Sights in Grenoble
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Fort de la Bastille
These days, the strategic importance of Fort de la Bastille might have waned, but the city and mountain views it proffers are spectacular. Three viewpoint indicators explain the surrounding vistas (glimpse Mont Blanc on clear days) and panels maps out hiking trails, some of which lead down the hillside.
To get to the fort, hop aboard the riverside Téléphérique Grenoble Bastille. The ascent in egg-shaped pods, which climb 264m from the quay over the swift waters of the River Isère, is almost more fun than the fort itself. Unsurprisingly, it gets crowded in summer - leave early to avoid the worst queues.
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B
Natural History Museum
Can't make it out of town? Take a break from the cultural circuit and get in touch with nature at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. Alpine flora and fauna, a 'carnival of insects' and an aquarium are housed in an imposing neoclassical building overlooking leafy Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Garden).
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C
Centre National d'Art Contemporain
Housed in the city's other architectural biggie, Grenoble's Centre National d'Art Contemporain is a must-see. Considered one of Europe's leading centres of contemporary art, it is dramatically placed in Le Magasin, a vast and hugely impressive glass and steel warehouse built by employees of Gustave Eiffel. There are two exhibition areas - a permanent 1000-sq-m space with a huge glass roof called 'The Rue' and a flexible space of about 900 sq m known as 'The Galleries'.
Charles Saatchi would be green with envy.
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D
Musée de l'Ancien Évêché
On place Notre-Dame the imposing Cathédrale Notre Dame and adjoining 14th-century Bishops' Palace - home to Grenoble's bishops until 1908 - form the Musée de l'Ancien Évêché . The palace museum traces local history and takes visitors beneath the cathedral square to a crypt safeguarding old Roman walls and a baptistry dating from the 4th to 10th centuries.
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E
Grenoble Museum
Over museums? Don't miss this one. The sleek glass-and-steel Musée de Grenoble houses an exceptional out-of-Paris collection - its modern core is a revelation. A masterful Matisse keeps company with playful 20th-century ground-breakers by the likes of Klee, Chagall and Léger. Surrealists star (Magritte and Miró) and the abstract comes alive (Arp and Lewitt).
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F
Dauphinois Museum
Ever wondered who came before the tourists and students? The Musée Dauphinois documents everyday life in the Alps - culture, craft and tradition - and has a fantastic exhibition devoted to the region's surprisingly long skiing history. Set in a beautiful 17th-century convent and nestled at the foot of the hill below Fort de la Bastille, it's worth the visit.
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G
Le Magasin - National Centre for Contemporary Art
Charles Saatchi would be green with envy. A European leader in contemporary art, the recently renovated Centre National d'Art Contemporain has two large exhibition areas - a glass-capped permanent space called 'The Rue' and the flexible 'Galleries'. The whole thing's wrapped in a hugely impressive glass-and-steel shell designed by Gustave Eiffel's studio.
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H
Museum of Resistance and Deportation
This moving Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de l'Isère examines the deportation of Jews and other 'undesirables' from Grenoble to Nazi camps during WWII, and explores the role of the Vercors region in the French Resistance. Captions are in French, English and German.
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I
Archaeological Museum
The Musée Archéologique itself sits on a rich dig. Housed in a 12th-century church, it is atop an early Christian burial site. The highlight of the funerary complex, which dates from the 4th century, is the well-preserved crypt of St Ovand.
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