Isere

Holiday rental chalets Isere, France - Isere Apartments

Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère. Isère is surrounded by the departments of Rhône, Ain, Savoie, Hautes-Alpes, Drôme, Ardèche, and Loire.

The department includes a prominent section of the French Alps – and it’s this reason that ski lovers adore to visit Isère! The highest point in the department is the "Pic Lory" at 4,088 metres. Rent a self catering holiday rental chalet or apartment in Isère and visit the home of many of France’s famous ski resorts, including the Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes, the 1968 Winter Olympics resorts of Chamrousse, Villard de Lans, Autrans – the list goes on and on!

Unsurprisingly then - Isère is France’s third largest ski & winter destination. Its high altitudes mean it also hosts Coupe Icare, an annual festival of free flight - paragliding and hang-gliding - at the world-renowned paragliding site at Lumbin.

The Isère river flows through the department’s very lively capital, Grenoble. When you stay in an Isère holiday home you’re always aware of the mountainous region. Even Grenoble is encircled by impressive peaks, the Belledonne to the east, the Chartreuse to the north, the Vercors to the south. Grenoble is also a cultural city, blessed with an abundance of museums – you won’t be short of something to do when you rent a holiday home in Isère!

South of Grenoble, the immense Château de Vizille set in its magnificent park recalls the importance of the area at the Revolution. To the west, the department extends as far as the Rhône.  The Chartreuse range is the home of the Carthusian monks, about whom you can learn at La Correrie.

Val d'Isere is one of the highest resorts in Europe (1850), which means that there is a greater chance of better snow. It is also connected to Tignes (2100m), which is even higher. Les Deux Alpes is one of Europe’s few resorts to offer year round skiing.

Travelling to your Isere Holiday rental chalet or apartment, France

By air: Grenoble-Isère airport serves the department – Ryanair and Easyjet fly into the department from the UK. Frequency depends on the time of year. Geneva may well be closer if you plan on visiting Val D’Isere/Tignes – again low-cost airlines from all over the UK operate flights into this airport. By road: If you plan on driving don’t forget chains or winter tyres during the ski season! Paris to Grenoble by car is approximately 5 ½ hours - via Lyon, Grenoble is reached by the following auto routes: A6, A46, A43, A48. By rail: Grenoble is served by regular TGV and local services to and from Paris. In winter months these services link up with the Eurostar. For skiing in the Val D’Isere/Tignes region, the nearest train station is Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which is also served by TGV and local services. Again, in the winter months, additional services operate – there’s even a ski train sleeper from Paris.