Savoie
Encircled by forest-draped cliffs, this intriguing museum explores the millennia-long history of the Grande Chartreuse monastery, 2km north. Thirty-odd…
Must-see attractions in French Alps & the Jura Mountains
Chambéry
With its four carved elephants, this 17.6m-high fountain looks like the model for an old Indian postage stamp. It was sculpted in 1838 in honour of…
The Jura Mountains
Get close to scampering chamois, Greenland huskies and wild horses on two-hour guided walking tours around this nature park in Chaux-Neuve, 25km southwest…
The Jura Mountains
Louis Pasteur (1822–95), who developed the first rabies vaccine and, of course, pasteurisation, spent his first three years in Dole. His childhood home in…
Annecy
Sitting on a triangular islet surrounded by the Canal du Thiou, the Palais de l’Isle has been a lordly residence, a courthouse, a mint and a prison,…
Chambéry
Geneva-born philosopher, composer and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a key figure of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, lived the happiest years…
The Jura Mountains
Nineteenth-century industry is paid homage in aptly vintage style, within this museum 14km south of Belfort. Before Peugeot was a household name, the…
Savoie
Locals take pleasure in hauling huge canisters to these outdoor taps and filling them with Évian water, straight from the source. The taps are framed by…
Chamonix
This diverting two-level museum allows you to wander through Chamonix history, from butter moulds and farming tools of yore to the dawn of the 18th…
Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de l’Isère
Grenoble
This thoughtfully curated exhibition presents the history of Grenoble's vigorous resistance to Italian and then German forces during WWII, with plenty of…
Besançon
The earliest parts of Besançon's cathedral date to 1127. Though heavily modified in ensuing centuries, following a 13th-century fire and the collapse of…
Chamonix
Beautifully lit collections of crystals, many from around Mont Blanc, are exposed within this small museum. The adjoining Espace Tairraz focuses on the…
Chambéry
Occupying a former corn exchange, Chambéry's grand fine-arts museum exhibits mostly 14th- to 18th-century Italian works. There's a particular emphasis on…
Grenoble
A run-through of regional history, from prehistory through medieval times to the 20th century, is presented within the atmospheric walls of the 13th…
Chamonix
Step directly inside the glacier at this tunnel of ice, reshaped every year for the past half-century, which sparkles with perennially recreated ice…
The Jura Mountains
Part-museum, part-tourist office, the Maison du Parc is an excellent place to learn about the Jura's flora and fauna, as well as browse old-fangled skis…
Savoie
Built in 1434 and once home to the Dukes of Savoy, this turreted and ivy-clad castle was restored to its former glory in the late-19th century. It has a…
Annecy
A pale sandstone church, Annecy's oldest, made all the more dazzling by the turquoise Canal du Thiou running alongside it. Step through the 15th-century…
The Jura Mountains
Baume-les-Messieurs' abandoned Benedictine Abbaye Impériale has an exquisite polychrome Flemish altarpiece dating from the 16th century (the time when the…
Annecy
Largely built during the mid-19th century after its 14th-century predecessor was damaged during the French Revolution, the Church of Our Lady of Liesse…
Grenoble
A cavernous glass-and-steel warehouse built by Gustave Eiffel has been turned into one of France's leading centres of contemporary art. Many of the…
Besançon
Dating in its earliest parts from the late 14th century and later decorated with Italian Renaissance-style flourishes, Besançon's town hall was gutted by…
Téléphérique Grenoble-Bastille
Grenoble
Hop into a clear-panelled spherical pod for dreamy views of Grenoble's red roofs and magnificent mountains on this cable-car ride up to the Bastille. Les…
Savoie
This 1st-century Roman temple – dedicated originally not to Diana, but probably a local Celtic god – is inside the town hall, a 16th-century château built…
Grenoble
The rose-brick rib vaults of Grenoble's elegant cathedral rise from the site of a 4th-century church. Its present form dates to the 1200s, though its…
The Jura Mountains
Louis Pasteur's laboratory and workshops have been preserved at his familial house, which still sports its 19th-century fixtures and fittings. Digital …
Chambéry
Due for a grand reopening in 2020, this museum housed in a Franciscan monastery was closed to undergo a massive renovation when we passed through. When it…
Musée des Minéraux et de la Faune des Alpes
Dauphiné
Glittering cases of minerals and natural history displays are given a lift by great lighting and original presentation at this diverting museum. After…
Dauphiné
Canyoning, abseiling and walking are all popular in the spectacular Gorges du Furon, carved through the Vercors limestone by the rushing Furon River. You…
Annecy
A former Franciscan chapel consecrated in 1535, Annecy's cathedral has a Renaissance-meets-Gothic style. Drawing attention from the unadorned walls are a…
Savoie
Built in Évian's belle époque heyday, this neoclassical lemon-and-cream spa now houses conventions and exhibitions. It hosts impressive temporary shows of…
Savoie
Once the summer residence of the Lumière family, of cinematic fame, this ornate French-classical villa became the town hall in 1927. During opening hours…
Besançon
Behind the chequerboard timber façade of this riverside gallery are ever-changing contemporary art exhibitions. The distinctive building, FRAC's home…
Savoie
The eerie skeleton of an 11th-century Cistercian abbey stands on this hilly site, accompanied by a visitors centre that illuminates the daily lives of…
Savoie
Built in 1911 in neo-Byzantine style, the domed Casino has 10 tables, 250 machines, two hotels and five restaurants at which to relieve your wallet of its…
The Jura Mountains
Near the Grottes de Baume, the Tufs waterfalls slosh dramatically over limestone boulders into the Dard River. There are picturesque walking trails nearby.
Savoie
Watch morning cheese-making at this working dairy farm – exceptional Tomme, Vacherin and l'Avalin (a strong-tasting, hard cheese made nowhere else) – or…
Maison des Jeux Olympiques d’Hiver
Savoie
In a suitably retro style, this ample museum relates the highs and lows of the 1992 Winter Olympics, hosted by Albertville. There are sparkling ice…
Grenoble
This modest museum, housed in the restored apartment of his maternal grandfather, Docteur Gagnon, celebrates the work of the author of The Red and the…
Chambéry
This former hôtel particulier (historic private mansion) has interactive displays on local culture on its upper floor. It's also the starting point for…
