Tignes - France
Tignes (Teen-ya) is located in a hanging valley of the Haute Tarentaise and over the years it has developed an unfair reputation as the ‘ugly resort’ of the massive Espace Killy region. When Lake Chevril was created by a dam in 1952 the original village was submerged and what we now know as Tignes was rebuilt from scratch with a blank canvas. It will never be top of the list when it comes to picking a chocolate-box village but what you lose in charm you certainly more than make up for convenience and practicality.
Five separate villages (Val Claret, La Lac, Le Lavachet, Les Boisses and Les Brevieres) make up the resort and the slopes are shared with glamorous neighbour Val d’Isere. Look at our quick guide to help with orientation. Of the two it is Tignes that offers the more reliable snow and some of the best glacier skiing in Europe on the mighty Grande Motte. Tignes is just 30km from Bourg Saint Maurice, making the snow train a nice travel option.
At a glance
| Resort altitude | 1550m - 2100m |
|---|---|
| Highest lift | 3455m |
| Lowest lift | 1550m |
| kms of piste | 300km² |
| Black pistes | 12% |
| Red pistes | 27% |
| Blue pistes | 46% |
| Green pistes | 15% |
| Snow parks | 2 |
| Glacier | Yes |
| Snowmaking | Yes |
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Five to try
- Horse riding - riding a horse around the lake or alternatively, try ski joering - being pulled along behind on skis
- Paragliding - Skiing off the side of the Toviere mountain and floating back down to reality on a paraglide
- Snow shoeing - Heading off on snow shoes for the day to see the local wildlife and scenery around the resort
- Spa experience - spend the day at the new and huge Le Lagon leisure centre
- Skidooing - jet off around the mountains stopping for a vin chaud along the way
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Planning your trip
Situated at the end of the valley of the Haute Tarentaise, Tignes is very much away from the crowds that you often see in other big French resorts. The downside of this secluded location means that you won’t have the easiest of journeys to get there. The airport of Chambery has a transfer time of just more...
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Where to stay
Tignes is made up of five villages, all with a different character and between them they offer a huge range of hotels, chalets and self-catering accommodation. Les Brevieres (1550) is an authentic alpine village with enough restaurants and bars to stop you missing the hustle and bustle of the more...
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Food and drink
One of the most enjoyable aspects of your time in Tignes will be sampling the local cuisine. And when you feel you've had enough French food, there are plenty of restaurants specialising in other types of food, from English to Belgian to Oriental. If you are on a budget, look out for the many cheap pizza restaurants more...
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Things to do
Whether bad weather has driven you off the slopes, you are a non-skier or you simply feel like a change, Tignes has a good choice of non-skiing activities on offer. From relaxing days in the leisure centre to scuba diving under the lake to snowshoeing around the local more...
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On the piste
Tignes sits on one side of the Espace Killy, one of the most varied and expansive ski areas in the world. With over 300km of piste in total and a huge amount of backcountry in the Vanoise National Park it is not the sort of place where you will get bored. A recent ski lift modernisation programme has seen most of more...
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MadDogView
Its altitude means that Tignes is a good place for early/late season skiing. Its also one of the best places in the world to learn to ski off-piste; great lift-served slopes and a SPOT area dedicated to teaching you. Shares the Espace Killy ski domain with Val d'Isere, but staying here won't burn up so many Euro.
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Map
- Download piste map
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Our favourites
Armailly
Situated on the main road, near the piste. A shady terrace with a large restaurant/bar area inside makes it an ideal location to take in the charm of the snow covered fir trees in Les Brevieres. The staff are very friendly whether you pop in for a coffee or have a three course meal. The pizzas are very good, as are the steaks, which are served with Savoyarde potatoes and vegetables. The decor inside is typically alpine and very tastefully done. There are lots of long tables and benches which easily accommodate groups. -
Useful stuff
