La Bastille sits at the heart of Grenoble. Offering breathtaking panoramic views of the City from high above, it is the most popular tourist site in Grenoble and sees , people per year, taking on the climb to the top. The Fort De La Bastille, is an impressive limestone structure built between and as a defense again the Duchy of Savoy, coming over the Chartreuse mountains, by the orders of General Haxo.
The Fort has been an integral part of Grenoble history for more than 2, years. The Fort de la Bastille. At the bottom of the hill is the Grenoble Archaeological Museum, and also the first burial site of the city dating from Gallo-Roman times. Personally, I preferred the gentle incline up by foot, and the spectacular views of the city whilst climbing the hill. I do a lot of walking, hiking and climbing, so for myself, this walk was rather pleasant.
Starting from Jardin des Dauphins it was a gentle incline and a very well mapped out path with stairs and slight slopes that made for easy navigation and progression up the hill. The climb should take on average 40 minutes, and in general suitable shoes no heels! Plus a small flashlight for the inside of the fortress and of course a camera to take pictures of the amazing views! The climbing ability ranged from novice to expert.
With children and dogs also making the climb up. Although I would not suggest it for those with walking difficulty or breathing impairments. Unfortunately, for us, we visited the Grenoble on one of the years worst blizzards, which made the stairs and slopes rather slippy and, in parts, rather dangerous. Many fell victim to the snow stricken stairs and the relentless icy bottoms that was to follow. I am sure on a clear, warmer day the hill would be a very easy and a pleasant walk to the top.
But caution made our ascent longer than we had expected. Although I may say, the snow, in all its glorious beauty made the trees and the city almost capture the heart. As we slowly made our way to the top, words can not describe how beautiful Grenoble is. Coming from England, sadly snowy Christmases are a thing of rarity, with us flocking to our windows dressed in gloves and scarfs at the sight of sleet on car windows.
