Ultimate Guide to the Grenoble Bastille Hike
If you’re visiting Grenoble and want to do the Grenoble Bastille hike there are definitely some things you should know beforehand.
The Bastille is a small hill that sits as the backdrop to Grenoble and is where you’ll find a fortress (fort de la bastille Grenoble France).
A trip to Grenoble is not complete unless you’ve been up the Bastille!
Sitting at 476 m above the town of Grenoble, it’s the most popular tourist site in the Grenoble area and welcomes around 600,000 visitors a year!
When I lived in Grenoble, taking a walk to the top of the Bastille for the views was one of my favourite things to do in Grenoble. Every time I had visitors I took them here too (though I didn’t always make them hike!).
So it’s fair to say I’ve done the Bastille hike in Grenoble multiple times.
Don’t miss out on hiking the Bastille in Grenoble – find out more about it in this post.
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The history of the Grenoble Bastille
As with many old forts and castles, the location of the Bastille didn’t happen by accident. It was chosen for strategic reasons.
The hill the Bastille sits on is the perfect place to watch out over the city of Grenoble.
From the hill, you’d be the first to know if anyone was trying to attack.
However, whilst great for looking out onto Grenoble, the Bastille also became an easy-to-attack target. If enemies were firing from the Chartreuse mountain range they had a pretty clear firing line to the Bastille.
To combat this the French built massive walls and installed cannons.
You can still see these walls when you hike to the top of the Bastille in Grenoble. You can also see some of the caves which allowed troops to move around the fort unseen and plot surprise attacks.
How to get to the top of the Bastille in Grenoble
When I returned to Grenoble for my mini ski break on a budget I decided to finally hike to the top of the Bastille. It’s something I never got around to during my year abroad as a language assistant even though I’d been up in Les Boules several times.
There are several different walking routes you can take and then there’s the cable car too.
Take “Les Boules” – Téléphérique de Grenoble Bastille
The cable car that takes you to the top of the Bastille in Grenoble was the first urban cable car in the world.
It opened in 1934 and since then, more than 16 million people have travelled in it.
Each “bubble” takes a maximum of 6 people and you get fantastic views of the city and the mountain ranges on the journey.
It only takes a couple of minutes to get to the top of the Bastille by using the Téléphérique de Grenoble Bastille. It’s popular too, with around half of the visitors to the Bastille taking the cable car.
- One way ticket for adult: €6.30
- Round trip adult: €9.50
- One way child: €3.60
- Round trip child: €5
How to walk to the top of the Bastille in Grenoble from Jardin des Dauphins
This is the route I took when I walked to the top of the Bastille. If you decide to walk from Jardin des Dauphins you’ll have a picturesque, gentle climb through a well-planted park.
Le Jardin des Dauphins is situated at the foot of the Bastille and perched on a cliff close to the Porte de France. The gardens are made up of a series of six terraces with walls linked by steps, passageways, and paths.
Upon entering the garden there’s a mounted statue of the heroine Philis de la Charce.
Follow the paths uphill from terrace to terrace. There are two tunnels and a spiral tower staircase to navigate before coming out on the other side of a wooden bridge that crosses the moat of the Bastille. At this point, you’ll reach Guy Papepark.
If you look out over to the cliff you can see the upper section of the Grenoble Via Ferrata: a narrow climbing path that is open to everyone brave enough to take it on!
The path winds upwards and there are plenty of shady spots to take a break. Make sure to look out between the trees for glimpses of Grenoble now down below.
As you continue you’ll pass what remains of the fort; old walls, caves, and dark staircases.
After all that walking you’ll want to take a break, so find a nice sun spot and look out over the view for a while. If you’re still feeling active, then head behind the Bastille and continue climbing upwards through the caves!
Things to do on the Grenoble Bastille?
There’s plenty to do at the top of the Bastille! You could easily spend a whole day here.
The Mountain Troop museum
Full of information on how the Bastille was used by mountain troops many years ago. Great for history buffs.
Bastille Art Centre
Pass through the little pink door and into the vaulted rooms at the core of the Bastille fortifications to discover the Bastille Art Centre.
Here there is contemporary French and international artwork to browse.
The BAC takes advantage of the unique environment offered by the fort barracks to showcase contemporary French and international artists.
- Open every day except Tuesday: 11 am-6 pm
- Price: €1 minimum donation for adults, under 18s free
The “storming of the Bastille” via ferrata
If you love adventure you’ll love trying the via ferrata on the Grenoble Bastille. La Bastille climb via Via Ferrata takes you up the rocky slopes to the top of the Bastille.
There are several sections, some harder than others and you’ll climb 205 m.
This isn’t an organized tour but something you can do with a friend or friends if you know what you’re doing. This climb up bastille is only recommended if you have previous experience and you must have all required safety gear including your harness, clips and a helmet.
Acrobastille
Take on this rope and zipline maze at the Grenoble Bastille. You’ll go through the moats and fortifications and explore by headlight. Great fun for everyone aged 4+.
It also includes things like team and children’s games indoors as well as a treasure hunt and an Escape Mobile to discover the Bastille in more detail.
- Price from €10 depending on activity
Hike to the Mont Rachais
You can hike a real mountain from the city centre of Grenoble. Take the Jardin des Dauphins route outlined above then head towards Mont Jalla and finally up Mont Rachais which marks the beginning of the Chartreuse mountains.
You’ll climb 800 metres and have gorgeous views of Grenoble and the Alps.
AllTrails is my go-to hiking app for finding, planning, and navigating while I’m out on the trails. With offline maps on AllTrails+ you can be confident you’re still on the right track, even without mobile signal.
When is the best time of year to visit the Bastille Grenoble?
La Bastille de Grenoble is good all year round.
However, there are a few local tips that’ll make your visit even better!
If you’re visiting in winter then make sure to wrap up warm. It doesn’t usually snow allow in the city of Grenoble but there will be snow all over the mountains and it’s still going to be cold.
If you’re visiting in summer then try and visit the Bastille the day after it’s rained a lot. This way the smog that tends to hang over Grenoble gets cleared by the rain and you’ll have a non-hazy view over the city.
Last Updated on November 8, 2023 by Hannah
Hannah started That Adventurer after graduating back in 2013 and has documented all of her adventures since then. From backpacking South America to city breaks in Europe, a 3 month road trip across the USA in a self-converted van and 6 years living in Canada, you’ll find posts on all of this.
Hannah specialises in active travel and on That Adventurer you’ll find hiking, walking, biking, skiing and all sorts of active travel guides to allow you to see a destination in an adventurous way.
Now back in Europe, you’ll find new guides as Hannah and her husband spend the next year ‘digital nomading’ from Norway to Portugal, Switzerland to Scotland and places in between.
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