Grenoble: Sights and Excursions Around the Alpine City

With the upcoming extended holiday weekends, it’s high time I report on our trip to the French city of Grenoble, which is often called the “Alpine metropolis”. The name is not without reason: surrounded by the mountain ranges Vercors, Chartreuse and Belledonne, Grenoble is framed by an impressive mountain panorama. At the same time the city is green, youthful and—at least in my impression—also a little sleepy. Basically the perfect mix to set off on an exploration tour without constantly feeling rushed from one sight to the next.

Overview of Grenoble’s attractions

With around 160,000 inhabitants, Grenoble is the largest city in the French Alps, yet relatively compact. The Alpine metropolis packs a surprisingly wide range of attractions into a small area—from the city’s landmark, the Bastille with its impressive view, to the charming lanes of the Quartier Saint-Laurent, to renowned museums and a lively street-art scene. At the same time, extensive parks and the banks of the Isère also provide space for relaxed walks. Below I’ve compiled our tips from a three-day trip to Grenoble and the surrounding area.

My 9 tips for your weekend trip to Grenoble

1. Stroll through Grenoble’s Old Town

The Old Town with its winding lanes around the Place Grenette and the Place aux Herbes is about a 20-minute walk from the train station. On the way there you already get a first impression of the many facets of this city. In places abrupt stylistic breaks give the impression that Grenoble was largely rebuilt. In fact, this is less due to destruction. The city was largely spared such during its almost 2,000-year history. Rather, it was the 1968 Winter Olympics that triggered a comprehensive modernization program whose architectural effects still shape the city’s appearance today.

Today, Grenoble is considered a pioneer in sustainable mobility. As the first city in France, it adopted a climate plan back in 2005. Thanks to the consistent expansion of the bike network and tram lines, as well as traffic calming in the city center, it managed within ten years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter. They are to be halved by 2050. In 2022 these efforts were honored with the title European Green Capital.

An architectural highlight from the early 20th century is the Tour Perret in Parc Paul Mistral. It was built in 1924 to plans by the architect Auguste Perret and is considered the first tower in Europe to be constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. If you still remember my Le-Havre-Blogbeitrag you might guess why I didn’t want to miss this sight.

2. Take a self-guided street art tour

In recent years Grenoble has developed into a real hotspot for street art. Across the city there are now more than 200 large-scale murals and creative interventions in public space. Particularly exciting is that many of these works are created as part of an annual street-art festival that takes place between late May and early June.

Good to know: On this Google My Maps map the works are mapped and provide an ideal basis for an extensive street-art tour of the city center. More information about the Street Art Festival can be found here: Street Art Fest

3. Plan for more than a coffee break

On our trip to Grenoble we unfortunately had rather mixed, at times nasty weather and therefore spent more time than usual in cafés. Fortunately, Grenoble’s coffee scene is definitely worth seeing. Our favorites include the Tower Coffee, the Hono Coffee House and the Bom Coffee Shop – all three are centrally located in the city center.

4. Look down on Grenoble from the Bastille

We also weren’t lucky with the weather on our trip to the Bastille. To reach the fortress that crowns the city nearly 500 meters above it, a ride on the iconic “Bulles” is recommended. Since 1934 the cable car has run from the banks of the Isère up to the Bastille and is thus one of the oldest urban cable cars in the world. Once at the top you are rewarded with an impressive panorama over the city and the surrounding mountains—even under gray skies.

Good to know: The cable car generally operates from Tuesday to Sunday. Operating times vary depending on the day of the week and the weather. It’s best to consult the website of the Bastille Grenoble.

5. Explore the Quartier Saint-Laurent

Directly below the Bastille, on the north side of the Isère, lies the Quartier Saint-Laurent, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. When you stroll along the Rue Saint-Laurent, you might almost think you’ve landed in northern Italy. Here you’ll find historic buildings as well as many small restaurants and cafés (many of them with good reviews, though we didn’t try any).

At the end of the Rue Saint-Laurent, at the level of the Pont de Chartreuse, you’ll also find the Musée archéologique Saint-Laurent at one of the oldest points in the city. The museum is housed in a former church built over a Gallo-Roman necropolis, and shows the development of the site from antiquity to the present day.

