Isère family holidays and breaks

The pretty département of Isère south of the main ski regions of the French Alps is home to two big ski resorts, Alpe d’Huez (hub of the Massif des Grandes Rousses area) and Les Deux Alpes. Together known as the Grandes Alpes, they offer plenty of easy and intermediate terrain. Alpe d’Huez, in particular, is widely underrated and has never been very trendy yet boasts charismatic skiing from village to village, and from high above-treeline areas to pretty valleys.

In summer, as in the rest of the Alps, hiking, cycling and climbing are popular activities on family holidays, as is swimming in crystalline mountain lakes. And the picturesque area capital, Grenoble – flat yet surrounded by mountain ranges – has some year-round attractions for families.

Flying Time	1.1 hours
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to Do

Ski at Alpe d'Huez, a favourite for family holidays in Isère, or at Les Deux Alpes (together, the resorts form the Grandes Alpes).

Explore Grenoble, an hour and a half from the main ski resorts. Kids go mad for a ride on its cable car with its funky bubble-like pods accommodating up to six people. It takes you up to the 19th-century fortress of La Bastille, which offers great views over town and, on a clear day, Mont Blanc in the distance. Meandering paths take you back down the hillside. Because of its overall flatness, Grenoble is also great to explore by bike – there are special routes alongside the Drac and Isère rivers. See Metrovelo for good-value bike hire, including baby seats. A good rainy-day bet is the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, with stuffed animals and skeletons aplenty, plus displays on earth sciences and ethnography.

Take a jaunt on the Chemin de Fer de la Mure, a tourist train taking you over spectacular viaducts and through 18 tunnels, including the 1km ‘Tunnel Mystérieux’ complete with magic lanterns and animated models. Departing from St-Georges-de-Commiers less than 20km from Grenoble, it has a special kids’ carriage with a play area.

Hike from Chamrousse, south-east of Grenoble, to mountain lakes Lac Robert and Lac Achard. There are various paths, some well-suited to families, and when you get there you can swim or fish (with a permit) amidst gorgeous scenery.

Where to Stay

Good options for family holidays in Alpe d’Huez include the apartments of Résidence Pierre & Vacances Les Bergers and, in the main town, Crystal’s excellent Vallée Blanche chalet-hotel. Esprit have also entered town, revamping the chalet-hotel Mariandre (a long-time Mark Warner property).

Other options in Isère inlcude Crystal’s Brunerie in Les Deux Alpes – central, with a swimming pool. And the popular family focused Hotel Petit Prince, providing great value for families and excellent family entertainment.

Photos

When

The ski-season in Isère lasts from December to April. Summers sports enthusiasts will find the area pleasantly uncrowded even in high season. Another good time to schedule family holidays is September, when the annual four-day Coupe Icare festival of free flight at St Hilaire du Touvet–Lumbin includes a concours de déguisements with para-glider and hang-glider pilots flying in costume, plus street performances and children’s activities.

How

Grenoble Isère airport is served by Ryanair from London Stansted and Dublin throughout the year, and in the skiing season by Ryanair and other airlines from a variety of UK airports. The area is also within easy reach of Lyon international airport and Geneva in Switzerland.

For those looking at more eco-friendly family holidays, there are frequent TGV trains to Grenoble from Paris, where you can hook up with Eurostars from London.

It’s a 7hr 30min (870km) drive to Grenoble from the Channel ferry/Eurotunnel terminus at Calais, almost entirely by motorway.

Eat

See our French Alps destination guide for tips on eating out in Isère and the region as a whole. Grenoble has a particularly good choice of Italian and Asian eateries (it has an Italian quarter) that can be handy on family holidays.

Cost

Isère can be a good-value destination for family hoildays in the French Alps by virtue of some of its resorts having been underrated in the past. A wide choice of self-catering accommodation helps keep cost down too.