8 Best Sights in Lyon and the Alps, France

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.

Despite its 12th-century exterior, the 19th-century interior of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame is somewhat bland. But don't miss the adjoining bishop's house, now a museum on the history of Grenoble; the main treasure is a noted 4th-century baptistery.

Contemporary art enthusiasts should check out the Centre National d'Art Contemporain. Behind the train station in an out-of-the-way district, it's noted for its distinctive warehouse space and avant-garde collection.

Built in 1874 after the famous Les Halles in Paris (which was infamously destroyed in the early 1970s), this soaring glass and cast iron structure serves as Grenoble's bustling central market, where you can stock up on all the ingredients for a picnic or a fine French meal, along with prepared Italian and Asian specialties. The covered market is open Tuesday through Sunday until 7 pm (it's closed at lunchtime) with an outdoor farmers' market Tuesday through Friday mornings.

Starting at Quai St-Stéphane-Jay, this téléphérique (cable car) whisks you over the River Isère and up to the hilltop where there are splendid views and a good restaurant. Walk back down via the footpath through the Jardin Dauphinoise.

The church of St-Laurent, near the Musée Dauphinois, has a hauntingly ancient 6th-century crypt—one of the country's oldest Christian monuments—supported by a row of formidable marble pillars. A tour of the church traces the emergence of Christianity in the Dauphiné.

On the north side of the River Isère is Rue Maurice-Gignoux, lined with gardens, cafés, mansions, and a 17th-century convent that contains the Musée Dauphinois, detailing the history of mountaineering and skiing. The Premiers Alpins section explores the evolution of the Alps and its inhabitants.

Place de Lavalette—on the south side of the river, where most of Grenoble is concentrated—is where you'll find the Musée de Grenoble. Founded in 1796, it's one of France's oldest museums and was the first to concentrate on modern art (Picasso donated his Femme Lisant in 1921). An addition incorporates the medieval Tour de l'Isle (Island Tower), a Grenoble landmark. The collection includes 4,000 paintings and 5,500 drawings, among them works by Impressionists such as Renoir and Monet, and 20th-century masters like Matisse, Signac, Derain, Vlaminck, Magritte, Ernst, Miró, and Dubuffet. Artists from the Italian Renaissance and Flemish School are also represented.