What are the best things to do in Grenoble?

This small town in the south of France is surrounded by mountains, making it ideal for pleasant walks! Its charming, welcoming streets are home to museums, tourist attractions and internationally renowned sites that trace its past and history. In this article, Navaway invites you to delve a little deeper into the abyss of what Grenoble has to offer, by discovering its top places to visit first.

Whether you’re a family, a group of friends or a solo traveller, Grenoble has a wide range of activities that are sure to give you a great time!

What to do in Grenoble

1. La Bastille

Category: €€€/Cultural/ Sporting

Description: If there’s one place to visit in Isère, it’s the Fort de la Bastille! Book your guided tour and explore this area accessible by the famous cable car “bubbles”, which overlook the city of Grenoble. This very pleasant place to stroll was built in the foothills of the Chartreuse Massif and is accessible on foot, by car and, of course, by bike. But be warned, the climb is no picnic (around 45 minutes to 1 hour)!

Between nature and culture, along the wooded paths where some of the remains of the old fortress still stand, you will plunge into a charming place classified as a “Zone of Ecological Interest”. It’s a perfect place for friends and families, as it’s been set up to host escape games and aerial courses. You can spend a whole day discovering and enjoying the activities, eating in a restaurant serving local specialities, and exploring the incredible flora that populates this ancestral land. Opening at 9.15am except Mondays at 11am, the Fort de la Bastille is located in the Jardin des Dauphinés.

2. The Grenoble Museum

Category: €€/Cultural

Description: When visiting a city, one of the best ways to understand its history and soak up its cultural heritage is to discover the museums it houses, right? The Musée de Grenoble is open every day from 10am to 6.30pm, except Tuesdays, and is located near Place Lavalette.

Created several centuries ago, in 1798, the museum is known to be the fruit of the French Revolution, when the city’s inhabitants were keen to be able to keep their paintings and other types of art that had been seized in their land. They therefore decided to launch a petition which, little by little, led to the creation of the museum. Today, it contains over 900 works of ancient, contemporary and modern art, accompanied by exhibitions that tell its story. Today, as well as containing a wide range of works of art, the museum’s tours are designed to raise awareness, awaken and tickle your artistic senses.

3. The Lion Fountain

Category: Free/Cultural

Description: If you take a stroll down Rue Saint-Laurent one day in Grenoble, you won’t want to miss the Lion Fountain on Place de la Cymaise. Made of bronze and Sassenage stone and inaugurated in 1843 at the foot of the Bastille, it depicts a duel between a white lion and a black snake, apparently inspired by a very old Dauphiné metaphor in which the lion represents the city of Grenoble and fights against the snake, which is none other than the Isère: at the time, the city was particularly subject to canalisation work to reduce the rate of flooding as much as possible.

This is one of Grenoble’s oldest fountains, and it pays tribute to the tenacity and courage of the ancestors of the Grenoble people, who, despite the difficulties, did not give in and demonstrated their bravery and heroism. Take the time to soak up the electric aura of the Fontaine du Lion and take a few souvenir photos to treasure.

4. The Saint-Laurent footbridge

Category: Free/Cultural

Description: 6 metres 70 wide, the Passerelle Saint-Laurent is reserved exclusively for pedestrians. Repeatedly rebuilt during the 20th century, it was built in 1837 from wood and links Quai Mounier and Quai Jongkind. An emblematic bridge for the city, it was destroyed many times when the torrential floods of the Isère ravaged everything in their path. Today, it is very safe to enter without risking falling off, and was once the one and only bridge over the Isère.

A landmark of the town, you can cycle over it and stop for a few minutes in the middle of the footbridge to admire the scenery. Distinctive thanks to its atypical shape, the bridge is known as the jewel of Grenoble, and stands proudly as one of the region’s must-see sights.

5. Stroll the streets and visit the Place Grenette

Category: €€/Cultural

Description: The Place Grenette? Back in the Middle Ages, this square was the venue for grain fairs (hence the name Grenette). Right in the middle of the town’s historic centre, it was mainly an area for festivities and laughter, where the locals liked to get together, eat and indulge in the fun activities typical of the time. Today, the Place Grenette has retained all its charm and has become a pedestrian area much visited by tourists: café and restaurant terraces, children playing hopscotch, a small Christmas market in December, grain and livestock markets, shopping in the nearby shops… It’s a great place to stroll and meet people. As a bonus, you can make a wish near the fountain “Le Château d’Eau Lavalette” made of Sassenage stone – it’s magical!