Lyon and the Alps: Places to Explore

The family resort and spa town of Aix-les-Bains takes advantage of its position on the eastern side of Lac du Bourget, the largest natural freshwater lake in France, with a fashionable lakeshore esplanade... Read more

Sparkling Annecy is on crystal clear Lac d'Annecy (Annecy Lake), surrounded by snow-tipped peaks. Though the canals, flower-decked bridges, and cobbled pedestrian streets are filled on market days—Tuesday... Read more

Not all Beaujolais wine is promoted as vin nouveau (new wine), despite the highly successful marketing campaign that has made Beaujolais Nouveau synonymous with French wine and celebrated in full force... Read more

As for centuries—when it was the crossroads for merchants from Germany, Italy, and the Middle East—elegant old Chambéry remains the region's shopping hub. Townspeople congregate for coffee... Read more

Chamonix is the oldest and biggest of the French winter-sports resort towns and was the site of the first Winter Olympics, held in 1924. As a ski resort, however, it has its limitations: the ski areas... Read more

Capital of the Dauphiné (Lower Alps) region, Grenoble sits at the confluence of the Isère and Drac rivers and lies within three massifs (mountain ranges): La Chartreuse, Le Vercors, and Belledonne... Read more

The city's setting at the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône is a spectacular riverine landscape overlooked from the heights to the west by the imposing Notre-Dame de Fourvière church... Read more

The smartest of the Mont Blanc stations, idyllic Alpine Megève is not only a major ski resort but also a chic winter watering hole that draws royalty, celebrities, and fat wallets from all over... Read more

Wonderfully preserved (though a little too precious), hilltop Pérouges, with its medieval houses and narrow cobbled streets—leave those Louboutin high heels at home—surrounded by ramparts... Read more

Riverboats traditionally stop at little Serrières, on the Rhône's west bank.... Read more

Valence, the Drôme département capital, has plenty of dreary industrial-district streets—with one that is home to the world-famous Pic hotel and restaurant.... Read more

If you do nothing but head up to this town's famed Roman Theater and look out over the red-tile roofs of the Rhône Valley, you'll be happy you made the 20-minute trip to Vienne from Lyon. Vienne... Read more

Villars-les-Dombes is the unofficial capital of La Dombes, an area once covered by a glacier. When the ice retreated, it left a network of lakes and ponds that draws anglers and bird-watchers today.... Read more