Meal
There may not be a significant gastronomic tradition here, but certain foods are not to be missed. Shop for local saint-marcellin and bleu du vercors-sassenage cheeses at Les Alpages, run by the master cheese Bernard Mure-Ravaud. Grenoble is famous for walnuts, turned into oil, liqueur, pastries, and local producers can be found at Le Montagnard in the covered food market, Halles Sainte-Claire. There’s only one Michelin-starred restaurant in town: Chef Stéphane Froidevaux offers an affordable brasserie menu at lunchtime and fine dining in the evening at his sumptuous villa, Le Fantin Latour. But young chefs working with organic and seasonal products are emerging today. bistronomic addresses like Le Rousseau.
Inspiration
I often go alone to the iconic Musée de Grenoble: it is one of the best art museums in France, opened in 1798. Its outstanding collection includes masterpieces such as Soutine’s Le Boeuf Écorché and Matisse’s Intérieur aux Aubergines. There are also works by the great Flemish masters and the local painter Henri Fantin-Latour. A ten-minute walk from the center, the Musée Dauphinois, dedicated to our region, was created by André Malraux in a former convent. It has my favorite view of the city and was an inspiration for me to try to do the same with our headquarters, the Sainte-Cécile convent.
Neighborhood
The Quartier des Antiquaires is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Grenoble, right in the historic center. Our publishing house and the Fondation Glénat offices are located right here, in the 17th-century Couvent Sainte-Cécile. I bought and renovated this former Bernadine convent 10 years ago, when the neighborhood was run down, and we have brought Antiquaires back to life. The foundation hosts concerts, exhibitions and permanently exhibits a large collection of Rembrandt prints. Visitors wandering the narrow streets will discover not only antique shops, galleries, fashion and design stores, but also an artisanal chocolatier, Le Caraque Chocolatier, a wine shop, Le Zinc, with 1,000 wines, and my personal favorite. small restaurant for hearty local cuisine, Café de France.
Green space
Grenoble is a pioneering ecological city, with a mayor from the Green party, and is this year’s European Green Capital. We have very few green spaces in the city, although the Grenoble will tell you that green spaces are all around us, starting six miles away, in the three surrounding massifs: Vercors, Chartreuse and Belledonne. Take the cable car over the city center to the imposing Fort de la Bastille to see this natural panorama. In winter, the Chamrousse ski resort is a 30-minute drive away and offers spectacular night skiing above Grenoble. Back in the city, I have a soft spot for our little Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden with a quaint natural history museum.
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Night life
This is a college town, and the nightlife starts with the happy hours in the evening. Certain streets and squares are filled until dawn. Expect pubs rather than old fashioned bistros because what is fashionable here is craft beer, with dozens of microbreweries, whose beers are apparently of superior quality due to the quality of the water. Berulle’s Shady Place features Shakesbeer, Brugs Belgian Pub and one of our many Irish Pubs. Brasserie Neptune brews in small batches, so the menu changes every month. The municipal theater has a dynamic artistic program, and more alternative shows are held at La Belle Électrique, in the old industrial district of Bouchayer-Viallet.
To stay
The comfortable Grand Hôtel (doubles from €90) is right in the center, with rooms at reasonable prices. It’s where I put visiting authors.
Jacques Glénat has always kept the headquarters of his French publishing empire, Editions Glénat, in his native Grenoble. He has also created a cultural institute, Fondation Glénat, in the city