bmibaby - Destinations: Grenoble

best hidden gem:
Auberge Les Allières
There’s a reason the little chalet restaurant of Les Allières is such a well-kept local secret – you have to be as fit as the locals to get there! Situated at an altitude of 1476m in the heart of the Vercors national park, half an hour’s drive from the city, the restaurant is only accessible by a 20-minute ski or walk! However, your efforts will be rewarded by a medley of Dauphinoise delights, including raclette, tartiflette and walnut tart, while live musicians play around the fireplace in the cosy, Alpine-style dining room. The trek back by moonlight also serves as an efficient digestif!
Where > Auberge-Refuge des Allières, Lans-en-Vercors, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 94 32 32. view map
Website > www.aubergedesallieres.com

best free drink:
Caves de Chartreuse
One of the best specialities to come out of the Grenoble area has to be Chartreuse. The acid-green blend of mountain plants, herbs and alcohol has been distilled by Carthusian monks since the 16th century, and the recipe is still a closely guarded secret today. The distillery in Voiron, about 25km north of Grenoble, is open all year to visitors, and tells the story of the famous liqueur, illustrated with a free tasting or three at the end – depending on your guide! Be sure to take a bottle back with you – a drop of Chartreuse in a mug of hot chocolate makes the famous ‘green chaud’, a great après-ski winter warmer!
Where > Chartreuse Diffusion, 10 Boulevard Edgar-Kofler, Voiron, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 05 81 77. view map
Website > www.chartreuse.fr

best mountain spa:
Espace Loisirs Vaujany
The Alps are well-known for hydrotherapy – this is the region that gave us Evian after all. But to avoid both inflated prices and crowds, head for the spa in Vaujany, a charming ski village in the Belledonne mountains, 45 minutes from Grenoble. Housed in a huge wooden chalet with floor-to-ceiling windows, and with an affordable tariff for its health suite, pool, sauna, hammam and Jacuzzi, both you and your wallet can relax against the rugged backdrop of the Grandes Rousses peaks. Bag a sun-lounger around the pool, from where you can watch skiers being winched several hundred metres up the mountain in cable cars to the Alpe d'Huez ski station!
Where > Piscine Espace Loisirs, Vaujany, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 79 83 83. view map
Website > www.vaujany.com

best cultural coffee:
Café de la Table Ronde
For a real taste of old-time France, pull up a chair at Café de la Table Ronde – the second oldest café-brasserie in France. Established in 1739, it was the literary and cultural meeting place of the Dauphinoise capital, where celebrated composer Antoine Renard wrote the music to the famous revolutionary hymn, Les Temps des Cerises, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Stendhal and other native philosophers came to pen their masterpieces over a coffee! Situated in Place St André in the heart of the historical city centre, next to the Gothic façades of the ancient Palais de Justice, La Table Ronde is one of the best places to people-watch and muse over the beautiful architecture.
Where > Café de la Table Ronde, 7 Place St André, Grenoble, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 44 51 41. view map

best underground experience:
Cuves de Sassenage
Formed around 1.5 million years ago, the Cave of Sassenage is a huge underground network of galleries, lakes and waterfalls, just 10 minutes from Sassenage village on the north-west side of Grenoble. Linked to the famous Gouffre Berger cave, Sassenage is a world-renowned caving spot in its own right. If you’re not speleologically-minded though, the tour is an ideal initiation to the site’s spectacular stalagtites and stalagmites. The visit includes a music and light show held in a huge underground chamber overlooking a lake, and tells the story of the fairy Melusine, who, according to myth, fled to the caves after being turned into a snake by her mother.
Where > Cuves de Sassenage, Sassenage, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 27 55 37. view map
Website > www.sassenage.fr

