"Capital of the French Alps" a Grenoble Travel Page by vinc_bilb

Capital of the Alps and of the Dauphine, Grenoble is an interesting city, more interesting than it could appears after a superficial look.

- eart of the Alps: eleven museums, good cafes and restaurants
- interesting views (cable-car up to the panorama of the Bastille, (Grenoble fortress) Vercors, Belledonne and Chartreuse), architecture, ...
- and good ... food (could be expensive)

Grenoble city: a mix between past and future.
This is a flattest town in France, rounded by mountains, with the longest straight avenue (8kms)

Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, the capital of the department of Isère.
Population: 560 000 (2008) - whole metropolitan area (rank 11 in France)

Geography:
Flatt city, surrounded by mountains (Chartreuse, Vercors and the Belledonne) and ... twenty ski stations.
Transport:
- Easy access by plane from Grenoble-Isère Airport, Lyon or Geneva.
- Within Grenoble there is a comprehensive bus and tram service.
- Grenoble is served by the TGV network with frequent services to and from Paris
- Good road and rail connections to the north and west are good. An autoroute runs east up the valley towards the Alps and Italy. Connections to the south are less well developed (due to the mountains)
History
* -43 (BJC): First reference: (city name = Cularo)
* 1339: establishment of the University of Grenoble
* 1788: The Day of the Tiles (The first of the revolts which started the French Revolution).
* 1968: Winter Olympic games
* 1988: Creation of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (funded by 19 countries).
Education
* Grenoble has been a center of academic excellence since the 14th century
* A large international community (foreign students and foreign researchers), with international schools.
* Grenoble is a major scientific center (physics, computer science and applied mathematics, micro & nanotechnology...), including many fundamental and applied scientific research laboratories.
* Human and social sciences: an internationally ranked business school, (the Grenoble École de Management)

Science and industry
Grenoble is famous for its "Polygone Scientifique", one of the largest scientific research centers. The city has also many high-tech and world-renowned enterprises in the surrounding area.

Visit
* La Bastille: an old series of fortifications, visible from many points in the city.
* museum of Saint Laurent
* Palace of the Parliament of Dauphiné (a 15th-century building)
Do
* Hiking and climbing
* Skiing in winter
* Visit the mountain lakes ... during a hot summer day
* Admire the landscape.
* Explore the Bastille fortifications with the cable car and see the town from above
* Moucherotte mountain, the hardest (and best) way to see, again, the town from above, for hikers