Saint-Hilaire: Holiday Apartments and Houses

The Funiculaire de Saint Hilaire du Touvet was built between 1920 and 1924 to serve the spa facilities on the Plateau des Petites Roches, and began operating on 19 July 1924. Anyone choosing Saint-Hilaire as a destination may want to rent a holiday apartment there.

Culture

The Laboratoire d'Icare is an educational and interactive museum space focusing on air, flight and gravity. Icare du Cinéma was founded in 1983 and now welcomes almost 5,000 spectators; as the Festival International du Film Aérien, it welcomes around 100 film productions from all over the world every year.

Since 1983, Icarnaval has been regarded by the general public as an emblem of the Coupe Icare; more than 100 paragliding and hang-gliding pilots from all over the world take part in the competition.

Nature and Activities

The Sentier du Pal de Fer is closed by municipal order; it is not possible to descend on foot there. All via ferrata routes at the Funiculaire de Saint Hilaire du Touvet are closed until further notice.

Several easy paths invite visitors to go for walks from the upper station of the Funiculaire de Saint Hilaire du Touvet. The “Randonnée et histoire du Plateau” hike takes you around the village of Saint-Hilaire through local history, from the Neolithic period and medieval village life with its castle and mills to more recent history featuring the funicular railway, sanatoriums, ski resort and free flight. It is a moderately difficult day hike of around 8 kilometres with approximately 500 metres of ascent.

There are five paragliding launch sites in St Hilaire du Touvet, all offering exceptional views of the Belledonne range. The “Saint Hilaire du Touvet - Parcours d’orientation Patrimoine” orienteering course follows the Dioux loop; the markers are located near notable sites and allow visitors to discover information about the surrounding area at each station.

Geographical Location

The Plateau des Petites Roches can be reached from Grenoble and Chambéry via the A41 and the Le Touvet exit, followed by signs towards Saint-Hilaire du Touvet. There is also a direct bus connection from Grenoble to Saint-Hilaire du Touvet.

For the higher-level travel overview: Isere.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Moidieu-Détourbe, Seyssins, Le Sappey-En-Chartreuse, Bressieux, Voreppe, Auris, Clelles, Beaucroissant.