The Plexiglas spheres of the Téléphérique Grenoble-Bastille whisk you from the south bank of the Isère up to this massive hilltop fortress, built to defend France against its great Alpine rival of the early 1800s, the Duchy of Savoy. When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860, the fort was left without a military raison d'être .
A number of walking trails, including the GR9, start or pass by here. Walking down to the city takes about 45 minutes (it's a challenging one-hour hike up).
The views are spectacular, and on clear days you can see not only the peaks of the Vercors but also the snowy hump of Mont Blanc. On the viewing platform known as the Belvédère Vauban , panels (in French and English) indicate what you're looking out at. The fort complex has five places to eat.
Also worth a visit is the Musée des Troupes de Montagne , a surprisingly interesting museum about France's elite Alpine regiments, established in 1888. Admission includes an audioguide in French, English or Italian.
