Luxury holidays in Rhône-Alpes
It’s the home of Evian water and hot-air ballooning, distinguished vineyards and world-famous cuisine. Honey-coloured châteaux watch over farmland and forest, and the snow-speckled tips of the Alps line the region’s pockets, drawing the flashest skiers to white velvet slopes at Courchevel, Chamonix and Val d’Isère. There’s Europe’s highest summit, Mont Blanc, and its deepest gorge (in Ardèche). And the culinary traditions of France’s second city, Lyon, are among the most revered in the world, Beaujolais and the Côtes du Rhône providing the accompanying nectar.
When to go
The ski season lasts from early December to April, and the high-altitude slopes mean you’re in for good snow. Hikers and mountain bikers will love meandering over the grassy hills in high summer. Cherry blossom blooms in May, and there’s more spectacular colour in autumn, when the leaves are turning. At lower altitudes, winter can be rainy.