Nestled in a peaceful and lush setting 12 km from Grenoble, the spa resort of Uriage-les-Bains, very fashionable in the late 19th century, has been famous since Antiquity for its curative water. Today specialising in the treatment of rheumatic, dermatological and respiratory conditions, the spa establishment also offers fitness and well-being breaks.

The town is a lovely place to stroll around for the typical and eclectic belle-époque architecture of its hotels, villas and various other buildings. Walking enthusiasts can also choose from the very pleasant, 200-hectare Parc Thermal spa garden and the many footpaths departing from the resort.

The history-laden Château de Vizille, built in the 17th century by Lesdiguières, then supreme commander of the French armed forces, was the cradle of the French Revolution in the 18th century. It was here that the Assembly of Vizille (or Assembly of the Three Orders of the Dauphiné) gathered on 21 July 1788 to demand a meeting of the Estates General (a form of national parliament). The estate is also noteworthy for having served as the French Presidents' summer residence from 1925 to 1960. Today the property of Isère Departmental Council and open to the public, the château houses the Museum of the French Revolution dedicated to this turbulent period in France's history including a wonderful collection of works of art and objects.

The vast 100-hectare park standing in front of the château is a lovely place for a walk or family outing, and boasts formal gardens, a rose garden, a lake and canals and an animal park with deer, grey herons, swans and geese.

One of France's leading art museums, the Museum of Grenoble exhibits one of the finest collections of early, modern and contemporary art with around 900 works on display.

Initially based in a former Franciscan convent, dating from the 13th century and opened in 1798, it offers the general public a complete retrospective of western painting from the 13th to 21st centuries, with French, Flemish, Dutch, Italian and Spanish art represented by numerous masterpieces. A panorama of the main trends in contemporary art since 1945 and an archive of Egyptian antiquities documented by Champollion complete the museum's collection.

The present museum, which reopened in 1994 on Place Lavalette and whose architecture has been completely redesigned, is located in the immediate vicinity of the old quarters of town and is accessible from Place Notre-Dame. It borders the Isère, including the Albert Michallon Park which is directly connected to it and has become a sculpture park. You are sure to appreciate the brightness and the 7,500 m² of space devoted to the permanent and temporary collections, which are spread over the rooms on either side of a large gallery, designed to resemble an indoor street in broad daylight. The rigour, simplicity and clarity of the design, and the very pure geometry with its soft lines, have helped to raise the profile of the Museum of Grenoble, a true conceptual success at the service of Art.

The sheer scale of the museum's art collection may make it hard to organise your visit. Be sure to take a look at the departments of Antiquities, the 13th to 16th centuries, 17th to 19th centuries, contemporary art, modern art and graphic arts. Those who prefer a guided tour can choose from a wide range of tours for all audiences, individuals, groups and families, some of which are designed to build bridges between art, literature, poetry, music, dance, theatre and architecture. For children, there are "Wednesday workshops" all year round, on fifteen or so different themes, to understand, imagine, discover one or more works of art, and take part in a visual art creation workshop.

As the capital of the Alps and the Dauphiné, a university city, science hub and official City of Art and Culture, Grenoble has a long list of assets! Among its attractions are the old town, full of lively squares, mansions and picturesque shopping lanes lined with old houses; countless museums containing rich collections; relaxing parks and gardens like Paul Mistral park, Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Garden) and Île Verte park; and its stunning panoramic view of the surrounding mountains from La Bastille fort.

In the historic centre, don't miss: the pedestrian Saint-André square lined with café terraces and overlooked by the magnificent Gothic and Renaissance facades of the old Dauphiné Parliament building; Hôtel de Lesdiguières, a mansion opposite the charming Jardin de Ville where hundred-year-old trees grow; Place Grenette square, the hub of Grenoble life, with shops, restaurants and cafés; Place aux Herbes, a square with a little covered market hall where a market takes place every morning except Monday; Place Notre-Dame, for the 13th-century cathedral, Old Bishop's Palace Museum (Musée de l'Ancien Évêché) and Fountain of the Three Orders (Fontaine des Trois Ordres), which commemorates the 1788 events leading to the French Revolution.

In terms of culture, Grenoble offers a large choice of museums, temporary exhibitions and entertainment, including the Museum of Grenoble and its sumptuous collections of old and modern art, the Archaeological Museum, Natural History Museum, National Centre of Contemporary Art, Dauphinois Museum, Old Bishop's Palace Museum, Stendhal Museum, Isère Resistance and Deportation Museum and the Grenoble Automaton Museum. A host of very interesting places to satisfy a wide variety of tastes!

