Cycling route Balcons de Chartreuse
Pontcharra - Chapareillan - St Pancrasse
Loop: experienced level
All along this route you can discover cultural sites:
In the municipality of Barraux:
Fort-Barraux is one of the oldest and most prestigious defensive strongholds in the Alps. A bastioned fortification built in the 16th century and later remodelled, notably by Vauban in the 18th century.
Sentinel of the Grésivaudan, the fort mainly served as a deterrent. But it was also used as a garrison and as a store for weapons and ammunition. It also served as a prison: a military one for enemy troops (German officers were held there in 1917 and 18), but also a civilian one during the Second World War: from July 1940, it became a Supervised Residence Centre, where black-market traffickers, political prisoners, and foreign Jewish men and women in transit to the concentration camps were locked up...
In the municipality of Crolles:
Discover the Marais de Montfort sensitive natural area.
In the municipality of Le Touvet:
Gardens and Château du Touvet - Backing onto the Chartreuse massif, the Château du Touvet fascinates with the majesty of its setting, dominated by the mountains, and the omnipresence of the waters flowing through its magnificent gardens. Furniture, decor and historical mementoes from the Monarchy to the Empire.
Built in the Middle Ages, the castle was transformed into a country residence in the 18th century. Lived in and preserved by the same family for 500 years, a visit takes you back in time to rediscover the refined atmosphere of the Age of Enlightenment. Décor, furniture and historical memorabilia bear witness to the art of living of the Dauphiné nobility in 1750.
The tour of the castle interiors continues with the gardens,
brought to life by the spectacle of the rushing water in the Italian-style water staircase, a masterpiece of 18th-century garden art.
Tourist attraction:
In the municipality of Saint Hilaire du Touvet - Upper station
Saint Hilaire funicular - At more than 90 years old, the funicular climbs 750m of height difference up the slopes of the Chartreuse. It takes you to the Petites Roches plateau, criss-crossed by numerous footpaths. Exceptional panorama. Free flight, paragliding, via ferrata ...
Take the funicular with your bike (free service)! Capacity: 8 bikes.
Leisure:
In the municipality of La Terrasse:
The leisure centre lake lies at the foot of the Belledonne range, facing the Chartreuse massif.
View over the Belledonne massif, the foothills of the Chartreuse and the magnificent landscapes of the Regional Natural Park.
