I’m round, transparent and come in shades of red and silver, sometimes green. I hang in the air, move along a cable and all the locals of Grenoble as well as visitors know me! Who am I?
You will of course have recognised the unmissable Grenoble-Bastille Cable Car.
THE GRENOBLE-BASTILLE CABLE CAR: FROM THE TOWN TO THE MOUNTAIN
AN URBAN CABLE CAR, SYMBOL OF THE CITY OF GRENOBLE
Venture aboard the cable car, take to the heights and as you get higher, admire the city stretching out below your feet, and the Isère river flowing peacefully across the valley and mountains that come into view little by little. You’ll see, the view is breathtaking.
This cable car transport system dates from 1934 and was the very first urban cable car in France. The rounded cars with transparent sides so you can make the most of the view, are a symbol and pride of the city of Grenoble.
They were originally designed to make it easier to get to the Bastille Fort that overlooks the city from an elevation of 500 metres, and over the years, the cable car has been modernised with changes in the technology used and the design. It is easy to get to in the city centre of Grenoble, between the city gardens and the banks of the Isère, and today, it attracts more than 300,000 visitors per year. Whether you have lived here for a long time or you’re just passing through, you can’t visit Grenoble without a ride on the famous ‘bubbles’.
Thanks to the installation of the cable car, Bastille Fort has become a popular place to go for a stroll and an unmissable tourist attraction thanks to the exceptional view of the city and the surrounding mountains. It offers one of the most beautiful views of Grenoble with a 360° panoramic view and on a clear day you'll even catch a glimpse of Mont Blanc.
the history
The Grenoble-Bastille Cable Car was designed by architect Jean Benoit. It was well-known for the different styles of the stations and dodecagonal cars that could each carry 15 people. In 1951, these cars were replaced by rectangular, more spacious ones. Then in 1976, they were replaced by the iconic metal and plexiglas ‘bubbles’, designed by Denis Creissels, in partnership with the company from Isère, Pomagalski (today’s Poma). In the early 2000s, architects Félix Faure, Macary and Page carried out major renovation work on the upper station and this was a turning point for the Bastille and its cable car.
Another key moment in the history of the cable car was in 1976 when it broke down on the day of the grand opening of the ‘bubbles’ that we can see today.
