A day trip from Paris to Orléans, plus five things I loved

Aimee Boudreaux MacIver
1 day ago
3 min read

Updated: 13 minutes ago

If you haven't met me, here's one thing that captures a lot: I fiercely love New Orleans. My family tree started growing in this city before it even had a name, but I think I’d love her even if I had not been born here (a block away from our apartment, actually). When we led a recent pilgrimage through France, I was thrilled to finally meet the namesake of my beloved city: Orléans, France.

We came to Orléans in order to connect with St Jeanne d'Arc, who broke the siege of Orléans in a key event of her mission. Her presence lingers. You can visit the house where she stayed, the cathedral where she worshiped, and the small chapel where she sought Our Lady's miraculous intercession. You can contemplate Jeanne's breathtaking statue and gaze over the river that she and her troops crossed to victory.

So much good stuff, yet Orléans remains under the pilgrimage radar. Although France is an abundantly rich pilgrimage destination, many pilgrimages hit only a few classic high notes and leave incredible sacred places in Paris and her nearby cities undiscovered. One of my greatest joys in designing and leading pilgrimages is helping people encounter unexpected places that aren’t usually highlighted in guidebooks. Orléans is one of those places, and it's only an hour from Paris. If you're traveling to Paris, consider making an easy day trip to Orléans.

Here are five things I loved in Orléans:

1. It merged my two favorite places on earth. Besides New Orleans, the other place where I just feel like myself is France. Imagine my meta delight at being in Orléans. I immediately noticed the city streetcar—I'd love to say it was just like home, but their streetcar runs on a legitimately predictable schedule (imagine!). Some streets reminded me so much of the French Quarter's architecture. Also: could anything make this Mardi Gras queen happier than spotting New Orleans' motto laissez les bon temps rouler right there on a jazz club in the original Orléans? Finally: #whodat.

2. It's loaded with beauty and Church history. Y'all: just look at this cathedral! The soaring arches, the stained glass, the handpainted stone columns—utterly breathtaking. This is where Jeanne herself came for Mass, along with countless other historic figures. The city was built by the Romans, who called it Aurelianum (the root of the name Orléans). One of the Church's earliest councils convened here in 511. In 1306, Pope Clement V established the Université of Orléans, one of Europe’s earliest universities.

3. It felt intimate and personal, and doesn't try too hard. I will never tire of Paris, but France offers beauty and culture far beyond the limits of its dazzling capital. Orléans reminded me of how Assisi relates to Rome: a beautiful, intimate, glowy, and magical treasure just an easy day trip from a huge star. Orléans is not a city that tries to impress you—no flash or glitter or grasping at glory—it's just grounded and gracious, storied and sincere. We didn't have much time to explore, but I would return again and again to wander the soft ivory streets, old-world city walls, and half-timbered homes.

4. It houses one of Jeanne's favorite devotional chapels. It's so cool to realize that before they were saints, the saints did exactly what we do: pray at favorite spiritual places. The Église Notre-Dame-des-Miracles was half-destroyed in World War II, but still remaining is the 12th-century side chapel housing an ancient statue of Our Lady known for miraculous interventions. Jeanne loved coming to this chapel to pray, as she did before and after the lifting of the siege. Carved around the gorgeous stained glass is the Litany of Mary.

5. It's one the few places you can make pilgrimage with St Jeanne d'Arc. Jeanne's a tricky saint to find. Given the destruction and intended disappearance of her body, she has no tomb or shrine—just places linked to pivotal moments of her life. In Orléans, she's literally at the center of the city. I loved this massive statue, especially at dusk. You buy miniature copies of it (I did) at the cathedral gift shop and tourism office.