Grenoble

A college town in the Alps exudes athleticism and sophistication

The ancient capital of the Dauphine, Grenoble is the commercial, intellectual, and tourist center of the Alps. Though it’s 352 miles southeast of Paris, and a 64-mile sojourn from Lyon, it's still a major stop for travelers in France, including those driving between the Riviera and Geneva.

A sports capital in winter (and host of the 1968 Winter Olympic Games), as well as in summer, it attracts many foreign students, thanks to the fact that its university has Europe’s most prolific summer-session program. Founded in 1339, the University of Grenoble has attracted a student body of some 50,000. The city (pop. 405,000) is also home to four other universities with a large contingent of English and American students, as well as several important museums with impressive artistic, ethnographic, and historical collections, giving the city a cosmopolitan air.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.