15 Best Sights in Lyon and the Alps, France

This 12,619-foot granite peak is topped with a needle-like observation tower, terrace, and restaurants. The world's highest cable car soars 12,000 feet up, almost to the top (an elevator completes the journey to the summit), providing positively staggering views of 15,700-foot Mont Blanc, Europe's loftiest peak. Be prepared for a lengthy wait, both going up and coming down—and wear warm clothing.

Lyon has spent the last 15 years spiffing up 5 km (3 miles) of its Berges du Rhône waterfront via pedestrian-only walking paths and cycling routes that take you past water gardens, meadows, sunning decks, petanque pitches, and a slew of lively bars and cafés all enjoying fabulous views and cool breezes over the Rhône. Open year-round, this is a big summer hot spot for the Lyonnais, who flock here after work to jog, picnic, and simply bask in the warm weather. For a map of the Berges areas, stop in at the tourist office at Place Bellecoeur or have a look online.

This cooperative of Rhône winemakers is a pioneer in sustainable wine making and boasts some of the region's most prestigious vintages. The cave (wine cellar) offers a wide range of tastings in a friendly atmosphere, plus outdoor wine and food experiences, including cycling through the vineyards. The boutique also carries a mind-boggling selection of Rhône appellations. Friendly wine experts are on hand to guide you to the best vintages to taste and buy.

The exterior of the magnificent Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard is the stuff of fairy tales (so much so that Walt Disney modeled his version of Sleeping Beauty's castle on it); the interior is even better. The castle's medieval rooms—many adorned with tapestries, Romanesque frescoes, Netherlandish sideboards, and heraldic motifs—have been lovingly restored by the owner, who can trace his ancestry directly back to Saint-Bernard himself. All in all, this is one of the loveliest dips into the Middle Ages you can make in all of Europe. You can get a good view of the castle by turning onto the Thones road out of Veyrier.

Literally, the "sea of ice," the Mer de Glace glacier can be seen up close from the Train du Montenvers, a cogwheel mountain train that leaves from behind the main train station. At the top end of the track, you can mount yet another transportation device—a mini téléphérique (cable car) that suspends you over the glacier for five minutes. You can also venture into the grotte de glace (ice cave) and the Glacorium, an interactive space recounting the glacier's formation and history. The hike back down is an easy two-hour ramble.

This futuristic glass-and-stainless-steel museum—an architectural extravaganza designed by the Austrian firm Coop Himmelblau—attempts an ambitious and sweeping three-part overview of anthropology, ethnology, and the natural sciences. Dramatically set at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers and meant to reflect both sky and water, the building was designed to harmonize with the landscape, and its soaring interior gracefully interacts with an assemblage of pedestrian walkways, boutiques, cafés, and restaurants below. One of Lyon's most engaging and fascinating museums, visitors can spend an hour or an afternoon exploring the superb permanent collection and a range of multifaceted exhibits on subjects as varied as the origins of the universe to the question of an afterlife. The museum bookshop is a pleasure to browse and there are several appealing contemporary in-museum restaurants for lunch, dinner, or a quick snack.

One of France's most extensive collections of decorative arts and the world's largest textile collection—spanning 4,500 years and comprising nearly 2 million pieces—has now added a shimmering €60 million addition by French architect Rudy Ricciotti, a third building to the museum's two 18th-century structures. The undulating glass and concrete tower combines light and transparency to convey the delicacy and movement of the historic fabrics that document Lyon's once-flourishing silk industry, from the Renaissance period to its 20th-century demise. Other highlights include Asian tapestries from as early as the 4th century, Turkish and Persian carpets from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and the sumptuous world-famous Lyon silks. Visitors can also enjoy a library, an auditorium, the Lacroix Laval garden, and a luminous rooftop restaurant.

Established in Stendhal's grandfather's house, this museum is a fascinating testament to the eminent author. It's one of three local landmarks where his legacy can be explored—the others being his birthplace and the Bibliothèque Municipale, which houses his manuscripts. The English-language "Stendhal Itinerary," offered by the Grenoble Chamber of Commerce, recaps all the major sites associated with him.

Crowning the city is one of France's most gorgeous castles, the medieval Musée-Château d'Annecy. High on a hill opposite the Palais and bristling with stolid towers, the complex is landmarked by the Tour Perrière, which dominates the lake, and the Tour St-Paul, Tour St-Pierre, and Tour de la Reine (the oldest, dating to the 12th century), which overlook the town. All provide storybook views over the town and countryside. Dwellings of several eras line the castle courtyard, one of which contains a small museum on Annecy history and how it was shaped by the Nemeurs and Savoie dynasties.

Like parallel Rue St-Jean, Rue du Bœuf has traboules, courtyards, spiral staircases, towers, and facades. The traboule at No. 31 hooks through and out onto Rue de la Bombarde. At No. 19 is the standout Maison de l'Outarde d'Or, so named for the great bustard, a gooselike game bird, depicted in the coat of arms over the door. The late-15th-century house and courtyard inside have spiral staircases in the towers, which were built as symbols of wealth and power. Number 20 conceals one of the rare open-shaft spiral staircases allowing for a view all the way up the core. The Hotel Tour Rose at No. 22 has, indeed, a beautiful tour rose (pink tower) in the inner courtyard. At the corner of Place Neuve St-Jean and Rue du Bœuf is the famous sign portraying the bull for which Rue du Bœuf is named, the work of the Renaissance Italy–trained French sculptor Jean de Bologne.

Once Vieux Lyon's major thoroughfare, this street leads north from Place St-Jean to Place du Change, where money changers operated during medieval trade fairs. The elegant houses along it were built for illustrious Lyonnais bankers and Italian silk merchants during the French Renaissance. The traboule at No. 54 leads all the way through to Rue du Bœuf (No. 27). Beautiful Renaissance courtyards can be visited at No. 50, No. 52, and No. 42. At 27 rue St-Jean, an especially beautiful traboule winds through to 6 rue des Trois Maries. Number 28 has a pretty courtyard, as do No. 18 and No. 24. Maison Le Viste at No. 21 has a splendid facade.

Measuring 143 yards across, the Théâtre Romain is one of the largest in Gaul. It held 13,000 spectators and is only slightly smaller than Rome's Theater of Marcellus. Rubble buried Vienne's theater until 1922; excavation has uncovered 46 rows of seats, some marble flooring, and the frieze on the stage.

Between the Place des Ormeaux next to the cathedral, and Rue Madier de Montjau and the Boulevards Maurice Clerc et Boulevard Bancel, the winding medieval streets of Valence's Old Town are a delight to explore. Along with its leafy squares, welcoming cafés, and gastronomic restaurants, there are several sites to spot. On the Grand Rue you can't miss the Renaissance confection Maison des Têtes (1452) and the Moorish-style Maison Mauresque (1858), at 1 rue Gaston Rey. Closer to the cathedral, an open square funerary chapel called the Pendentif (1545) was one of the first French edifices to be listed as a historic monument, in 1834. The Valence outdoor market, held on several different tree-shaded squares depending on the day (it's worth picking up a schedule at the tourist office or checking online), is particularly picturesque. The Marché Producteurs (local farmers' and organic market) is held from 5 pm to 8 pm every Tuesday under a historic halle on the Place Saint-Jean. The old town is the perfect spot to seek out the Valence specialty called the Suisse, a delicious buttery pastry, somewhere between a brioche and a cookie, that's perfumed with orange flower and flavored with orange rind and rum.