Located in the Taillefer mountains south of the town of Vizille along the Napoleon Road, the four lakes at Laffrey – Lac Petichet, Lac de Pierre-Châtel, Lac Mort and the big Lac de Laffrey – are an ideal spot to unwind and go on nature walks. A water sports centre and beaches with sun umbrellas and loungers at the Lac de Laffrey make it the perfect place to sunbathe, swim, windsurf, pedalo and fish.

Towering over Greater Grenoble from a height of 475 metres and accessible on foot or by cable car from the centre of Grenoble, La Bastille fort offers an absolutely exceptional panoramic view of the surrounding scenery: the Chartreuse mountains to the north, Belledonne mountain range to the east, Vercors mountains to the west and the city of Grenoble below! This key tourist attraction is especially worth a visit to see the stunning sunsets.

Built from 1823 to 1848 to defend the Dauphiné from an attack by the Duchy of Savoy, this former military fortress is today a cultural centre with exhibitions of contemporary art and the Museum of the Mountain Troops (Musée des Troupes de Montagne) dedicated to the environment and history of mountain soldiers.

Chartreuse Regional Nature Park (Parc Naturel Régional de Chartreuse) straddles the Isère and Savoie départements over an area of 69,000 hectares. The scenery consists of mountains, forests, limestone cliffs, gorges and Alpine meadows, making it paradise for nature lovers. Numerous sporting activities are available there in summer, from walking along the many waymarked footpaths and climbing, to mountain biking and hang gliding. In winter, the family resort of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, in the Isère, offers cross-country and downhill skiing, and snowshoeing.

The Chartreuse mountains boast many natural sites worth visiting, in particular Charmant Som summit for its stunning panoramic viewpoint (Belvédère des Sangles), Guiers Mort gorges, Pas du Frou (a dizzyingly high road dominating a precipice), Saint-Même cirque and the quiet and peaceful setting of Grande Chartreuse monastery.

The Park Visitor Centre (Maison du Parc) in Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse has lots of useful information for organising your stay in the Chartreuse mountains.

Located at 1,860 metres altitude in the Grandes Rousses mountain range in the Oisans, the ski resort of L'Alpe d'Huez is a renowned winter sports destination. Offering abundant sunshine, pure air, good snow coverage and 240 km of runs, the resort is paradise for skiers and snowboarders. Other reasons for its popularity include the 16-km La Sarenne run (one of the longest in the world!), night skiing, fantastic sports facilities, an outdoor ice rink, shops, entertainment and great après-ski spots.

Alpe d'Huez is also a fitness resort in the summer season, offering numerous activities like rambling, mountain biking, climbing, via ferrata, horse riding, fishing and pool swimming, to name but a few.

Well-known among cycling enthusiasts is the Alpe d'Huez ascent. This legendary stage of the Tour de France has 21 hairpin bends and is a challenge taken up by thousands of cyclists every summer.

The Château du Touvet stands in the town of Le Touvet in the Grésivaudan Valley at the foot of the Belledonne mountain range. A fortified house in the 13th century, then a country retreat in the 18th century, it is today a listed Historic Monument. Its 18th-century gardens figure on France's list of Remarkable Gardens and feature a lovely Italian-style water staircase bordered by embroidery box flower beds.

The richly-decorated château interior is also open to the public and contains collections of historic souvenirs, furniture and antique paintings.

Founded by St Bruno in 1084, Grande Chartreuse monastery is the head monastery of the Carthusian Order. It stands in the heart of the Chartreuse mountains near the village of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse in a magnificent, quiet and unspoiled setting.

This haven of peace and tranquillity is only accessible on foot, which takes 30 minutes from La Correrie car park. However, please note that only the surrounding scenery and the buildings' exterior facades can be admired: because the monks in the monastery are vowed to silence and prayer, it is not open to the public.

But you can visit the very interesting Grande Chartreuse museum located 2 km away in the La Correrie buildings, a monastery annex. Through exhibitions and its Gallery of Maps, the museum focuses on the history of the Carthusian Order and the lives of its monks and nuns, as well as Carthusian architecture.

