In 1492, Joan of Arc, appropriately known as the Maid of Orléans, marched armies down this town’s cobbled streets to liberate it from a brutal seven-month English siege, rejuvenating French forces for their eventual victory in the Hundred Years’ War. Unfortunately, that might have been the last exciting thing to happen in Orléans. Now a quiet, sleepy town, Orléans has little to see and even less to do, unless you really love Joan of Arc. You could spend a pleasant daytrip seeing the cathedral and shopping in the traditional patisseries and boulangeries, but after that you should head back to Paris or onto the more exciting Loire Valley towns.