The Grésivaudan valley

The river Isère flows through it over a distance of some 40 kilometres from the confines of Savoie down to Grenoble.

Louis XII was charmed by the scenery and deemed it "the most beautiful garden in France".

The tour starts 15 km from Grenoble, in Lancey with the remains of the first high-head falls built by Aristide Bergès, the inventor of hydropower.

The history of hydropower is recounted at the Musée de la Houille Blanche. In La Combe de Lancey (phrase coupée en deux) the 13th-century chateau houses the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions.

Continue in the direction of Les Adrets, fief of the famous Baron des Adrets, and then to Tencin and its feudal chateau.

20 km further on, after Goncelin, a former port on the river Isère, you will come to the homeland of Bayard, the "knight without fear and without reproach". Château Bayard houses a museum dedicated to the knight's feats of arms. Take secondary road RD9 towards Barraux, lying between France and Savoy. This fort was originally built to defend the border of Savoy and was later altered by Vauban.

Further on you will come to La Flachère, known for its glazed pottery, and the Château du Fayet, owned in the 19th century by writer and politician Gustave Rivet (not open to the public).

Now head towards Le Touvet, with its chateau and gardens. The chateau interior is richly decorated and the gardens include a remarkable Italian-style water staircase. In Monfort, the St. Hilaire du Touvet funicular railway climbs a vertical height of 800 m up the steep cliffs of the Chartreuse on to the Plateau des Petites Roches.

Return to Grenoble via la Tronche, where you can round off the tour with a visit to the Musée Hébert and its collections of modern and contemporary art.

Worth seeing :

Nature walk between Les Adrets and Hurtières

Bois Français recreation area at St.Ismier and Villard-Bonnot

Worth tasting :

Wines of Chapareillan (A.O.C. vin de Savoie)

Wines of Bernin (vin de pays des coteaux du Grésivaudan)