Rhône-Alpes

The valley of a mighty river on one side, majestic mountains on the other, Rhône-Alpes revolves around its capital, Lyon, known as the "city with two rivers".
The Alpes du Nord, with its renowned ski areas, has long secured impeccable credentials. Snowboard down the endless slopes of Les 3 Vallées, hike in Chartreuse Mountains and bathe in Lake Annecy. The region is also a mosaic of massifs and valleys brandishing different identities and dotted with a Baroque church here, a cluster of stone houses there, and a Ville d'art et d'histoire at almost every turn.
Before following the Rhône Valley, which separates the Drôme Provençal from the Ardèche, to spectacular gorges, spend some time in the Lyon region: the mountains and plains of the Monts du Forez, St-Étienne, consecrated a UNESCO City of Design, the medieval city of Pérouges in the Bugey, the Vienne jazz festival are just some of the reasons to linger there.
Lastly, you shouldn't leave the region without tasting one of the Beaujolais or Rhône Valley wines, and a tablier de sapeur (crumbed tripe) in a legendary bouchon lyonnais.