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A nice environment

Grenoble-Alpes is located in the heart of the Alpine massif. At the crossroads of France, Switzerland and Italy and surrounded by the massifs of Belledonne, Vercors, Chartreuse and Oisans, the Alpine metropolis has an exceptional mountain environment ( that offers a wide range of leisure activities, both in winter and summer.  Furthermore Grenoble is only at 1 hour from Lyon by train, 3 hours from Paris by train, 2 hours from Provence, 2 hours from Mont Blanc

 An outsanding research context

Grenoble is the 2^nd largest research city in France with:

• 3 600 researching professors in 129 university laboratories
• 3 700 doctoral students, 45% of whom are foreigners
• 9 national research organizations: CNRS, CEA, IRSTEA, CEN, CRSSA, INRA, INRIA, INSERM, IRD
• 5 major international facilities : ESRF, ILL, EMBL, GHMFL, IRAM
• 14 000 visiting foreign scientists every year
• 3 competitive centers: Minalogic, Tenerrdis, Axelera
• 65 000 students, including 9000 foreign students and 3 universities

A city of history

Grenoble’s history goes back over 2,000 years. The quiet Roman city of Gratianopolis became the capital of the DauphinéŽ in the 11th century, and was annexed to the French kingdom 3 centuries later. The city really entered the national historical record in 1788, when riots in town prompted the DauphinŽ Parliament  to ask that the kingdom Etats  GéŽnŽéraux should meet, an event that marks the start of the French revolution.

The late 18th century also triggered the industrial and cultural development of the city. The renowned glove industry of the 18th and 19th centuries continued with the development of a strong hydropower industry in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, which stimulated mechanical construction, electrical engineering, and eventually microelectronics.

In 1968, Grenoble hosted the 10th Winter Olympics, which contributed to the development of tourism in DauphinŽé: the Chamrousse ski resort, where the ski competitions took place in 1968, is only 20 minutes away from the city center.

Today, the city has grown to be one of Europe’s most important research, technology, and innovation centers, with each fifth inhabitant working directly in these domains.

If you'd like to know more, please also visit the website of Office de Tourisme Grenoble-Alpes Métropole