Grenoble is the gateway to the French Alps and historically the city was founded by Celtic settlers. Later, in Roman times, it was called Cularo, where the city grew and in 286 had city walls built as a defense. The wall was over a kilometer long and had 38 towers built into the structure. In the year 377 Cularo was renamed Gratianapolis after the Western Roman Emperor Gratian. The city became a bishop’s seat in the 4th century, and it became part of the Holy Roman Empire in 879. In 1242, Grenoble obtained city rights, and the name Grenoble developed from the 14th century, when the city was called Greynoble.

In 1339, the city’s university was founded. In 1788, Grenoble made its way into the French history books with the so-called Day of the Tiles, which occurred on 7 June, and which was the population’s revolt against the royal power. The day was one of the first popular protests that led to the French Revolution. Modern Grenoble is today an important center for high-tech science and industry, and many sports enthusiasts will know that Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics.

In the center of Grenoble you can walk to Place Saint André, a square that was laid out in the Middle Ages. The square was the center of the administration of the region of Dauphine, and the former residence palace is located here, the Palais du Parlement du Dauphiné, which was built over several centuries from the 16th-19th centuries. The church Église St-André from the 13th century stands opposite the palace. It previously served as the private chapel of the ruling Dauphin family.

Place de Verdun is another see-worthy square, which was laid out in the mid-19th century and it is today one of largest in Grenoble. It is an elegant square with a fine green area in the middle, and it is surrounded by fine buildings such as the Isère Préfecture on the south side, which is the seat of the regional administration. To the east you can visit the art museum Ancien Musée de Peinture, which is housed in an impressive library building from the 18th century.

Musée de Grenoble is another museum that you can visit. The museum houses one of France’s largest art collections outside of Paris. In the collection, there is classical painting by Flemish, Spanish, Dutch, French and Italian artists from the 16th-19th centuries, and works by Picasso and Matisse, among others, are exhibited as part of more recent art. There is also an archaeological section as well as sculptures and drawings.

Close to this is Grenoble’s cathedral, Cathédrale Notre-Dame, which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. However, the current church is the result of a major rebuilding that took place in the 1800s. In front of the cathedral, you can see the well-known fountain, Fontaine des Trois Ordres, which is a memorial to the pre-revolutionary events of the summer of 1788 in Grenoble, the cradle of the French Revolution. The monument was inaugurated in 1897.

In central Grenoble you can also enjoy some lovely walks along the river Isère, and here you can visit the Jardin de Ville, a beautiful example of a classic French garden. The park is composed of a garden-like section and an area with the character of a forest. There is also a rose garden in the park, which was opened to public access in 1719. Immediately north of the Jardin de Ville, you can take a ride on the Téléphérique de la Bastille, which opened in 1934 and is a major tourist attraction with great views over Grenoble.

The cable car ride crosses the northern bank of the Isère River and on to the Bastille Fort, which sits high above the city. Fort de La Bastille was built in the 16th-19th centuries as protection against any invading enemies from Savoy on the other side of the Alps. However, most of the large facility dates to the years 1823-1848. From the Bastille there is a beautiful view over Grenoble, Isère and to the nearby Alps.