Copyright: © 1998 - 2008 John Gardner
| A Walking Guide to the Massif de la Chartreuse |
Not to be Missed
Chartreuse has more than walking to offer the visitor. This page lists a few of the things that shouldn't be missed. Links for some of the places may be found on the web links page.
Chambéry: Boasts a superb medieval centre.
St.-Hugues: The church of Saint-Hugues, a couple of kilometres outside St. Pierre de Chartreuse, has some wonderful modern sacred art created by the local artist Jean-Marie Pirot, also known as Arcabas, between 1953 and 1991. His "Angel on a Bicycle" is an absolute joy.
Grenoble: La Bastille is well worth half a day's exploration (but not on July 14th!).
The Sardinian Way and Les Grottes des Echelles: The former is a superb piece of 17th Century engineering through a gorge that was once the main route between Chambéry and Lyon. The latter are a couple of show caves, one located near the head of the gorge, and one near the foot.
Le Fort du St. Eynard: This is a beautifully restored 19th Century fort a couple of kilometres south of le Sappey, which is perched on the cliffs a thousand metres above Grenoble. As well as being worth visiting in its own right, the views from the fort and the cliff-top walks are tremendous - well worth a detour on a visit to Grenoble. Unfortunately, the classic way up via the exciting Pas Guiguet was closed by the Commune in 2006 because of the risk of rock fall.
The St. Pierre de Chartreuse International Sculpturing Event: This used to be a week-long wood sculpturing competition held in July, during which you could see chunks of trees transformed into works of art (photograph) around the commune. The format has now changed, but it still offers an interesting insight into the creative process
Tartes aux noix: A reqional delicacy made with walnuts in a bed of caramel, sold in the St. Pierre de Chartreuse boulangerie, and probably in many other places. Scrumptious! If staying in St. Pierre de Chartreuse, it is well worth making it your mission to work your way through the offerings of the boulangerie, as the variety and quality of the produce is superb.
St. Pierre de Chartreuse Tourist Information Office: As well as being a mine of useful information, with a library of local books for reference and a daily weather forecast on display, it also has an internet link, enabling you to print out your chosen walk from this site on the day you go!