Île Verte

The Île Verte is a residential district in the north of Grenoble, and its park is one of the quiet green spaces that make the city feel less urban than its mountain-ringed setting suggests. It is a neighbourhood park, with lawns, trees and paths for walking and cycling. It is a place for a picnic, a jog or a rest between visits to the city's museums rather than a destination with a major monument.

Grenoble lies where the Isère and the Drac rivers meet, in a flat valley floor surrounded by high mountains: the Chartreuse to the north, the Vercors to the south-west and the Belledonne range to the east. This unusual position means that almost any green space in the city has a mountain backdrop, and on clear days the snowy summits look very close. The Isère runs through the city centre, and its embankments, with walking and cycling paths, are a good way to see the town. In the past, the river often flooded, which is why the low districts have the character of former islands and meadows.

The most famous viewpoint is La Bastille, a fortified hill above the old town on the north bank of the river, reached by the cable cars known as the bubbles, the first urban cable car in France. From the top, there is a sweeping panorama of the city and the three mountain ranges, and walking trails lead onward into the Chartreuse massif. Below, the old centre offers the Place Grenette, a lively café square, and the Place Saint-André, which holds the former parliament of the Dauphiné, while the Quartier Saint-Laurent on the right bank is the oldest district, with steep lanes and a Romanesque crypt.

Grenoble has several good museums. The Musée de Grenoble holds an important collection of art from antiquity to the present, the Musée archéologique Saint-Laurent and the Musée de l'Imprimerie offer more specialised subjects, and the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in the Jardin des Plantes shows Alpine wildlife and geology. A day trip leads to the Parc du Château de Vizille, where the Estates of the Dauphiné met in 1788 in an event often seen as a prelude to the French Revolution.

The park suits families, joggers and anyone looking for a calm break in the city. It costs nothing to enter. Check local information for opening times and any events, and combine it with a walk along the Isère.