best local market:
Marché de l’Estacade
For the sheer eclectic mix of local wares, the Estacade market is not to be missed. Held every morning (except Mondays) between 6am and 1pm, it takes place under the SNCF railway bridge, on the city’s long Avenue de Vizille. You’ll find it by the bright marketplace mural painted on the wall, if the delicious smell of fresh bread, olives and pastries doesn’t pull you in first! The produce is all organic and locally sourced, while you can unearth some treasure-trove finds at the vintage clothes stalls or hover over beautifully crafted artisanal objets. If you fancy practising your French, the lively and inquisitive vendors won’t hesitate to get you talking!
Where > Avenue de Vizille, 38000 Grenoble, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 76 37 74. view map

best adrenaline rush:
Ice diving in Chamrousse
If you’ve exhausted all the skiing and snowboarding pistes at Chamrousse, Grenoble’s nearest ski station, why not try the high-octane alternative – diving under the mountain’s frozen lake! If you’re brave or hot-blooded enough to swim under the thick swathes of ice in the Lac Robert, you’ll get the chance to discover the mysterious lights, bubbles and colours hidden in the ice formation. Beginners’ individual dives start from €70 including equipment hire, and the qualified instructors speak English and French. Take the cable cars from Chamrousse ski station up to the diving school at 2000m.
Where > 42 place de Belledonne, Chamrousse, Tel: +33 (0)6 16 96 71 73. view map
Website > www.divextreme.fr

best night of hot sax:
La Soupe aux Choux jazz club
After all that skiing, if you fancy heating things up with a night out, the Soupe aux Choux (yes, cabbage soup!) jazz club is a great little live music venue and restaurant on the northern edge of the city. The club originated in 1982 and five nights a week it hosts local and national jazz players like Charley Stomp and the So’ Quintet to a spicy menu of chilli con carne, charcuterie, smoked salmon gratin and salads. With all styles of jazz represented, from bossa nova to blues via swing and New Orleans, and an impressive cocktail menu to boot, satisfaction is guaranteed!
Where > La Soupe aux Choux, 7 route de Lyon, Grenoble, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 87 05 67. view map
Website > www.jazzalasoupe.free.fr

best meal with a view:
Chez le Pèr'Gras restaurant
A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, the recently refurbished Chez le Pèr'Gras restaurant sits proudly on the top of Grenoble’s most famous landmark – the 16th-century Bastille hill fortification, which overlooks the entire city, and the Mont Blanc on a clear day. The trip up the mountain via the city’s famous spherical cable cars will whet your appetite, which is just as well considering the culinary history of the Pèr’Gras. The restaurant has been passed down the generations since the Gras family first arrived at the Bastille in the mid-19th century, serving home-grown produce from its farm. Today, chef Laurent Gras continues in the family tradition, serving up gastronomic wonders ranging from trout cooked in almonds to chevreau with morilles, fois gras and gratin Dauphinois. Enjoy a glass of red from the impressive wine cellar while the sun goes down and the city lights up.
Where > Restaurant Chez le Pèr'Gras, Glacis de la Bastille, La Tronche, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 42 09 47. view map
Website > www.restaurant-grenoble-gras.com

best new snow sport:
Kite-skiing in Autrans
Being around 300km away from the ocean, Grenoble isn’t the first place that springs to mind for water-sports. Don’t let that fool you, kite-skiing is a relatively new snow sport that combines the best of windsurfing and skiing – if you manage to keep your kite in the air and your skis in a straight line! The sport has become more and more popular, especially in Autrans, a ski station village 34km west of the city. Situated on a plateau in the Vercors regional park – France’s largest natural reserve – the village boasts a huge kite-ski piste, with a north-south position to catch the wind. Environmentally-friendly company Gliss Kite will provide you with kites ranging from 3.8 sq m to 12 sq m, and its qualified instructors offer four-hour sessions for beginners including initiation, piloting skills, safety training and, of course, that first wind-powered glide across the snow!
Where > Gliss Kite, Les Gounons, Barcelonne, Tel: +33 (0)6 61 435 423. view map
Website > www.gliss-kite.fr