A day in Grenoble
Looking for a stopover point on our journey from the Costa Brava to Paris, we picked Grenoble for a couple of nights as it was close to the alps and would offer some different scenery to our outward journey.
So, we overnighted close to the city in a comfortable Ibis Budget Hotel which offered affordable accommodation for our party of six, with the intention of spending the next day in Grenoble.
On our drive into Grenoble, we weren’t optimistic about our day; we’d envisioned an alpine town in the mould of Innsbruck; but Grenoble was much grittier and had an industrial feel. An overcast day gave the city a slightly grey and grimy feel as we drove in slowly decreasing circles through the one-way system trying to find a suitable parking spot. A covered parking lot proved a challenge as it became obvious on driving through the entrance that the roof box atop the car took us over the height limit of the carpark. A quick reverse (detaching some cabling which hung below the entrance) and an apologetic wave as we continued our search – a situation which was resolved by finding some metered street parking a short walk from the city centre!
We had done a little research and discovered the Grenoble Alpes Pass – which offers 24/48 and 72 hour access to a number of attractions in the area. We decided against the pass because we didn’t feel that we would have enough time in the city to benefit from any savings, but it does offer excellent value!
We decided to head blindly for the cable car – which would take us up to La Bastille which stands atop a hill overlooking the city.
The Grenoble-Bastille cable car is the oldest urban cable-car in the world and operates throughout the year. La Bastille is also accessible on foot or by road, but the cable car is fast and offers spectacular views over the city and surrounding countryside. There are two restaurants located in the area of La Bastille, both a little pricey for our family of six – so we made do with waffles at the café which offers more affordable fare!
We checked out the activities that were available and the Acrobastille offered several activities for all ages. We booked the Tyros géantes for the three teenagers (15,17 and 19) – and despite the instructor being a little impatient (probably used to mountain folk who take to climbing like a fish to water) – they set off on the zipline and mini-ferrata adventure and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which looking back was one of the highlights of their vacation. At €15 per person for an hour of fun – it was excellent value!
The youngest (6 yrs.) didn’t want to miss out so we booked him on the Accrobranche Enfant which was a toned down indoor ferrata experience with a zipline at the end. He loved it!
We headed back down to the city and as the parking meter was about to expire, we decided to explore the local area and took a drive into the lower alps.
On leaving the Grenoble area the next day we vowed to return in the not-too-distant future, better prepared, and ready for more adventures and to learn more about the Route Napoleon!
