A drive through the Vercors
A drive through the Vercors
Behind the steep cliffs of the Vercors and its Regional Park lie gently rolling plateaux with woods and lush valleys, accessed via some hair-raising roads.
As you leave Grenoble, stop off in Sassenage. Visit its 17th-century chateau and listed gardens, as well as the caves of Sassenage, home to a fairy called Mélusine. Head for the Vercors plateau via Furon gorge. The first stage takes you to Lans en Vercors, a village with traditional architecture which houses the Vercors Regional Park.
Continue towards Autrans and then Méaudre, famous cross-country skiing resorts at the heart of the massif. Along the way look out for numerous farmhouses with typical lauze-tiled gables and paths bounded by standing stones of lauze.
The tour now takes you to the Bourne gorge, a legendary road that plunges deep into the Vercors. A series of tunnels and overhangs carved out of the cliff bring you to Rencurel, then Choranche. Visit the caves at Choranche.
The next stage is Pont en Royans, a very picturesque village with houses that cling to the cliff face and seem to hang over the river Bourne. Visit the Musée de l'Eau (museum of water).
Return to the Vercors via the petits and grands Goulets, breathtaking roads carved into the vertical cliff face.
Back on the plateau visit Villard de Lans, a resort renowned since the 1920s for its exceptional setting and the health-giving virtues of its climate. Nowadays it is a family resort offering a wide range of activities all year round.
Return to Lans en Vercors and then St. Nizier du Moucherotte. This is the highest village in the northern Vercors. In commemoration of the fighting that took place there in World War II the village was awarded the Resistance Medal, and in 1968 it hosted the ski-jumping events for the Grenoble Olympic Games (warning: it is dangerous to go up close to the ski-jump).
Descend to Grenoble via the D106, and admire the breathtaking views of the city and the surrounding area.
Worth seeing:
The Pic St. Michel, from Lans en Vercors
The Grande Moucherolle (2285 m. high) from Corrençon
Worth tasting:
Bleu de Sassenage, a veined cow's milk cheese
Gratin Dauphinois, made of potatoes and fresh cream
