South Isère
South Isère
This region encompasses the Matheysine, Beaumont, Valbonnais and Trièves.
Head southwards and gain a foretaste of the Mediterranean, among the forests and pastures of the Ecrins National Park.
The countryside is wild and unspoilt. One of its landmarks, the Mont Aiguille, was one of the birthplaces of mountaineering.
L'Alpe du Grand Serre
This small, friendly mountain village lies in an unspoilt wooded setting just a 30-minute drive from Grenoble at the foot of the Taillefer range.
There is something for all the family with downhill and cross-country skiing, theme-based snowshoeing walks and markets selling local produce.
> www.alpedugrandserre.net
St-Honoré 1500
Located close to the Ecrins National Park, overlooking the Vercors and Dévoluy ranges and the lakes at Laffrey, this new resort lies at the edge of a forest and offers outstanding views down on to the Matheysine plateau.
Chichilianne
A village resort within the Vercors Regional Park, at the foot of France's largest nature reserve and the Mont Aiguille.
Col de l'Arzelier
A family resort just 30 minutes from Grenoble, on the eastern side of the Vercors, within the Vercors Regional Park.
> www.col-de-larzelier.fr
Gresse-en-Vercors
Gresse is the highest village in the Vercors, at the heart of the French "Dolomites" and within the Vercors Regional Park. An unspoilt spot in an exceptional setting at the foot of the Grand Veymont (2341m).
> www.gresse-en-vercors.com
La Motte-d'Aveillans / Les Signaraux
A mid-altitude family resort just 30 minutes from Grenoble.
Laffrey / Cholonge
The village of Laffrey is located on the "Route Napoléon". There are some beautiful walks along this series of lakes on the Matheysine plateau.
Tréminis
The Obiou, the Tête de Lapras, the Tête de l'Aupet, the Grand Ferrand and the Tête de Lauzon all form a grandiose snow-capped horseshoe surrounding the village of Tréminis.
> www.alpes-trieves.com
Worth seeing
Monteynard lake
This lake is a paradise for windsurfers, who love its unique wind patterns, and it can also be explored on board a boat called La Mira, which penetrates deep into the canyons of the Drac and the Ebron.
Tel. 04 76 34 14 56
> www.lac-monteynard.com/
Route Napoléon
The route taken by Emperor Napoleon on his return from the isle of Elba cuts right through the Alps, from the Mediterranean to Grenoble.
There are a number of interesting places to stop off along the way including Corps, La Mure, the mountains of the Valbonnais and Beaumont, and the lakes at Laffrey.
Tél. : 04 76 30 20 61
La Mure railway
Take a ride on this train for magnificent views of the Obiou, the Mont-Aiguille, Monteynard lake. The railway, with its astonishing series of bridges and viaducts, is a feat of civil engineering.
Tel. 04 76 735 735
> www.trainlamure.com/
Notre-Dame de la Salette
This sanctuary lies in a cirque of mountains at a height of 1800 metres. It is France's second most popular place of pilgrimage after Lourdes.
Tél : 04 76 30 00 11
