Rhone Alpes, France Main Towns: Aix-les-Bains, Annecy, Bourg-en-Bresse, Chambery, Chamonix Mont Blanc, Courchevel, Grenoble, Lyon, Megeve, Privas, Roanne, St Etienne, Val d'Isere, Valence, Vienne.

Rhone Alpes, or the French Alps, has majestic mountains with snowy peaks, clear lakes and lush meadows, vineyards, olive groves and lavender fields. The Rhone Alpes is the gateway between north and south France.

Seasoned skiers rate the pistes of this region as arguably the best - a world of snow and ice in winter, which in the summer months melt away into a breath-taking picture of cascading waterfalls and snow-capped peaks.

Lyon, with its great museums and fine Renaissance buildings, is the second city of France. It is one of the country's most vital commercial and cultural centres as well as the undisputed capital of French gastronomy. To the North lie the world famous Beaujolais vineyards which, along with the Côtes du Rhône vineyards, make the region such an important wine producer.

The French Alps are among the most popular year-round resort areas in the world, with internationally renowned ski stations such as Chamonix, Megève and Courchevel, and historic cities like Chambery, capital of the Savoie before it merged with France. Elegant spa towns line the shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). Grenoble, a bustling university and high-tech centre, is flanked by two of the most spectacular nature reserves in France, the Chartreuse and the Vercors.

To the South, orchards and fields of sunflowers give way to brilliant rows of lavender, vineyards and olive groves. Châteaux and ancient towns dot the landscape. Mountains and pretty, old-fashioned spa towns characterise the rugged Ardèche.

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