France is world-famous for its cuisine and gastronomy. You will certainly be willing to try the region's specialties, but you also need to know about the different options for healthy and varied meals: on campuses, in town, and for shopping.
University restaurants
The university restaurants, more commonly known as “Resto’U” or “RU”, are the most economical solution for getting a complete, nutritionally balanced meal.
These restaurants and cafeterias, run by the CROUS, are open to the students and staff of Université Grenoble Alpes, at lunchtime from Monday to Friday and also in the evening in the case of some takeaway food outlets.
> CROUS Grenoble Alpes catering facilities
> Rates for students
Meals are paid for using a contactless payment solution called “iZly”, via your student or staff multi-service card or your smartphone.
Some takeaway food outlets also accept cash or credit cards.
> Find out more about the "iZly" payment system
Good to know
If you don’t have a student card or a staff card (if you are on a short research stay, for instance), you won’t be able to benefit from CROUS-subsidized prices. Contact your human resources department to find out whether you are entitled to use a staff restaurant, and which prices will apply.
Eating in town
If you want to eat out, you have a huge choice: cafes, sandwich bars, fast-food outlets, brasseries (pub-style restaurants), traditional restaurants, etc.
Prices range from about €4 for a sandwich to €20 for a complete lunchtime meal (starter, main course, dessert), but you can pay much more than that in the top restaurants.
Bear in mind that most restaurants are closed on Sundays.
To find out about restaurants in Grenoble and Valence, or to discover the local gastronomy, you can visit the tourist office websites:
> In Grenoble
> In Valence
Shopping
If you have cooking facilities in your accommodation, you will find lots of food shops and supermarkets near the campuses and in town.
Bear in mind that some of these are closed on Sundays.
Markets
Markets are also an excellent alternative for finding fresh, seasonal produce at budget-friendly prices.
In Grenoble and Valence, many markets are held on weekends, with some also on weekdays.
Some sell only organic produce.
> See the list of markets in the Grenoble urban area
> See the list of markets in Valence
AMAP
An “AMAP” (“Association pour le maintien d’une agriculture paysanne”) is the French equivalent of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme in North America, or a vegetable box scheme in the UK.
It is designed to promote local small-scale organic farming while creating a direct link between producers and consumers.
The latter undertake to buy part of the farmer’s produce, delivered to them in the form of weekly baskets or boxes, at a fair price which it fixed in advance.
> Go to the website of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes network of AMAPs to find a list of schemes in your area
