Grenoble
With snowy mountain peaks as its backdrop and a Winter Olympics in its past, Grenoble has earned its title as “the Capital of the Alps.” Its 158,000 inhabitants and large student population have established the capital of the Isère department as an energetic center for mountain sports as well as academia.
There is convenient bus access to many alpine ski resorts, including Deux Alpes, Villard de Lans, Chamrousse, and Alpe d'Huez. Founded in 1339, the Université de Grenoble now boasts 50,000 students and has helped to establish the city as a major center for research, especially in science.
Two rivers, the Isère and the Drac, wind through Grenoble and the Fontaine du Lion at the Place de la Cimaise anthropomorphizes the two waterways with a statue of a lion (the Drac) grappling with a snake (the Isère).
With opportunities for snowshoeing, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, and climbing, nature is a large part of the local culture. For a panoramic view of the city and the French Alps, La Bastille, a 19th century fortress, can be reached by hiking or by cable car.
Grenoble also has a presence in arts and literature through museums and festivals. The city is the birthplace of 19th century French novelist Stendhal, most famous for Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme, and the Bibliothèques Municipales de Grenoble has a collection of his manuscripts. Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau also spent time living in Grenoble.
Today, the Musée de Grenoble exhibits fine, contemporary, and modern art, the Musée de la Resistance explores the history of the French Resistance during WWII, and Le Magasin hosts art exhibitions in a converted industrial space.
The Grenoble Jazz festival held each March offers two weeks of music in bars and venues across the city.
For a midday coffee, pre-dinner apéro, or evening cocktail, there are cafés, bars, and pubs scattered throughout the center of town between Place Grenette and Place Notre-Dame.
Restaurants and eating out in Grenoble
While pizza, kebabs, and sandwiches are plentiful in Grenoble, it also offers a diverse selection of quality restaurants. French Alps specialties like Raclette, a dish customers make at the table with cheese, potatoes, meat, vegetables, and a grill, can be tasted at La Ferme à Dédé and traditional fondue can be found at La Fondue. For more international flavors there is Indian food at Punjabi Dhaba and Le Bombay, as well as Lebanese at Le Cèdre, Italian at Ciao A Te, Japanese at Osaka, and Eastern European at Le Tchoutchoura.
Grenoble’s walnuts are celebrated, so be sure to buy a pastry made with walnut cream at a boulangerie. You can also buy a bottle or have a glass of Chartreuse, a liqueur made from herbal extracts and named for the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the mountains outside of town.
Getting around Grenoble is easy with the four-line tram and extensive bus service. The train station is centrally located and it is possible to walk to most major attractions. As one of the flattest European cities, it is also an option to bicycle. There is lodging for all budgets, from the upscale Park Hôtel Grenoble, to the midrange Hôtel Ibis Grenoble Centre, to the backpacker and student friendly Echirolles Auberge de Jeunesse.
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Places to visit near Grenoble, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Grenoble.
See also Grenoble (version Francais)
