Rhône-Alpes is the 2nd largest administrative region in France in terms of area and population. It covers a large swathe of the Rhône Valley, most of the French Alpes (bordering on Switzerland and Italy) and reaches south into what was once considered Provence. At its heart is France’s third largest city, Lyon which sits astride the Rhône. The region is an important region for France, generating a great deal of wealth through tourism, technology, wine making and agriculture. The Rhône valley is one of the busiest transport corridors in Europe as it links Paris and Northern Europe with the Mediterranean via autoroute, high speed rail and river traffic. Lyon also has a busy international airport. The other main cities in the Rhône-Alpes region are Grenoble, Saint Etienne, Valence, Annecy and Chambéry. Like several other regions Rhône-Alpes, is a fairly recently designated area and cuts across old boundaries. The departments of Savoie, Haute-Savoie were annexed from the House of Savoy (located in modern day Italy) in 1860 and to this day there is still a strong connection between Chambéry and Turin. Geneva, just inside the Swiss border also exerts a strong economic influence on this eastern corner of the region. Rhône-Alpes contains the famous wine areas of Cotes du Rhone to the south and Beaujolais to the north of Lyon. France’s highest mountain Mont Blanc is also within the region. | | 
Rhône-Alpes Quick Facts Population: Departments: Ain (01), Ardèche (07), Drôme (26), Isère (38), Loire (42), Rhône (69), Savoie (73) and Haute-Savoie (74) Major Centres: Lyon, Sainte Etienne, Grenoble, Valence, Chambery What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport: Region Official Tourism Site Region Wikipedia Site |
