Famous Luire cave entrance.

© Nicolas Jooris-Ancion/Getty Images/iStock

Grotte de la Luire


Filled with karst springs and enormous, spectacularly lit chambers, the Grotte de la Luire was used as an emergency hospital during WWII. When it's open, up to five tours depart daily (a dozen daily in July and August), but days of operation vary greatly throughout the year: check the website to be certain.

Standard visits arm you with a lamp, but for added atmosphere, it's worth reserving a spot on the occasional torchlit night tours.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors

4.64 MILES

Mountains, limestone cliffs and dense forests create a high-drama landscape within this 2062-sq-km preserve, a few kilometres southwest of Grenoble. The…

2. Gorges du Furon

19.85 MILES

Canyoning, abseiling and walking are all popular in the spectacular Gorges du Furon, carved through the Vercors limestone by the rushing Furon River. You…

3. Le Magasin

24.53 MILES

A cavernous glass-and-steel warehouse built by Gustave Eiffel has been turned into one of France's leading centres of contemporary art. Many of the…

4. Église St-Louis

25.26 MILES

Consecrated in 1699, the St-Louis church may look austere from the outside but within you'll find a staggering set of seven paintings, featuring scenes…

5. Musée Stendhal

25.42 MILES

This modest museum, housed in the restored apartment of his maternal grandfather, Docteur Gagnon, celebrates the work of the author of The Red and the…

6. Téléphérique Grenoble-Bastille

25.44 MILES

Hop into a clear-panelled spherical pod for dreamy views of Grenoble's red roofs and magnificent mountains on this cable-car ride up to the Bastille. Les…

8. Musée Dauphinois

25.58 MILES

This ever-evolving museum unleashes a century of regional history on visitors. Suits of armour are back-lit in brightly coloured rooms, 3-D family trees…