A lovely little tour of Voiron

The starting point is at the Parking du Parvis. Access is available by bus on line 2 from Coublevie or Voiron station: alight in front of the Parking du Parvis. As this is a circular route, you can of course start from any point.

(S/E) Take the tarmac path at the western end of the car park, just before Chemin des Morins. Look out for the reservoir below on the right: you may spot some wildlife and enjoy a view of the Sûre. Join Rue René Rambaud and follow it to the left. At the roundabout, continue straight ahead.

(1) Take the path leading down to the right, then turn left into Rue du Louvasset. Pass the Mélina Robert-Michon School, named after the discus-throwing champion who was born in Voiron. Keep right at the triangular junction and carry straight on until you reach Rue du Vieux Faton.

(2) Turn right, then first turn left then right to reach the end of the cul-de-sac. Continue along the path until you reach the wall of the Monastery of the Visitation, which has stood here since 1834 and is currently home to around twenty-five nuns. Follow the path to the left, reach Rue du Faton and cross it.

(3) Take the path on the right just after the small sports ground and walk down to Avenue de Verdun. Cross at the pedestrian crossing, then take the pavement downhill. Go up the first street on the left, then turn immediately right into Rue de Bellevue. Follow it, continuing along Rue Gallien to Saint Pierre Church. Take a very short detour to see the church’s façade and forecourt. Its origins date back to^{the 11th} century in the neighbourhood where Voiron was founded. Then retrace your steps.

(4) Walk up Rue Faubourg du Sermorens to the end, then turn right onto Rue de la Garenne. Take the path (shortcut) that climbs to the left, rejoin the street and continue right onto Rue du Belvédère until you reach the entrance to the Domaine sportif de la Garenne.

(5) Take the path between the stadium on the left and the gymnasium on the right. You will come out onto Avenue Marie Curie; turn right onto it.

(6) Turn left up Rue de la Martellière, then immediately right into Rue du Garat: a possible starting point for the climb up La Vouise. At the end of this short straight stretch, go down the stairs on the right which lead to Avenue Marie Curie and walk down this avenue, keeping to the left-hand pavement.

(7) Turn left into the small Rue de Saint-André, which runs downhill to the town centre alongside the Lycée Edouard Herriot.

(8) At the mini roundabout, continue straight ahead into Rue des Orphelines, then turn left into Rue des Quatre Chemins.

(9) Cross Place de la République, passing in front of the late^19th-century neo-Gothic Saint-Bruno Church. It naturally owes its name to the founder of the Grande Chartreuse monastery. The River Morge flows right beneath our feet, underground beneath the church forecourt. Go round the church via Rue Genevoise, cross Place Saint-Bruno and exit via Rue Rose Sage. On Rue Grande, walk a few metres to the left then take the steps leading up to the right. Walk up Rue Haute to the right for 50 metres then take the steps on the left known as Rue du Muret and reach Rue Saint-Vincent.

(10) Follow it past the old hospital. The street turns into a wide path lined with high walls at the start: below on the right is the Lycée Les Oiseaux. When the street becomes tarmac again, take the first street on the right.

(11) Turn right onto Avenue d’Haussez and follow the pavement on the left. At number 36, take the path on the left between the houses to reach Avenue Gambetta. Cross at the traffic lights, then take the stairs and the street leading down towards the town centre. Turn left onto Boulevard du Guillon, then immediately right onto Rue Guimet. You can take a short detour to the left in front of the media library and almost opposite the Caves de la Chartreuse.

(12) Head right towards the town centre via Boulevard Edgar Kofler. Cross the forecourt of the railway station, then the car park of the Nord coach station, and exit via the stairs at the far left. Cross the small street and continue along the path between the cinema and the viaduct. Cross the Morge via the wide footbridge, join Rue du Mail and turn left.

(13) Enter the park at the southern end of Rue du Mail and wander at your leisure: paths, lake, beautiful trees, animals, monument. This route is just one of many possibilities. Leave the park via its south-eastern corner, near the skate park. Turn left onto Avenue Denfert Rochereau, cross it via the pedestrian crossing just at the entrance to the roundabout and continue along Rue de l’Industrie.

(14) Turn right onto the metal footbridge to cross the Morge, continue between the buildings, turn right onto Avenue John Kennedy, and join Avenue du Docteur Valois. Turn right onto it, keeping to the right-hand pavement. On the right-hand side of the roundabout, take the underpass to cross Boulevard Denfert-Rochereau, then turn left along École Jules Ferry.

(15) Cross Cours Becquart-Castelbon then Square Dechandol by taking a path up on the left. Turn left into Rue de Maubec then immediately right into Rue de la Cigrogne. Carry straight on until the junction with Rue des Chevreuils.

(16) Continue straight ahead, staying on Rue de la Cigrogne, and climb up to the Criel plateau.

(17) Turn left onto the path in the middle of the meadow and take in the panoramic views to the south. After about a hundred metres, the path branches off to the right towards the north and joins Rue de Criel. Follow it to the right and, after about a hundred metres, turn left onto a path between the houses. Cross Impasse des Chardons and continue along the path straight ahead to reach Rue des Castors.

(18) Follow it to the left, ignoring Rue des Marmottes on the left. Further on, turn right into Rue des Chamois and first turn left then right to continue along Rue Léon Perrier. Then turn left into Rue Lionel Terray.

(19) Follow a path through a meadow on the left. In the middle of this meadow, you are just above the railway line, which runs underground before entering Voiron. Join Rue du Placyre, cross it at the roundabout, walk a few metres along the left-hand pavement, then cross back over at the pedestrian crossing to walk on the right-hand pavement, as the left-hand side is reserved for cyclists. Turn right into Rue Léon Béridot and continue straight on along a shared pedestrian and cycle path.

(20) Turn left onto the footpath. Turn right onto Chemin des Essarts and then right again onto Rue de la Croix Pingeon. Pass the bridge over the railway line on the left, reach the junction with Rue du Curtet and head left. Then turn right onto Rue du Vallon.

(21) Turn right onto Chemin des Mollies and follow it to a large horizontal rock embankment on the left. Cross the valley via this rock formation and continue along the path which leads back to Rue du Vallon. Follow this road up to the roundabout on the D12. Cross at the pedestrian crossing to the left of the roundabout and arrive at the Parvis car park (S/E).

The Jardin de Ville park (13) is the ideal spot for a picnic. But you can also have a picnic near the Garenne sports complex a little before (6) or on the Criel plateau a little after (17) or just after (19).

The Jardin de Ville is open from 7.30 am to 7 pm from 1 October to 31 March and from 7.30 am to 9 pm from 1 April to 30 September.

(4) Saint-Pierre Church.

(9) Saint-Bruno Church.

(12) The media library.

The Chartreuse Cellars.

(13) The City Garden.