Spotlight on Isère
Tomas k - News Writer and Moderator 
Home to dramatic mountains and lush valleys, Isère offers stunning scenery and fantastic flavours. Gillian Thornton embraces its enviable food and lifestyle.
Ball games are really not my thing, but the stunning scenery of the Vercors massif could be just the inspiration I need to take up golf. Romain Menard, course pro at Golf de Corrençon, is demonstrating techniques beneath a backdrop of forested slopes and craggy mountain peaks. Add in a sparkling blue sky and golf has never seemed quite so attractive.
South-west of Grenoble, the Vercors is one of four major massifs in Isère, a département in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that offers contrasting experiences according to the time of year. Here at Corrençon-en-Vercors, the clubhouse caters for cross-country skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts between December and March, before the snows melt and golfers return along with hikers, climbers and mountain bikers.
I’m visiting in the tranquil shoulder season when hoteliers and restaurateurs take a deep breath before the next influx of visitors. The course is quiet, and I’m surprised to find myself warming to the small white ball. The experience is enhanced still further by the adjacent Hotel du Golf and its Michelin-starred restaurant, Astérales, named after a family of flowering plants with wellbeing properties. Restaurant owner and chef Ludovic Nardozza certainly ups my wellbeing with his culinary magic.
My golf interlude is part of a short break around Grenoble, departmental capital of Isère and host city for the 1968 Winter Olympics. Outdoor sports are big business here all year and, west of the city, I come across an Olympic legacy in the village of Autrans-Méudre-en-Vercors. Hiking up one of the many marked trails close to my base at Hotel La Buffe, I stop to watch local youngsters fly down the artificial slope used in the 1968 Nordic Competition that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
Like many rural communities, Autrans is home to a weekly market of local produce, but it can be hard making a living here. Enter AFRAT, an organisation based in Autrans that has been fighting the rural exodus for more than 60 years by supporting sustainable development projects in mountain and rural areas, many of them in hospitality and tourism businesses.
Organic, sustainable food is a priority amongst Isère’s restaurateurs and growers, so I drop in at L’Entropie, a small business in Autrans that has been building a reputation since 2021 for organic spirits distilled from local plants. Visit the distillery and boutique to taste their range of organic Alpine liqueurs, gin, vodka, anisette and seasonal specials, and maybe even book an interactive workshop.
North of Autrans, the Isère river divides the Vercors massif from the Chartreuse, a name synonymous with green and yellow liqueurs produced since 1737 from a secret mix of plants by the silent order of Carthusian monks. The monastery itself is closed to outsiders but visitors can discover the history and flavour of their digestif on a guided visit of Les Caves de Chartreuse in Voiron, gateway to the Chartreuse massif.
Don’t even try to resist the spacious Bonnat chocolate shop beneath the plane trees on Voiron’s Cours Senozan, across from the elegant twin spires of Saint Bruno Church. Launched in the late 19th century, this family business is one of France’s oldest chocolate makers and one of the few who craft their chocolate directly from the coca bean. Utterly scrumptious and the perfect portable souvenir!
On the outskirts of Voiron, I call in at the Antésite factory shop to sample their additive, and alcohol-free, flavourings for water. Founded in 1898 and named after the Latin for ‘against thirst’, Antésite was France’s first ultra-concentrated drink. Choose from liquorice-based or fruit flavours.
Twenty minutes’ drive beyond Voiron and 500 metres above sea level, I discover one of Isère’s best kept secrets, France’s fifth largest glacial lake. The sapphire waters of Lac de Paladru are surrounded by low hills, lush woodland and four bijou beaches.
Enjoy a circular lakeside walk of some 14km; hire a bike to explore the higher trails; or strike out with a kayak, paddle board or pedalo. And don’t miss the excellent Archaeology Museum, opened in 2022 to showcase Neolithic and Medieval artefacts found underwater at Charavines at the southern tip of the lake.
The Hotel des Bains at Charavines is a must-do experience for anyone who loves authentic bistronomie food in traditional surroundings. Third generation owner Martin Perino has preserved fragments of his granny’s wallpaper, uncovered during redecoration, amongst the wealth of period photos around the walls. The welcome is warm, the portions generous, and booking strongly recommended, especially at weekends.
Heading back through Voiron, I drive up into the Chartreuse massif, stopping in St-Laurent-du-Pont to visit artisan chocolate maker and patissier Sandrine Chappez. Amongst her many imaginative creations are scrumptious squares of dark chocolate flavoured with aromatic plants, and there is a sweet treat here to please every palette.
Winding still further up a wooded mountain road, I pass the idyllic alpine setting of the Musée de la Grande Chartreuse, a former annexe of the nearby monastery. Discover more about the order founded in 1084 by St Bruno or if, like me, you arrive after hours, just walk through the open gate and enjoy the serenity.
Turn south and the road passes over the Col de Porte beneath the bare summit of Chamechaude, the highest peak in the Chartreuse at 2082 metres. Just 20 minutes’ drive from Grenoble, the woodland hiking trails and downhill ski runs make this popular with city dwellers. Stay over at Domaine de Rozan, an eco-friendly hotel and bistro in alpine style. The interior exudes the enticing aroma of fresh wood, whilst outside the fire pit proves an atmospheric twilight kitchen for my delicious prawn starter.
Next day, a morning hike sharpens my appetite for lunch at Restaurant La Veyrie at Bernin. Beautifully restored, this 11th century fortified house and watchtower occupies a commanding position above the Isère Valley 15km from Grenoble. Expect a homely atmosphere, spacious terrace, and great bistronomie food.
Grenoble, Isère’s principal city stands at a valley crossroads surrounded by mountains, bisected by the Isère, and dominated by the hilltop Bastille built in the 19th century. The historic centre offers a number of free collections including art from the 13th to 21st century at the Musée de Grenoble, and local history in the Musée de L’Ancien Eveché beside Notre-Dame Cathedral. For quiet accommodation close to the railway station, book a room at Maison Barbillon.
For those with a head for heights, the iconic Grenoble experience is a 6-minute cable car ride in one of the five Bulles (bubbles) across the Isère river to the summit of the Bastille. Enjoy panoramic views over the Chartreuse, Vercors and Belledonne massifs, then walk across the grassy plateau behind the ramparts for a gastronomic treat with a view at Chez le Per’Gras which celebrates its 130th anniversary in 2026.
Fifth generation restaurateur Laurent Gras combines traditional recipes with a contemporary twist, but one recipe that never changes is Gratin Dauphinois. Signature dish from the ancient province of Dauphiné surrounding Grenoble, this creamy potato dish is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. Tuck in!
GETTING THERE
Drive east from Tournon-sur-Rhône or Valence in the Rhône Valley. Or travel by direct high-speed train from Paris-Gare de Lyon to Grenoble in just three hours.
By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.
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