Discover La Terrasse

If you’re looking for a hotel in La Terrasse, you can plan your stay around what the area has to offer: history, architecture and lakeside activities. Its historic buildings tell the story of different periods and purposes. A municipal guide invites you to explore the village streets; there are also inflatable leisure attractions on the lake. You can start by considering whether cultural history, a themed walk or waterside activities matter most to you.

Water supply and architectural heritage

The 13 basins of La Terrasse supplied water to the village’s various neighbourhoods throughout the 19th century, when homes did not yet have running water. Their number and function offer a concrete insight into the water supply of the past: the basins served not just one neighbourhood, but different parts of the village. The architectural heritage also includes a former thermal institute dating from 1894 to 1935. Together with the basins, it broadens the picture of La Terrasse’s history with a type of building distinct from the château, church and chapel.

Château du Carre and historic buildings

Two construction phases can be distinguished at Château du Carre. The oldest section may date from the 13th century. In the 17th century, a second wing was added at right angles to the first on the valley side, with mullioned windows. The windows are a specific design detail of the newer section; the different dates help you understand the architecture as a development spanning several centuries. The visit to the château and terraces is an exceptional opening, during which the architectural history of the estate is also explained. Château du Carre could offer an exceptional view of Belledonne.

The Church of Saint Aupre also brings together architectural history and archaeological finds. It was built in the 7th century on an ancient site. A funerary inscription from 522 and sarcophagi from the 8th and 9th centuries were found in its foundations. The chronology thus extends from the earlier inscription to the construction of the church and then to the later-dated sarcophagi. The Chapelle du Carre adds a 19th-century building to the architectural history: it was completed in 1883, after the hamlet’s residents had carried out the work.

Another aspect of the architectural heritage is the magnaneries, or silkworm farms. They were used to rear silkworms, the caterpillars of the Bombyx Mori moth. This brings into view, alongside religious and seigneurial buildings, the former use of buildings for silkworm farming.

Walks and lakeside activities

The municipal guide “Au fil des rues” invites you to discover La Terrasse through its streets. The La Terrasse themed trail is a walk with 13 stops at memorial sites and picturesque spots in the village; it is complemented by an orientation board. The two descriptions give you different points of reference for planning: the guide focuses on the village streets, while the trail specifies its number of stops and its themes.

The intercommunal leisure centre is located at 1300 route du Lac, 38660 La Terrasse. On the lake, the Base de Loisirs Intercommunale de la Terrasse offers inflatable leisure attractions such as Aquafun, Blob Jumping and Aqua Bim Bim. The specific attractions may change over time, so check which activities are planned for your visit before you go.

When choosing what to do, keep in mind that if you’re particularly interested in architectural history, Château du Carre, Saint Aupre, the Chapelle du Carre and the magnaneries offer different historical points of interest. For a walk, you can consider the municipal guide or the themed trail. If your focus is on waterside leisure attractions, the intercommunal leisure centre is a destination in its own right. Choose hotels in La Terrasse to suit your travel plans and the topics you’d like to explore during your stay.

Discover more destinations: La Côte-Saint-André, Rives, Assieu, Mont-De-Lans, Sainte-Luce, Panissage, Bouvesse-Quirieu, Nivolas-Vermelle

For the wider travel overview: Isere.