Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France: Towns to Explore on Foot

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a region of contrasts in the centre and east of southern France, bringing together the Alps, the volcanoes of Auvergne and the Rhône river. It is worth visiting for its varied landscapes, cities and local identities—and Neywo offers free audio guides for 5 cities in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, with 630 narrated places in total across 13 walking tours.

What to see and do in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

An Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes travel guide cannot be reduced to one landscape or one style of town. The region was created in 2016 when the former Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes administrative regions were merged, but the territory still reflects the distinct cultures, architecture, languages and traditions of those historic areas.

Its geography explains much of this variety. The region covers nearly 70,000 square kilometres and extends across the centre and east of southern France. The Alps dominate the east, the volcanoes of Auvergne shape the Massif Central, and the Rhône provides one of the region’s defining lines. These three elements even appear together in the regional logo: a peak for the Alps, a crater-like hollow for Auvergne’s volcanoes and a horizontal line for the river.

Lyon

Lyon is the prefecture and largest metropolitan centre of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is also the region’s most extensively covered city on Neywo, with 414 narrated places. Among its key landmarks are Lyon Cathedral, the Gadagne museums, the Musée de l’Imprimerie et de la Communication Graphique and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.

The city is also one of the region’s main transport hubs, with Lyon Part-Dieu and Lyon Perrache railway stations. Lyon Saint-Exupéry is the region’s main airport, serving domestic and international destinations.

Grenoble

Grenoble is one of the major urban centres of the region, set within the Alpine part of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Its Neywo guide includes 101 narrated places, including the Grenoble Archaeological Museum, the House of Doctor Gagnon, the Musée dauphinois and the Museum of the Old Archbishopric.

The city offers a different perspective on the region from Lyon: its identity is closely connected with the Alps and the urban centres of eastern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Annecy

Annecy is another important eastern city and one of the region’s destinations available on Neywo, with 69 narrated places. The city’s highlighted sites include Château d’Annecy, Atelier Géraldine Maurier, St. Peter’s Cathedral and Château de Novel.

Annecy and other eastern parts of the region are also served by Geneva Airport in Switzerland, which lies north of the city.

Chamonix

Chamonix brings the Alpine character of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes into particularly clear focus. Its Neywo guide features 40 narrated places, including Église Saint-Michel de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, the Alpine Museum of Chamonix and Glaciorium.

These sites offer different ways to explore the town and its mountain setting, from religious and cultural heritage to places connected with the high Alps.

Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne

For a smaller-town experience, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne has 6 narrated places on Neywo. Its highlighted sites include Château de Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Église Saint-André-et-Saint-Vincent-de-Paul de Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Porte de Villars and the Apothicairerie de l’Hôtel-Dieu.

The town adds another scale to the region’s story, showing that Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is not defined only by its major cities and mountain destinations.

The region behind the name

The creation of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes brought together two former administrative regions with their own established identities. The new arrangement was debated locally, including the order of the two historic names. Residents and schoolchildren were consulted, while online polling favoured a different order. The regional council ultimately adopted Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a name that combines Auvergne, the Rhône river and the French Alps. It became official in 2016.

Today, the name covers a territory that still feels made up of several distinct worlds. Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Étienne, Clermont-Ferrand, Chambéry and Annecy are among its principal urban centres, while the surrounding landscapes range from volcanic terrain to Alpine peaks and the Rhône valley.

The region borders five other French administrative regions, including Bourgogne-Franche-Comté to the north and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur to the southeast. Its railway stations and airports reflect its multiple centres: alongside Lyon’s stations, Grenoble and Clermont-Ferrand are important railway hubs, while airports also serve Chambéry, Clermont-Ferrand and Grenoble.

Explore Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with Neywo

Download Neywo to explore the region with free audio guides for 5 cities: Annecy, Chamonix, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Grenoble and Lyon. Together, they include 630 narrated places across 13 walking tours.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can discover the cities of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes while walking independently and choosing the places that interest you most.

For the wider country, continue with the France guide.