Destination Audit

Heavenly distraction from Parisian deja vu

Containing the world's most visited metropolis can make a destination seem one-dimensional -- something France is keen to avoid and the southerly Rhone Alps provides an ideal foil for Parisian obsession in a natural explosion of beauty, cites Bhisham Mansukhani

Mont Blanc, Europe's tallest mountain(15771), Chamonix All pics Bhisham Mansukhani

The inimitable thrill of discovering paradise is rare considering the droves of digicam-totting tourists that have overrun every nook and cranny of this finite planet. It therefore rates as perhaps the finest leisure experience of all.

Something akin to this discovery awaits Indian tourists who will visit France in 2006-07 as both Maison de la France and a clutch of France-selling veteran Indian tour operators introduce the ebullient outbounder to a quaint corner in Southern France known as the Rhone Alps. While most Indian inbound to France has been a Paris-Nice-Riviera circuit with a mandatory Disney excursion tucked in as part of a maniacally hectic Continental Europe tour, the addition of the Rhone Alps is being viewed by Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw, France promotions manager at Maison de la France, as “a potential watershed that could veer France to the coveted single-destination status.”

Latent triumvirate

The canal that has earned Annecy the reputation of being the Venice of the north

So what is it about the Rhone Alps that makes it competitive enough to persuade Indian travellers to cede days of similar countryside hiatus in neighbouring European countries? To begin with, the striking proximity to Paris, the veritable anchor of any French sojourn. The world's fastest train, TGV, transports passengers within 90 minutes from the Gare Du Lyon rail terminal in Paris to the erstwhile Gaulish capital of Lyon.

Set against the towering guard of Europe's tallest peak at 15,771 feet, Mont Blanc, and bordering Switzerland and Italy, the Rhone Alps is pure nature interspersed with the most minimal yet diverse civilisation that blends with ease into it. Now it isn't difficult to rattle off the region's innumerable attractions - the world's most extensive skiing areas, Beaujolais and Rhone Valley vineyards, 7,000 square kilometres of waterway, valleys under floral carpets, national parks, unexplored caves, alpine glaciers, UNESCO finds, the world's leading concentration of Michelin star chefs and above all, unmistakably patent French hospitality made accessible by the most consummately quick train the world will presumably see. Yet somehow, it doesn't ring as convincing enough unless articulated over a bulb of Rhone Valley Rouge under a canopy of orchards, somewhere in the South East French escape.

Place Des Jacobins in Lyon’s central square

Lyon is the ideal place to start. A Napoleonic mainstay in the illustrious Frenchman's heydays, France's second largest city is a melting pot of art, style and cuisine, which for some, rivals Paris for sheer romance of all things French. Lyon's architectural profile stitches together Gallo-Roman remnants and relatively modern buildings, all sitting together beside the busy River Rhone and Loire that cut through the city. It has 27 museums, a spectacular, untouched Roman amphitheatre and Church, truly a 'pièce de résistance' which has withstood corrosive decades to give visitors a sense of immaculate gothic architecture. The city is also dotted with several shops selling everything from antiques to silk. Lyon has the privilege of the famous vineyards of outlying Beaujolais that merit more than just a fleeting taste-and-dash soiree. Paul Bocuse and the Troigros brothers are some of the luminous culinary wizards that tantalise French and international palates with much accredited cooking.

Lake Annecy, the centre of all tourist activity in Annecy

Annecy is attractive not just for its proximity to Rhone Alps' highlight Chamonix but for Europe's purest lake, alluring chateaus and shopping bargains that are more likely to freeze tourists than an alpine winter. Accosted by mountains and with Lake Annecy at its centre, the little town is a trove of narrow cobble-stoned lanes lined by delectably carved small buildings, sudden flea markets, the indispensable wine store and a canal plunging through the streets, bestowing the town with the reputation of being the Venice of the North. The lake though is far and away, the dominant attraction while numerous hotels dot its banks all round and myriad water sports occupy the surface all summer.

Chamonix is the unmistakable toast of the Rhone Alps, not just because it boasts of the imperious Mont Blanc but for the fact that unlike most mountain settlements, which are merely artificial structures interrupting nature, Chamonix is a positively buzzing town with pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and most of the world's nationalities. Host to the Winter Olympics in 1924, Chamonix was eternalised as a setting for a creator-monster confrontation in Mary Shelley's gothic pulp fiction, Frankenstein. These days, though, the only terrifying site one is likely to encounter in the picturesque mountain town is that of chattering American skiers darting down its generous slopes.

The absolutely unmissable excursion in Chamonix is is the twin cable car ride up to the Aiguille du Midi for a grand upfront view of the Mont Blanc, the iconic arc of which is found on the cover of every Mont Blanc pen. An observation platform equipped with a restaurant and souvenir store is the ideal place to take in the ethereal site of the windswept, ice-capped mountain range. A trip on the Montenvers cogwheel train takes travellers to Mer De Glace (Sea of Ice), France's biggest glacier at seven kilometres. Then there is the famous journey to Italy and back; a cable car to Pointe Helbrunner. Apart from the famous excursions, Chamonix also offers a range of activities across summer and autumn ranging from skiing, paragliding, canyoning, trekking and rafting.

So, the Rhone Alps isn't just a cornucopia of pretty, quiet countryside. Social life and dining in Lyon could induce the idea of settlement, shopping in Annecy threatens to hold up Indian tourists to such an extent that the tour group leader would have a bag on his head and Chamonix is a heady mix of tall, snow-kissed mountains and a youthful buzz that is otherwise only encountered in the French capital.

Hinterland foil

Paris will always be the inextricable gateway to France and its mainstay in the Indian consciousness. Yet there are only so many encores that the romance of Gaulish architecture, cobbled pavements riddled with cafes, boutiques and the odd, avant garde coiffeur, presided over by the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triumph can press.

Clearly, the iconic metropolis deserves, by now, a transition to being an important fulcrum of a larger French itinerary and the Rhone Alps provide just that. While Paris will always reign as the definitive big city experience in the way that London is to Britain, the Rhone Alps combine unfettered natural splendour and a slew of activities to give tour operators the chance to ground their FITs and GITs alike in France much longer.

For more information on hotels, accommodation and activities in Rhone Alps, tour operators can contact Rachel Gregoris, Promotion Department (Asia) at rachel.gregoris@rhonealpes-tourisme.com