A real natural citadel made of limestone, the Vercors Regional Nature Park, straddling the departments of Drôme and Isère, covers 206,208 hectares and culminates in the Grand Veymont, at an altitude of 2,341 metres. Created in 1970, it consists of 8 natural regions, which are the Vercors Drômois, Diois, Gervanne, Royans-Drôme, Quatre-Montagnes, Trièves, Royans-Isère and Piémont Nord. Rich in natural treasures, the Vercors Park stands out thanks to its diverse, wild and stunning landscapes. Tall limestone cliffs, deep gorges, chasms and caves, high plateaus, green valleys, mountain pastures and forests reflect an exceptional heritage.

Moreover, some impressive tourist routes run through it, like those of the Combe Laval and the Col de Rousset in Drôme, or the Bourne Gorges and the Écouges Canyon in Isère, which offer breathtaking views!

The great biodiversity of the Vercors Regional Nature Park makes it an exceptional territory, particularly rich in fauna and flora. Many animal species live there including 135 nesting bird species, 65 mammal species and 17 reptile and amphibian species. Mammals include large ungulates like the chamois, mouflon, deer, boar and Alpine ibex. When it comes to flora, the territory has 85 protected plant species and 75 orchid species. The Park also contains the biggest reserve of land in mainland France, the Hauts Plateaux, a truly unspoilt area since there are no roads or villages there.

To admire and make the most of this extraordinary countryside, the Vercors Regional Nature Park offers a wide range of activities. On sunny days, explore the paths on foot or by mountain bike. Thrill-seekers can opt for climbing, canyoning, caving or paragliding. In winter, the ski resorts such as Villard-de-Lans - Corrençon-en-Vercors and Lans-en-Vercors welcome you to go skiing down the many snowy slopes or enjoy lots of other winter pursuits.

Lastly, you can't talk about the Vercors massif without mentioning its significant historical past. This mountainous territory was indeed a bastion of the Resistance during the Second World War and was one of the most important maquis in France. Yet this heroic movement came to a tragic end in July 1944 when the Germans launched a powerful attack on the Vercors. A number of remembrance sites, like the Memorial of the Resistance in Vercors at the Col de la Chau pass, the Museum of the Resistance in Vassieux-en-Vercors and La Cour des Fusillés at La Chapelle-en-Vercors, welcome visitors to help them understand and never forget this dark period of history.

Les Deux Alpes is an international ski resort located in the heart of the Oisans mountains in the Alps, 70 km from Grenoble. It boasts a vast ski area with 227 km of trails and is known for its great sports facilities and atmosphere, varied entertainment, shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

It also offers a large number of outdoor activities in the summer: mountain biking, summer glacier skiing at 3,600 m altitude, climbing, walking, tennis, pool swimming, horse riding, bungee jumping and paragliding. A top destination for sports enthusiasts!

Located in the Upper Dauphiné in the southern part of the Isère département, the Trièves mountains are dominated by Mount Aiguille. Pastoral landscapes juxtapose wilderness in this mountainous region that writer Jean Giono described as a “cloister of mountains”.

The village of Mens, the capital of the Trièves, is a pleasant and interesting halt with its old covered markets and narrow streets, its Café des Arts decorated with frescoes dating from 1896 and a museum devoted to the history and heritage of the Trièves, covering both the area's natural and man-made attractions.

The Trièves is a wonderful place to relax and recharge your batteries while you enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities, from hiking and mountain biking to horse riding.

The mountain village and winter and summer sports resort of Villard-de-Lans enjoys an exceptional climate and geographical location at the foot of the Grande Moucherolle in Vercors Regional Nature Park. A popular family destination in all seasons and awarded the Family Plus label, it offers a vast array of sports activities: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter; and hiking, mountain biking, paragliding, climbing, canyoning and tennis in the summer. The resort also boasts a well-being centre and an aqua centre with a wave pool and slides.

The Côte 2000 cable car takes you right up to the ski runs in winter and to the mountain biking and walking trails and the paragliding launch point in summer.

Nestling in a very special natural setting at the foot of the Meije massif, the pretty mountain village of La Grave has preserved all its character: steep, narrow streets, stone houses and, at the top of the village, two religious buildings, Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church and Pénitents Blancs chapel. Walking around this unspoiled village is a real pleasure.

The Glaciers de la Meije cable car departing from La Grave takes visitors up to the Girose glacier at an altitude of 3,200 metres. From the top there is a fantastic panoramic view over the surrounding mountains, plus the possibility of visiting an ice cave in the summer period.

