French Alps & the Jura Mountains

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Grand Jorasses and freeriders, extreme ski, Aiguille du Midi, French Alps

©gorillaimages/Shutterstock

Overview

High up in the French Alps, it's enthralling to imagine the forces that shaped these colossal peaks. The African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided some 35 million years ago, forcing the land skyward into a 1000km chain of saw-edged mountains.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • A picture taken on July 10, 2008, in Besancon, eastern France shows the fortification of the town's citadel, which was added to the list of World Heritage sites by UNESCO on July 7 2008. The fortification represents the "finest examples" of the work of Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban, a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The total number of World Heritage sites now reaches 878 sites in 145 countries. AFP PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD (Photo credit should read JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)

    Citadelle de Besançon

    Besançon

    Dominating the city from Mt St-Etienne, more than 100 vertical metres above the old town, the 17th-century Citadelle de Besançon – designed by Vauban for…

  • Aguille du Midi platforms

    Aiguille du Midi

    Chamonix

    The great rocky fang of the Aiguille du Midi (3842m), rising from the Mont Blanc massif, is one of Chamonix’ most distinctive features. The 360-degree…

  • View Of Mer De Glace Glacier From Le Signal Forbes - Mont Blanc Massif, Chamonix, France 357230150 alpine, alps, beautiful, blanc, blue, brown, chamonix, de, europe, extreme, forbes, france, french, glace, glacier, grandes, green, grey, ice, jorasses, landscape, le, massif, mer, mont, montenvers, mountain, nature, nobody, outdoor, panorama, peak, range, river, rock, sea, signal, sky, snow, statue, steep, stone, summit, sun, travel, tree, valley, view, viewpoint

    Mer de Glace

    Chamonix

    France’s largest glacier, the 200m-deep 'Sea of Ice', flows 7km down the northern side of Mont Blanc, scarred with crevasses formed by the immense…

  • Grenoble Museum.

    Musée de Grenoble

    Grenoble

    For lovers of European art, this museum is an uplifting place to get lost for a day. There's an even spread of artistic eras on display: an antiquities…

  • Ville Ancienne

    Ville Ancienne

    Chambéry

    Chambéry's medieval Old Town reveals its beauty gradually. Rush through its lanes and you risk missing hidden courtyards, murals and well-preserved 14th-…

  • Musée Archéologique

    Musée Archéologique

    Grenoble

    This highly impressive museum unveils the secrets of a 12th-century church and cloister using light effects, a haunting choral soundtrack and an…

  • Musée du Temps

    Musée du Temps

    Besançon

    Literal and figurative interpretations of time are woven together at the Musée du Temps, which places allegorical paintings about the passage of time next…

  • Musée des Charmettes

    Musée des Charmettes

    Chambéry

    Geneva-born philosopher, composer and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a key figure of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, lived the happiest years…

View more attractions

Plan with a local

Articles

Latest stories from French Alps & the Jura Mountains

Filter by interest:

Slow travel French Alps

Hiking

Your guide to hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc

Nov 21, 2024 • 9 min read

Read more articles

Build a memorable collection

Get to the heart of French Alps & the Jura Mountains with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.

Go Beyond

French Alps & the Jura Mountains and beyond

Beyond French Alps & the Jura Mountains