Orléans’ five-level fine-arts museum is a treat, with an excellent collection of Italian, Flemish and Dutch paintings (including works by Correggio, Velázquez and Bruegel) as well as a huge collection of work by French artists such as Léon Cogniet (1794–1880), Orléans-born Alexandre Antigna (1817–78) and Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), who spent some of his youth here. Other rare treasures include a set of 18th-century pastels by Maurice Quentin de la Tour and a self-portrait by Jean-Baptiste Chardin.
Signs are in French. Three brochures for children (in French) challenge them to find details and features of various artworks. Your ticket, valid all day, also gets you into the Musée d'Histoire et d'Archéologie and the Maison de Jeanne d'Arc.