France

Snow might be the go around Grenoble, but broad boulevards with fine architecture add an air of sophistication while gregarious students generate a big-time buzz. Nearby resorts and national parks offer mountains of fun while year-round music, art and good living make Grenoble worth a generous stay.

Before the 20th century

These days, it's highly likely that Grenoble's jumping social scene will give you a night on the tiles. Back in 1788, it was Grenoble's 'Day of the Tiles' that gave Louis XVI a headache - the explosion of a long-simmering people's revolt. Troops attempting to quell the hungry, disgruntled townspeople found themselves pelted with roof tiles from above. Clever climbers on surrounding rooftops were triumphant when their demands for a public meeting were met - a gathering which helped precipitate the French Revolution.

Before that pivotal event, however, the streets of Grenoble had seen a succession of power changes. Romans, Arabs, the counts of Albon, Burgundians, Franks and French kings all made their mark on this 'capital of the Alps'. Medieval Frankish kings laid the foundations of distinctive Alpine dialects, traditions and cultures. The title of the city's various feudal leaders, 'dauphin', gave the name Dauphiné to the surrounding region.

Long a strategic military stronghold, Grenoble became a 19th-century industrial powerhouse with a reputation for innovation. In 1834, local Xavier Jouvin came up with a glove cutting die that made for a precisely fitting product. The invention turned glove making, an old-time craft, into a big-time industry. Rayon, an artificial textile derived from wood pulp, was another big Grenoble idea, this time the brainchild of Count de Chardonnet in 1884. The Isère area churned out the cheap silk substitute and when synthetics knocked rayon out of the market much later, one factory in Grenoble was still producing viscose rayon using a turbine process; it's been a museum since 1989.

All set for industry in the 19th century, Grenoble discovered its other new vocation - tourism. The first holidaymakers made their way to the area around Chamonix and Mont Blanc in the 1800s.

Modern history

While German and Italian forces occupied the Alps during WWII, the mountains became one of the main strongholds for the French Resistance - partisans were particularly active around Grenoble.

Modern industry, huge urban development and large-scale tourism all contributed to the regeneration of the Alps in the post-war years.

Grenoble's boom-times brought prosperity - and babies! With one of the highest population growth rates in France, Grenoble exploded. In 1960, it had increased fivefold in one hundred years. Rapid expansion was countered by urban renewal - just in time for the 1968 Winter Olympics.

Opened by President de Gaulle, the Games were a roaring success but not without trouble. Critics picked at the separation of athletes into seven different villages.

During the 1960s, Grenoble also gained a reputation for social, artistic and technological innovation thanks to Socialist mayor Hubert Dubedout.

In the 1970s, the Grenoble Jazz Festival was born. More recently, a crop of museums, which demonstrate a well-developed sense of local lore, have opened and the city has had an outburst of interesting architectural projects.

Recent history

Elegant Grenoble has matured into the Alps' modern economic soul - it still lures Europe's top dogs with leading nuclear and microelectronic research institutes. The city is generally on the up, but locals can tell you about the downside - gridlock and serious pollution. As in other industrial valleys like Taipei, the smog tends to hang around. Transport and air quality are definitely on the municipal agenda - in 2006, Grenoble's tram network extended to 32km (20mi) and plans for a new line are underway.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

It can get nippy in the mountains but the weather down in Grenoble's alpine valley can be bliss. Stunning summer highs (June to early September) alternate with the often-white wonderland of mid-December to late March. Snow in nearby mountains can last until April.

Be prepared for healthy rainfall year-round - especially from September to November - and don't be surprised if the weather changes in a flash.

Average weather

• Temperature
• Rainfall

Transport

Getting around

Leave driving to the locals on Grenoble's tricky one-way roads - buses and pollution-free trams cover the city. Hail TAG services (www.semitag.com) from stops throughout the old town and at the transport stations on rue Émile Gueymard. Drivers and ticket machines dispense tickets; time-stamp these in the blue machines at stops before boarding. Get carnets of 10 or 20 tickets from the TAG counter inside the tourist office or next to the train station.

Trams run between 05:00-24:00; buses stop for the night between 18:00-21:00. For after-hours transport, call the taxi reservation line (04 76 54 42 54).

Car and bicycle rental companies operate beneath the train station. Otherwise, Rent a Car Système is opposite on place de la Gare.

Getting there and away

Grenoble-Isère Airport (www.grenoble-airport.com) is 45km (28mi) northwest of Grenoble. A clutch of budget airlines service London, Bristol, Stockholm, Warsaw and Rome. Shuttle buses (45min, four to eight daily) connect the airport with Grenoble's bus station.

Grenoble's transport hub on rue Émile Gueymard is 1km (0.6mi) west of the old town centre - you'll find train and bus stations and the Gare Europole tram stop side by side.

Bus lines including VFD (www.vfd.fr in French) and Transisère (www.transisere.fr in French) travel to Chambéry (1.75hr), Lyon St-Exupéry airport (65min), Chamrousse (1.25hr), Bourg d'Oisans (50min), Les Deux Alpes (1.75hr) and the Vercors ski stations. Intercars (www.intercars.fr in French) handles bus lines to international destinations.

Trains run to and from Paris' Gare de Lyon (3hr), Chambéry (1hr, 10-13 daily) and Lyon (1.75hr, five daily). Train tickets are sold at the station and in town at the SNCF boutique (15 rue de la République; Mon-Fri 09:00-18:30, Sat 10:00-18:00).

The A48, A49, N85 and N91 motorways converge on Grenoble, but driving into the city is almost as frustrating as motoring around its gridlocked centre.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

If you're planning to use Grenoble as a base for some alpine activity, it's worth thinking about safety. Avalanches pose an increasing danger in the French Alps. An accident in an isolated area can be fatal, so never ski, hike or climb alone.

Ski resorts announce the daily avalanche risk with signs and coloured flags outside ticket kiosks, at the base of ski lifts and dotted around the resort and slopes. Yellow means 'low risk', black-and-yellow checks mean 'heightened risk' and black is 'severe risk'.

Hors piste (off piste) skiers should never leave home without an avalanche pole, an ARVA transceiver, a shovel and, most importantly, a professional local mountain guide. Staying firmly on piste is safer still.

Essential surfing for snow adventurers is www.pistehors.com, an excellent English-language website devoted to French off-piste and snowboarding news. Henry's Avalanche Talk (04 79 06 16 58; www.henrysavalanchetalk.com), among other things, translates the daily avalanche forecast into English during the ski season and runs links to other useful avalanche-related sites.

At high altitudes, where the sun's ultraviolet radiation is much stronger (and is intensified by reflection off the snow), wear sunglasses and sunscreen.

The air is dry in the Alps. Carry water when hiking, and drink more than you would at lower altitudes. Be aware that hypothermia can occur after a long climb - sudden storms can cool you off quickly while enjoying the cold, windy panorama.