Rhône-Alpes
Departments: Ain, Ardèche, Drôme, Isère, Loire, Rhône, Savoie, Haute-Savoie
Located on the eastern border of France, the region is named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range and borders Switzerland and Italy. To the west is the Massif Central. Deep gorges, river valleys and large lakes are found between the mountain ranges. Tourism is the major economy with skiing during the winter and hill walking, hiking and mountain biking out of season. The capital of the Rhône-Alpes, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France and is considered the gastronomic capital of France. Specialities include Lyon sausage and quenelles (fish balls). Temperatures in the winter can be extremely low but the summers are hot and sunny.
