For about 11 euros you can have a thrilling ride on the St. Hilaire Funicular a few minutes drive outside of Grenoble. The history of the Funicular is almost as interesting as the ride itself. In the 1920′s the Funicular construction was started with the goal of using it to take building materials up to the top of the mountain for the construction of a tuberculosis sanitarium in Saint-Hilaire du Touvet. The views from the top, as well as the opportunity to watch the parasailers jump off the cliffs, are worth the ride, but if you want to get your heart beating faster, this is also a good way to do it. The funicular grade is at 83% which means when you’re descending, it almost feels like you are hanging onto the mountain like a rock climber. The bangs and regular bumps add to the sound effects. It is the steepest funicular grade in France and almost in all of Europe. It is a thrill!
We’ll be taking this exciting ride on our French Alps Tours in June so join us!
Construction of the Funicular in 1922.
For a short, fun video about the steepest Funicular in Europe, see this video about the Gelmerbahn in Switzerland.
August 3rd, 2010 at 11:09 pm
good site!