6. Visit at least one art museum

With the Musée de Grenoble and the art center Le Magasin, Grenoble offers art lovers a veritable range of interesting exhibitions.

Founded in 1798, the Musée de Grenoble is one of France’s most important art museums and is especially known for its comprehensive and prestigious collection of modern and contemporary art. But among the rotating exhibitions there are also recurring highlights with international resonance. Since the early 1990s the museum has been housed in a modern building on the Place de Lavalette, directly opposite the Quartier Saint-Laurent. A visit here is definitely worthwhile. Around the museum, about 15 modern sculptures can also be seen on the Esplanade François-Mitterrand and in Parc Albert-Michallon.

Good to know: The Musée de Grenoble is open daily from Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM (Tuesday is closed). You can find more information here: Musée de Grenoble

West of the train station, on the banks of the Drac, the second river that flows through Grenoble, is «Le Magasin». The center for contemporary art (CNAC) is housed on a former industrial site, and in my opinion a visit there is worthwhile alone to see the impressive exhibition spaces.

Good to know: Le Magasin is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (closed Monday and Tuesday). You can find more information here: Magasin CNAC

7. Learn more about the city’s eventful history

History buffs should not miss the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation on Rue Hébert. The museum is dedicated to the history of the French Resistance, particularly in the region around Grenoble. Using photos, films, contemporary documents and personal objects, it impressively shows how resistance, repression and liberation were linked in World War II. The visit is worthwhile because the museum provides an in-depth insight into Grenoble’s eventful history. In addition, admission to all 11 museums run by the Département Isère is free year-round—this is one of them.

Good to know: The Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Monday is closed). You can find more information here: Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation

8. Embrace the savoir-vivre

In Grenoble itself the culinary scene is modest and—apart from tip no. 9— in my opinion not the decisive reason to make a trip to Grenoble. For example, the town of Annecy offers more highlights. Nevertheless, Grenoble also has nice small restaurants and wine bars, such as Influences Southwest near the train station, which is perfect for an extended apéro. And fans of unusual cocktails should note the cocktail bar Blind Pig as a must.

9. Plan a culinary excursion to Uriage-les-Bains

As I said, for all you foodies I still have a hot tip in the Grenoble area: Maison Aribert (partner link) in Uriage-les-Bains. Local top chef Christophe Aribert realized a dream here and comprehensively renovated a once-abandoned 19th-century villa in the spa town about 15 kilometers from Grenoble, adding a modern, sustainably designed annex.

Today the Maison Aribert combines haute cuisine with a consistently ecological overall concept: cooking is based on seasonal, regional products, often from its own garden or from producers in the surrounding area. We checked in for one night in one of the five suites and enjoyed an excellent menu the same evening in the restaurant awarded two Michelin stars. Definitely an address to remember for your next culinary short trip.

Good to know: From the tram stop Bibliothèques Universitaires you can get to Uriage-les-Bains by bus No. 23 in 20 minutes.

Extra tips for your trip to Grenoble

• What’s the best way to get to Grenoble?
  We traveled from Zurich by train via Geneva to Grenoble. With one change in Geneva, the journey from Zurich takes around 6 hours.

• When is the best time to travel to Grenoble?
  Grenoble’s special location especially comes into its own in the summer half of the year. I therefore recommend a city trip between the end of March and the end of October.

• How many days should I plan for Grenoble?
  The main sights can easily be explored in one day. If you want to allow time for museum visits, two days are ideal. Thanks to its location in the middle of the Alps, Grenoble also makes an excellent starting point for excursions and hikes into the surrounding mountain regions.

• Where to stay in Grenoble?
  We found the hotel selection in Grenoble rather modest and so we tested two accommodations: the Maison Barbillon right next to the train station and the RockyPop in the city center (partner links). Both were fine. The RockyPop is a bit more central for exploring Grenoble on foot. In terms of style we preferred Maison Barbillon a bit more. Pricewise the two are comparable—the starting overnight rate for a double room without breakfast in both is around 85 CHF.