VOIRON
Capital of a canton in Haute-Savoie (74).
Stage town for the 16th time
Population: 21,850
Specialities: Chartreuse, Bonnat chocolates, Pavé de Voiron, Voiron plum cake, Antésite.
Notable figures: François Rambeaud, Hugues Charlot, Guillaume Dode de la Brunerie (generals of the Revolution and the Empire), Jean-Baptiste Guimet (industrialist), Lucie Baud (trade unionist and feminist), Mélina Robert-Michon (athlete, flag-bearer for the French team at the Paris Olympics).
Sport: FC Pays Voironnais (football), Pays Voironnais Basket Club (basketball), Stade Olympique Voiron (rugby). Events: the Voironnaise Payre (road race), the Circuit de la Sure (trail run), the Verti Vouise, Fête du Vélo!
Economy: industries – agri-food (Bonnat chocolate factory, Chartreuse, Antésite), textiles (Denantes weaving mill, Rossignol skis in Saint-Jean-de-Moirans),
Festivals: Livres à vous festival, Voiron Jazz Festival, Festival of Urban Cultures, Chamber Music Festival at the Priory of Chirens, Festival of World Cultures.
Heritage: Saint-Bruno Church, Chartreuse cellars, Bonnat chocolate factory, Mainssieux Museum.
Labels: Note: Voiron is twinned with Tarragona, another stage town on this Tour de France.
Websites and social media: voiron.fr / tourisme.paysvoironnais.com / chartreuse-tourisme.com
VOIRON AND CYCLING
By becoming a stage town for the Tour de France, Voiron has joined a rather exclusive club of towns that have hosted two Grand Tours. The town hosted the Vuelta in 2025 for a sprint finish, where Ben Turner beat Jasper Philipsen and prevented a Belgian clean sweep in the town. The two previous winners in the town, in the Critérium du Dauphiné, were Stan Ockers in 1956 and Wout Van Aert in 2019. In France, cities that have hosted two Grand Tours are not so rare, as the Giro has visited the country 17 times and the Vuelta 12 times. However, towns that have hosted all three of the biggest stage cycling races are rarer. There are only four: Turin, which achieved this feat in two years, hosting the Tour and the Giro in 2024 and the Vuelta in 2025; Utrecht, which hosted the Giro in 2010, the Tour in 2015 and the Vuelta in 2022; Liège, which has hosted the Tour four times, the Giro twice in 2002 and 2006 and the Vuelta in 2009, and Monaco, which will join the club by organising the grand départ of the 2026 Vuelta after hosting the Giro in 1966 and the Tour de France in 2024.
Église Saint-Bruno de Voiron
Construction : 1864 to 1883
Style : Neo-Gothic
History : built to replace the smaller Saint-Pierre church, it was designed by diocesan architect Alfred Berruyer. Funding was provided through donations from the Carthusian monks and the public. The church opened its doors in 1872.
Characteristics : 67 m long, 19 m wide and 22 m high at the nave. The bell towers rise to 67 m.
Listing : Monument historique since 2022.
Caves de la Chartreuse
History : production and distribution site of the famous liqueur made by the Carthusian Fathers. The associated museum retraces the history of the Carthusian Order from 1084 to the present day. The site includes workshops, some dedicated to the preparation of cocktails made with Chartreuse.
Chocolaterie Bonnat
Foundation : 1884
History : one of the oldest chocolate factories in France, founded by Félix Bonnat. The company created classics such as *Pavés de Voiron* and *orangettes*, and inspired Tim Burton for the universe of *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*. Bonnat roasts and conches its own beans, revives extinct varieties and supports fair trade. It has shops in Voiron, Paris and Tokyo.
Musée Mainssieux
Creation : 1989
History : the museum was established from the bequest of painter Lucien Mainssieux (1885–1958). It presents works by Mainssieux and from his collection, including pieces by Courbet, Corot and Renoir.
Characteristics : four themed rooms trace the artist’s life, work and travels, as well as his relationship with the Mediterranean.
Label : Musée de France.
FOOD
Bonnat chocolates (see above)
