Orléans 2026: Crit'Air ZFE at Joan of Arc's Loire City
Orléans, France · ZFE
Orléans — the historic city on the Loire forever associated with Joan of Arc, who lifted its siege in 1429, with a handsome restored old town, a great cathedral and a riverside reborn for strolling — runs a Crit'Air ZFE (foreign cars included) with fines from around EUR 68 for cars. The compact centre is walkable with a tram. Park in a garage and walk; Orléans is the northern gateway to the Loire Valley and its châteaux.
Locally the zone is called ZFE-m Orleans (France) — that is the wording on the boundary signs, on the official portal and on any penalty notice, so it is the phrase to search for once you are there.
Next
- Check your own car against Orleans — enter your fuel and Euro class, get a yes or no in one step.
- Paris has a zone too — the nearest one to Orleans, and the rules are not identical.
- If a fine arrives after you get home — who pays on a hire car, and what is actually enforceable across borders.
Can your car enter Orléans?
Orléans has run a Crit’Air ZFE since 2025, fining cars from EUR 68 without the windscreen sticker. The city is forever tied to Joan of Arc, who lifted the English siege here in 1429 during the Hundred Years’ War, an event still celebrated each spring. Park in a garage or ride the tram to the restored old town and cathedral, then use the city as the northern gateway to the châteaux of the Loire Valley.
This page covers driving around Orléans. For the emission classes and zone boundary, see the Orléans ZFE details.
Crit’Air, park and walk (or tram)
Order the Crit’Air sticker ahead (certificat-air.gouv.fr); without it the ZFE fine is from EUR 68. Park in a garage or park-and-ride and walk or take the tram to the cathedral, the Place du Martroi (with Joan’s statue) and the riverside. France’s limits: 50 km/h urban, 0.05% alcohol.
Gateway to the Loire châteaux
Orléans is the northern entry to the Loire Valley — Chambord, Cheverny, Blois — and the Loire à Vélo cycle route. Keep the car for the châteaux, driven from a central garage. Paris is an hour by train.
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
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Winter tyres in France — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in France whenever conditions are wintry — 1 Nov - 31 Mar (mountain law, designated departments).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — France sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: M+S or 3PMSF
- Studded tyres: restricted
- Penalty: Not published by the French authorities. Note: the obligation is only enforceable where the B58/B59 signs have actually been installed (Code de la route art. D. 314-8).
In French the rule is pneus hiver, and snow chains are chaînes à neige — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Verified against national legislation, August 2026 · Full France tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Orléans's ZFE requires a Crit'Air windscreen sticker for all cars, including foreign-registered ones, with the most polluting classes restricted. Order it ahead from the official site (certificat-air.gouv.fr), as it arrives by post. Driving in the zone without a valid sticker risks a fine from around EUR 68 for cars. The walkable centre and tram mean most visitors park on the edge and walk or ride in.
Orléans is the city Joan of Arc famously relieved in 1429, lifting the English siege during the Hundred Years' War, a turning point that earned her the title 'the Maid of Orléans'. The city celebrates her every spring with the Fêtes de Jeanne d'Arc festival, and you can visit a reconstruction of the house where she stayed and see her statue in the main square. Her story is woven through the restored old town, best explored on foot.
Use a central garage or a park-and-ride on the tram and ride in. Orléans has a tram network and a compact, restored centre around the cathedral, the Place du Martroi and the riverside. Parking once and walking or taking the tram avoids the ZFE and the city-centre traffic, and puts the old town and the Loire riverfront within easy reach.
Yes — it's the northern gateway to the Loire Valley, within reach of châteaux like Chambord, Cheverny and Blois, and the river itself with its cycle route (the Loire à Vélo). A car is genuinely useful for touring the châteaux, which are spread along the valley, parked centrally when you're in the city. Orléans is also close to Paris, about an hour by train.
Not for the city — the compact centre and tram cover it, and Orléans is an hour from Paris by train. A car helps for the Loire Valley châteaux and the river country — Chambord, Cheverny, Blois and beyond — driven from a central garage rather than used in the ZFE-bound centre. The Loire cycle route is also a fine car-free way to explore the valley.
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