her reputation and gave her the name Maid of Orleans. The city has held the Fetes de Jeanne d'Arc every early May since 1430, one of the longest continuous civic festivals in Europe, with a young local woman chosen each year to ride in the procession. The cathedral of Sainte-Croix is Gothic in style but largely rebuilt from the seventeenth century after wars of religion destroyed it, with nineteenth-century windows telling Joan's story. A reconstructed house in the centre stands for the one she lodged in.

What you actually see

• Sainte-Croix cathedral - a Gothic-style church largely rebuilt after destruction.
• The Joan windows - stained glass narrating her campaign.
• The Joan of Arc house - a reconstruction of her Orleans lodging.
• The May festival - processions and pageant held since 1430.

When to go

Late April to early May for the festival, when the city is full and hotels book out. Otherwise April to October. The riverside is good for walking and cycling.

Honest expectations

The old centre was heavily bombed in 1940 and much of what looks medieval is postwar reconstruction. The Joan of Arc house is a rebuild, not the original. The city is workaday outside the festival.

Nearby

Sully-sur-Loire lies southeast; Chambord is southwest.