Isère

• Alpes d’Huez

Geography

Isère is part of the current region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and is surrounded by the department of Rhône, Drôme, Ain, Hautes-Alpes, Savoie, Ardeche and Loire.

It has a diversity of landscapes. The plains and hills stretching as far as the Rhone valley has a very rich historical and cultural heritage, while further to the east the mountains rise up with a variety of scenery and activities that change from season to season.
Isère includes a part of the French Alps. The highest point in the department is the summit of La Meije at 3,987 meters. The Vercors Plateau dominates the west of the department. There are famous ski resort like Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes and spa resort as Allevard-les-Bains and Uriage-les-Bains.

Climate

Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes generally enjoy long warm summers which are colder in the higher Alps. Winters are cold with good snow cover as well as sun.
On average the Rhone Alps has twice as much rainfall as any other French region.
Autumn are usually best for sightseeing.

Towns

Grenoble benefits from a unique geographical location- at the crossroad of 3 mountain ranges: Belledonne, Chartreuse and Vercors. It’s a capital of the Alps which hosted the Winter Olympic in 1968. This beautiful city is a mix of modernity with historical treasure. On the one side there is the old town retaining the city wall dating back to the 3rd century and on the other side, lively modern part with visitor’s facilities. Grenoble offers a very rich cultural life, starting with several museums, following by theatre and continuing with numerous festivals. The places of interests not to be missed are : St Andre square, Notre Dame and Grenette, the old the old law courts and the Jardin de Ville and Dauphinois Museum.

Vienne is a beautiful medieval town, full of charm and character. Its region is steeped in history, with numerous remains dating back to medieval and Gallo-Roman times. Between the most beautiful places of interest is the ancient Vienne theatre, which for over 20 years has been home to the famous and prestigious Vienne Jazz Festival.

Activities

The “musts” of visiting in this area are: castle de Septeme, Notre-Dame de la Salette, Grand Sechoir, St Antoine Abbey and Choranche caves.
However, the most popular are obviously winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, telemark, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and free riding.
For water activities, there is choice between canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, rafting, hydro-speeding, boating and kite-surfing.
The other activities includes exploring the caves, horse riding, cycling, mountain climbing, mountain biking, paragliding and hang-gliding. There are also numerous golf courses including 3 in France’s top 15.

Gastronomy

Isère has a long tradition of good eating based on local produce and hearty recipes handed down through the generations. It produces the following cheeses: Bleu du Vercours, Sassenage and Saint-Marcellin.
Other popular specialities are: raclette, gratin dauphinois, raviolis, tartiflette, fondue and local smoked meats and sausages.