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Discover the charms of Grenoble – a great winter mountain and city break with shuttle buses to ski resorts where you’ll find fabulous alpine restaurants, historic villages and a spectacular dog sled race known as La Grande Odyssée. Easily accessible by train from Paris – this gateway to the French Alps offers brilliant winter and snowy breaks!
Grenoble
Nicknamed the “Capital of the Alps,” Grenoble in Isère, just 3 hours from Paris by train, is known as the gateway to the Alps as it’s within easy reach of the snow-capped Belledonne, Vercors, Chartreuse and Oisans Mountain ranges. On the one hand, the city is cosmopolitan and vibrant, with a modern twist – and on the other hand, it’s a historic, traditional, and refined town with a rich cultural heritage. And, in winter, it’s a pretty irresistible combination.
Grenoble describes itself as the flattest city in France though it’s completely surrounded by mountains. The city boasts several museums and historic landmarks, including the Musée de Grenoble, which has an astonishing collection of 900 works of fine art and sculptures. In the old quarter, Place Grenette has been the city’s main square since the 17th century and the area is packed with excellent restaurants including Café de La Table Ronde, which opened in 1739 and is the second oldest cafe in France. Don’t miss a visit to the 19th century hilltop Fort de la Bastille via an unusual cable car ride (the first urban cable car in France) with baubles for carriages – the views are jaw-dropping. And stop off to taste superb cheese at Fromagerie Les Alpages, run by champion cheese specialist Bernard Mure-Ravaud who set a Guinness Book World Record for the largest cheese platter ever with a gargantuan 479 cheeses!
From Grenoble, it’s an easy drive or bus ride to the mountain villages and snow-capped ski resorts.
Dine at: Locafé – vegan food with natural wines
Stay at: Rocky Pop Hotel (rockypop.com/en/grenoble), funky, friendly and comfy rooms.
Tourist office: grenobletourism/com
Shuttle bus to resorts Transaltitude
Les 7 Laux
Part of the Belledonne Massif, Les 7 Laux is perfect for nature and mountain enthusiasts. It has three stations: Pipay, which is less well known and popular with the locals; Le Pleynet, which is off the beaten track; and Prapoutel, the base camp of 7 Laux resort, where a ski lift gently carries you to the top of the ski slopes for thrilling views and ski runs back to the village.
I took a guided snowshoe tour through the pine forest at sunset and watched as the sky turned every shade of pink from rose to crimson, reflected in the snow, I felt like I was inside a snow globe! The light was amazing, the air was pure, and the experience was exhilarating.
Returning to the village, the lights were twinkling, and it felt like Christmas. Actually, the locals say, it feels like Christmas for several weeks after the Christmas season officially ends! There were kids sliding about, and the atmosphere was buzzing as I sat outside a terraced cafe, watching the lights of ski vehicles come down the mountain in the moonlight.
Ski symbol: 120 km of ski slopes, H05 snow park, you can hire equipment here, and it’s a good resort for free-riding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and downhill skiing.
Dine at: Prapouta Alpine chalet style, in the heart of the resort or at Kaktuss – traditional mountain cuisine, generous portions of alpine raclette cooked on your table are memorable!
Top tip: Visit the Chèvrerie des 7 Laux, one of the suppliers to Les Alpages fromagerie in Grenoble. Cheesemaker Laura Schmidhauser and her team make sublime cheese every day from around 80 very friendly goats who love to meet visitors.
Tourist office: www.les7laux.com
Col de Porte
Col de Porte is a family resort in the Chartreuse National Park, just 20 minutes from Grenoble.
I took a bushcraft and orienteering course with Ecole de Porte (ecoledeporte.com/en) to discover the mountains in a different way. We snowshoed in the forest, where I learned to tie ropes, read a compass, and light a fire in a tin to toast marshmallows. But it was the pure air and the absolute still beauty of the scenery that stole my heart—it’s stunning.
For a different kind of experience, head to Les Skieurs (lesskieurs.com) restaurant/B&B. This is not just any old dining experience—it’s an institution. Located in the charming village of Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, it’s old-school, glamorous and cosseting, the sort of place where you lose track of time. Their unique cone-shaped chocolate cake, gateau Ardechoise, is the finest dessert I have ever tasted.
Ski rating: Generally excellent snow conditions, 19km Nordic slopes, cross-country skiing.
Stay at: Les 3 Sommets residence, which has a tremendously cosy indoor restaurant or outdoors on a terrace for sunny days.
Tourist office: grenoblealpes.fr
Villard-de-Lans
This lively village, with plenty of shops and restaurants, is in the heart of the Vercors Plateau – it’s charming and bustling.A must-do while you are there is to have a picnic in the woods – nomad style, but luxurious nomad style with Le Cartable a Raclette. On a snowy day, in a pine-tree-shaded glade a short walk from the pistes, we sat on chairs made from branches strung together bushcraft style and sprinkled with comfy cushions. We feasted on cheese melted over a fire and slathered over hot potatoes, mixed with delicious charcuterie and pickles – it was the best raclette ever.
Work off the calories with a spot of cani-rando – snowshoeing with sled dogs who just love to go for walks with you with ExtraPattes (extrapattes.com). And talking of dogs, in January 2025, the final stage of a very special race—La Grande Odyssée — ends in this lovely town.
Ski rating: The biggest family resort in the Vercors with 125km of runs to suit all abilities, especially families, plus forested tracks that are perfect for cross-skiers and snow-shoe walking.
Top tip: Take a pottery class with a local artist.
Dine at: Vielle Forge, great ambience, cosy and funky.
Stay at: Grand Hôtel de Paris (ghp-vercors.com/en), A lovely old hotel with big rooms and fabulous views.
Tourist office: www.villarddelans-correnconenvercors.com
La Grande Odyssée
La Grande Odyssée is one of the world’s longest and most challenging dog sled races. Over 10 days in January 2025, the world’s best mushers and their dogs will travel nearly 750 kilometres and pass through several resorts in the French Alpine areas, including Les 7 Laux (21 January), Col de Porte (22 January) and Villard-de-Lans (23 January). At the start and end, point there’s a party atmosphere with pop-up bars, food stalls and entertainment, from walks and snowshoe hikes, mulled wine, giant tartiflettes, themed exhibitions, children’s introduction to sled driving and igloo-building.
At the race start, the dogs bark excitedly, waiting to dash across the snow and always get the biggest cheers. The length of the run depends on the weather and snow conditions, and when I was there, it was sunnier than usual, so the race was cut short so as not to work the dogs too hard, and a dozen vets are on hand to check every dog. In Col de Porte I met up with some lovely sled dogs who were there specifically to meet their fans and have cuddles! With four dogs of my own, I was astonished at how calm these sled dogs are.
It’s a free event with a brilliant, festive atmosphere – a true mountain experience in this winter wonderland.
Details: www.grandeodyssee.com
Find heaps more information about Isère: alpes-isere.com/en
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