Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, from Mont Blanc to the volcanoes.

Which area should you choose?

It is a double region. To the east, the northern Alps: Mont Blanc, glaciers, lakes and ski resorts. To the west, the Auvergne, in the Massif Central: extinct grass-covered volcanoes, black-stone villages and mountain cheeses. In between is Lyon, the big city. They are different trips; with a week, do one of them and, at most, add Lyon.

• Chamonix, if you want high mountains without being a mountaineer. The Aiguille du Midi cable car takes you to over 3,800 metres opposite Mont Blanc, the Montenvers train runs to the Mer de Glace glacier and there are balcony trails for every level. It is also the starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
• Annecy, if you want something quieter: an old town with canals, a clean lake to swim in during summer and a greenway for cycling along the shore. It works very well with children.
• The Chaîne des Puys, west of Clermont-Ferrand, for walking among volcanoes. About 80 cones in a line, a World Heritage Site, with the Puy de Dôme as its roof and craters you can walk around in a morning. It is cheaper and quieter than the Alps.
• Lyon, for one or two nights in the city: the old town beside the Saône, the traboules of La Croix-Rousse and the bouchons, the restaurants serving Lyonnaise cooking. It is also where the AVE from Barcelona arrives.

For a first summer trip, combine Annecy and Chamonix, an hour and a half apart by car. If you are travelling on a tighter budget or in spring, the Auvergne is the choice.

How do you get there from Spain?

By train, Renfe's AVE links Barcelona with Lyon Part-Dieu in about five hours, calling at Girona, Figueres, Perpignan, Narbonne, Montpellier, Nîmes and Valence. From Lyon, regional trains run to Annecy, Chambéry and Clermont-Ferrand, and you reach Chamonix by regional train with a change or two.

By plane, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry has direct flights from Madrid with Iberia, up to three a day, and from Barcelona with Vueling and easyJet; Volotea flies from other cities, such as Seville. For Chamonix and Annecy, Geneva is closer: about 45 minutes from Annecy and a little over an hour from Chamonix by road.

By car, via La Jonquera and the toll motorways of the Rhône valley: from the border to Lyon it is about 530 km and to Annecy or Chamonix about two hours more. You reach Clermont-Ferrand by coming up from Montpellier on the A75, free for almost its whole length apart from the Millau Viaduct.

How do you get around?

By car to tour the region. Within the valleys, transport works better than it looks: in Chamonix there are trains and buses along the valley, and around Lake Annecy there are buses and the greenway. In the Auvergne, by contrast, almost everything needs a car.

You can't drive to the summit of the Puy de Dôme: the road is reserved for services and emergencies. You go up on the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway, about ten minutes, or on foot along the Chemin des Muletiers from the Col de Ceyssat, between 45 minutes and an hour's climb.

If you are travelling between 1 November and 31 March, in the signposted mountain areas you must carry chains or snow socks for at least two drive wheels, or four winter tyres with the mountain symbol (3PMSF). Tyres marked only M+S are not enough.

When to go and what does it cost?

From June to September for the mountains: the lifts and mountain huts are open, the high trails are clear of snow and the lakes can be used. July and August bring more people and higher prices in Chamonix and Annecy; June and September are quieter. From December to March the Alps are for skiing. In April, May and November many lifts stop and the mountains are half-open, a good moment for Lyon or the Auvergne.

The Alps are expensive, especially Chamonix in season and Annecy in summer, and the lifts add a lot to the budget. The Auvergne is considerably cheaper, with simple hotels and farms selling cheese at the door. Lyon has city prices, with the lunchtime set menu as the way to eat well without spending so much.