Loiret is one out of six departments within the Centre region of North-central France. Its location is next to Paris Ile-de-France and Burgundy-Franche Comté. Its administrative centre is Orleans.
Geography
Located on the north-east of the Centre region, at about 100 km (62 miles) from Paris , the Loiret is surrounded by seven departments which include Yvelines, Essonne, Seine-et-Marne, Yonne, Cher, Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loire. It is crossed by the Loire River from the southern east towards the west, and owes its name to the Loiret River, which is a re-emergence.
History
The administrative department of Loiret was established in the year 1790 during the French Revolution. In the past, the Loiret territory, with Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir , belonged to the historical province of Orléanais.
Tourism
The Loiret favours contact with nature, as it is composed by nature reserves such as the Val de Loire, the Beauce and the Orleans Forest. There are many castles and museums to visit, and this area is host of the Parc floral de la Source in Orleans, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions. Even though the Orleans historical centre was partially destroyed in 1940, the city also offers numerous sites from its rich history, like the Cathedral or the Jeanne d’Arc’s house.
Gastronomy
Among the Loiret’s numerous gourmet products you can indulge in the andouille de Jargeau, the safran and the miel du Gâtinais (Gâtinais saffron and honey). You can also take pleasure in the Orleans vinegar and wines, the Olivet, the Pithiviers, which is an almond cake, the Olivet pear alcohol, the Montargis Praslines, and the Cotignac which is a quince jelly.
Useful information:
Tourism office in Centre:
www.francetourism.com
Maps of Centre:
www.ign.fr
www.viamichelin.com
Gites in Centre:
www.1000gites.com
Travel from the UK
By air: Ryanair flies to Tours and Poitiers from Stansted.
By rail: catch the Eurostar to Paris (Gare du Nord) and then connect with a TGV line to Le Mans, Angers, Nantes, Poitiers, La Rochelle and Angoulême from Gare Montparnasse.
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Centre. We have a large network of partners in Centre. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Centre matching your requirements.