Rhône-Alpes

From Wikitravel

(Redirected from Rhone-Alpes)

Quick facts
Capital:	Lyon
Area:	43,698 sq km
Population:	5,645,407 inhab. (1999 est.)
Where is it?

France's largest region in terms of size and second largest in population, the Rhône-Alpes region is a very attractive place for travelers.

Table of contents

1 Physical regions

2 Départements

1 Main cities
2 Other destinations

2.1 Mountains

3 Understand
4 Talk
5 Get in
6 Get around
7 Eat
8 Drink
9 Stay safe
10 Get out

Physical regions

The Rhône-Alpes region has a huge diversity of landscapes due to its climactic and topographic variation.

The topography of the Rhône-Alpes region consists of two areas of high elevation divided by the Rhône Valley, which runs north-south. The western mountains are part of the Massif Central. It is an area of high hills and plateaus, mostly made of old, acidic metamorphic rock. East of the Rhône Valley plains are the Alps. these taller, younger mountains are themselves very diverse and should be divided into at least two groups. A central part of the region is occupied by a north-south line of well-defined mountainous massifs: from north to south, Bornes, Beauges, Chartreuse, Vercors, Baronies. These mountains are mainly made of limestone and are becoming a karst landscape. Another, less prominent valley divides this central area from the eastern part of the region, the Alps proper, which contains some of Europe's highest mountains, such as Mont Blanc. These mountains are made of acidic rocks such as granite.

The diverse climate of the Rhône-Alpes region is due to a blending of four weather influences: Mediterranean to the south, Alpine to the east, Continental to the north, and Atlantic to the west.

Départements

Numbers are département codes used in car number plates and poste pin codes.

Ain (01)
Ardèche (07)
Drôme (26)
Isère (38)
Loire (42)
Rhône (69)
Savoie (73)
Haute-Savoie (74)

Main cities

Lyon, the second biggest French city
Grenoble, large academic centre where the Winter Olympic Games of 1968 took place
Annecy, lovely town with a beautiful lake
Chambéry, once the capital of the Dukedom of Savoie
Privas
Saint-Etienne
Valence