Tourists are spoilt for choice, whether it is hiking or mountain biking.

Hiking

A simple walk, a great hike or a ramble can be specifically chosen to explore some of the area’s natural riches, its heritage or traditions. Alone, with family or friends, with a guide or with a donkey, there are literally hundreds of ways to travel around the Rhone Alpes region on foot. Cross the high plateau in the Ardèche, hike round the Vercors’ Mont Aiguille, follow the Giono trail in provencal Drôme, and take the Dents Blanches tour or the classic Mont Blanc tour. The region boasts a total of almost 43,000 km of paths which are marked, protected and developed by the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre (FFRP).

The most stunning GR footpath in France is the GR5, which goes between Lake Geneva and Briançon and which can be considered the footpath of the Grandes Alpes. From the path it is possible to admire peaks of over 3,000m in altitude as well as glaciers. The passages through the Vanoise and to the foot of the Mont Blanc are, quite simply, unique experiences.

Cycling and Mountain Biking

From Mont Blanc to the Rhône Valley, from the ponds in the Dombes to the gorges in the Ardèche, from Beaujolais to the edge of Provence, the region’s topography offers considerable potential to cycling enthusiasts. The best places to go?

Certainly the Dombes, with its one thousand ponds and flat, straight roads lined by age-old plane trees, is an ideal destination for family bike rides! There is a signed itinerary, consisting of 2 loops both of which start at Villars-les-Dombes (65 and 70 km), which is known as the Route des Etangs de la Dombes. The Drôme offers shimmering, undulating landscapes where every level of cycling is catered for, from the Rhône Valley as far as the Vercors. In addition the Drôme has an excellent method of signposting the routes, making it impossible to get lost.

The “Grand 8” in the Ain, which starts in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, is a challenging circuit consisting of two loops, one in the Haut-Bugey (139 km) and the other in the Pays de Gex (177 km). The itinerary has been created especially for expert touring cyclists, eager to notch up as many mountain passes as possible: La Faucille (1323 m), La Biche (1325 m), Le Colombier (1534 m). It is also worth noting that the majority of “départements” have special signed itineraries for cyclists.