Lake Paladru is a beautiful 390-hectare, turquoise-blue glacial lake surrounded by wooded hills. It is a wonderful spot for relaxing or being active with a beach, swimming, pedalo and sailing, as well as lakeside walking and mountain biking.

Surrounded by mountains at an altitude of 765 metres, Lake Sautet boasts a magnificent natural setting. This wonderful 350-hectare reservoir located below the pleasant village of Corps offers a range of water-based activities including canoeing, sailing, pedalo, electric boating and swimming. Lakeside rambling and via ferrata are also available.

The Château de Longpra is a gem of Dauphiné architecture that nestles in a lush, green setting near the town of Saint-Geoire-en-Valdaine. It was rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of a fortified house for Pierre-Antoine de Longpra, a councillor in the Dauphiné Parliament.

Surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge, this listed Historic Monument contains refined Italian Neo-Classical-inspired interior decoration and magnificent parquet flooring made by famed cabinetmakers Hache.

Worth a visit is the Museum of Woodworking Tools (Musée de l'Outil à Bois), housed in the outbuildings, where a fine collection of 18th- and 19th-century chisels and gouges is on display.

Encircling the château is a landscape park with an avenue of two-hundred-year-old lime trees and a flower garden – a relaxing place for a stroll.

Located opposite the Meije glaciers and not far from the village of La Grave at an altitude of 2,058 metres, Lautaret pass is a road that takes cyclists, hikers and drivers from the Briançonnais to the Oisans regions. Particularly familiar with cycling fans, this mythical pass has seen the Tour de France pass through on many occasions.

Apart from the superb mountain scenery, there is the Lautaret Alpine Garden to discover (open summer only), a wonderful botanical garden home to over 2,000 plant species from the Alps and all over the world.

Dominating the village of Saint-Disdier, in the heart of the beautiful scenery of the Dévoluy massif, the chapel of the Gicons, also called Mère-Église (Mother Church), is a remarkable example of Romanesque architecture, with a lauze roof on top of the nave, thatched roof over the apse and a stone bell tower. The interior of this picturesque 11th-century building is home to wall paintings representing the Last Judgement.

In summer, this historic building regularly hosts concerts.

Pont-en-Royans is a charming and picturesque village in Vercors Regional Nature Park whose old houses overhang the Bourne. A good place to admire this unusual and particularly photogenic sight is Picard bridge or the river banks. Take a leisurely stroll along the river and stop to each lunch at one of the picnic tables or bathe in the waterfall.

Don't miss the Water Museum, a fun scientific and cultural space devoted to water in all its forms, including a water bar with no fewer than 1,500 bottles of water from all over the world!

Surrounded by high peaks over 3,000 metres high, the Valgaudemar valley, crossed by the turbulent Séveraisse mountain stream, is a wild and isolated area in Écrins National Park much loved by ramblers, mountaineers and fishermen.

Around La Chapelle-en-Valgaudémar, nature fans can admire stunning waterfalls like the Voile de la Mariée (bride's veil), Casset and Combefroide.

Also not to missed: Oulles du Diable, not far from the hamlet of Les Portes. This natural site offers an impressive show with the swirling water of the fast Navette mountain stream cutting its way through the rocks. A secure, dedicated footpath running alongside lets you appreciate its full beauty.

La Bourne gorges, located in Vercors Regional Nature Park between Pont-en-Royans and Villard-de-Lans, are a wild natural site best viewed from the breathtaking gorge-side road.

Don't miss stopping off at Choranche caves in the gorges themselves for their wonderful stalactites, two underground rivers, emerald-green lake and sound and light show presented in the cave chamber called the Grande Salle de la Cathédrale.

In the Drôme part of the Vercors massif, a spectacular road runs through some impressive limestone cliffs for around 4 kilometres. This is the Combe Laval road between Saint-Jean-en-Royans and the Col de la Machine pass. Opened in 1898, it was initially used for transporting wood but soon became a curiosity for tourists. Indeed, thanks to its location at the heart of a majestic cirque with breathtaking landscapes, the Combe Laval road is now one of the region's most unmissable attractions! Alternating between tunnels and open-air sections, it's the opposite of monotonous. Dotted with dizzying panoramic viewpoints, it offers splendid views over the Royannais landscape.

This famous Savoie knife, designed in 1890 by Joseph Opinel, is known all over the world today. In Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the Opinel museum explains the knife's history and how it is manufactured.