Tignes Luxury Chalets

Most nightlife can be found around Tignes Le Lac. But with a great bus service running late into the night, you can hit your favourite bar and be back at your Tignes luxury accommodation before your bedtime.

With party hot spots Tignes and Val d’Isere sharing the same slopes, you can guarantee the drinks will start flowing before you’ve unclipped your skis.

•   Pop over to Val d’Isere and check out mountain rite of passage Folie Douce. The original venue in the franchise, their cabaret parties have set the bar for apres ski across the French Alps. Take the Tommeuses chairlift home or catch a bus back from Val d’Isere.
•   Party until the sun goes down at Cocoricos. This sun terrace at the base of the funicular has live music, DJ sets, and table dancing every day from 3 pm.
•   Loop Bar in Tignes le Lac is the most popular place in town. The party starts early on the sunny terrace overlooking the lake. It’s very easy to miss your dinner reservations since live music and happy hours keep people partying here late into the night.

With an endless choice of bars spread across the villages, you won’t struggle to find a place to grab a drink or two before heading back to your Tignes luxury chalet.

•   Warm up with a vin chaud by the open fire in Grizzly’s Bar. The fairytale-style log cabin is a dream for kids and Instagrammers alike.
•   Couloir Bar is an ideal spot for a pre-dinner drink or a warm-up before you hit the club. They have a great choice of wine and cocktails, as well as live music and happy hour deals.
•   Cave du Loop is in the cellar of Loop Bar. They mix cocktails and an intimate atmosphere with some of the best DJs in Tignes.

If you have the stamina to keep partying, you’ll find several late-night venues where things are guaranteed to get out of hand.

•   The rowdy Saloon Bar has a pool table, happy hours, and a DJ. It’s a good spot if you’re ramping up for a big night on the town.
•   Melting Pot is popular with the Brits, being one of the only places in Tignes to feature more electronic and drum & bass into their set lists. Keep the party going here until 4 am.
•   Blue Girl is a French discotheque that plays mostly Euro-pop. It can come across a little seedy, but it’s the only venue in Tignes open until 5 am.

Tignes offers incredible diversity across its 300km of piste. This is the ideal resort for mixed groups, with outstanding off-piste and hair-raising blacks for experts, lots of cruisy blues and tricky reds for intermediates, and a huge choice of greens so beginners can still feel like they’ve conquered the mountains. Wherever you choose to ski, you’ll be met with breathtaking mountain vistas. And altitudes of 2,100-3,456m combined with the Grande Motte glacier guarantee great snow throughout the winter.

The ski area

The immense Espace Killy stretches across Tignes and the neighbouring resort of Val d’Isere. The intricate and efficient lift network will take you anywhere you want to go. They are modern and fast, with regular buses as a backup should you miss the last lift.

On the Tignes side, there are four main ski domains:

•   Tignes Le Lac/ 2100 is the main hub for the Tignes side of Espace Killy. It offers a sprawling network of lifts and runs, allowing you to go up to Val Claret or ski down to Les Boisses. All levels of skier will be happy here.
•   Val Claret gives you access to Tignes Le Lac, the Grande Motte glacier, and Val d’Isere. There are some fantastic runs for advanced skiers here.
•   Les Boisses/ 1800 and Les Brevieres are calmer areas away from the main drag with pretty, tree-lined runs. It’s great for beginners and intermediates and is a great spot for families.

Boarders

Thanks to its wide slopes, consistent snow, and unpretentious attitude, Tignes is a fantastic option for all levels of snowboarder. The modern lift system is ideal for bridging the gap between skiers and boarders.

Beginners will be happy with the selection of nursery slopes and free lifts spread across each of the villages. When they’re ready to venture onto the main slopes, there are plenty of gentle blues close to the main hubs. Even more so if you’re willing to catch a bus over to Val d’Isere.

Confident intermediates will have the run of almost every corner of Espace Killy. Our recommendation would be to start on the quiet pistes around 1800 and work your way across throughout the week. On the rare occasion that the snow conditions are below par, take the funicular up to the glacier. You’ll have no trouble finding smooth snow and a run to match your level.

Advanced riders will find excellent blacks and a whole world of backcountry. Take the leg-burning 1,200m descent from Aguille Percee to Les Brevieres, via a network of runs and even more options beyond the piste. You’ll find glorious powder and endless lines on the glacier. To save yourself a hike, pop over to Val d’Isere, where you’ll find a lot of accessible and lift-served off-piste terrain.

There are two snow parks in Espace Killy, and the one on the Tignes side is ideal for beginners and intermediates, with a small drag lift to take you over to the expert zone.  The 2km DC Park has plenty of boxes, jumps, and rails, as well as a chill zone to watch the action unfold while lazing in the sun. Fun extra features include a boardercross, a giant airbag, and a ‘shoot my ride’ system.

Beginners

High-altitude villages mean that you can find great snow as soon as you step onto the slopes. Beginners will find nursery areas and 8 free lifts in Val Claret, Tignes Le Lac, Lavachet, and Les Brevieres, making the slopes accessible for beginners wherever you choose to stay. Wide and gentle greens make it easy for new skiers to practice their turns.

There’s also an excellent selection of ski schools to help you master the basics. Kids will love the Piou Piou areas run by ESF. The inflatable features, magic carpet, and games will have them desperate to hit the slopes each morning.

When you’re ready to progress, there are gentle slopes within crashing distance of the nearest village, so you’ll have plenty of options to build up your confidence. The long green in Les Brevieres is the perfect place to get your first taste of scenic mountain cruising. Ready to brave a blue? The Combe run is close to Le Lac, with well-groomed terrain ideal for building confidence before heading back to your luxury chalet in Tignes Le Lac.

If you’re up for an adventure, head over to Toviere for a wonderful selection of long greens and blues. There’s a gondola back to Le Lac if you don’t want to ski back down.

Our recommended ski schools:

•   New Generation are a British company established for over 20 years and operate across the Swiss, French, and Austrian Alps. They offer group, private, and off-piste lessons for all ages.
•   Snocool are a family-run company that come highly recommended. They specialise in private lessons but also offer classes in very small groups. Limited spaces are available. Experts can make the most of their guiding and heli-skiing options.
•   Evolution 2 is one of the best-rated ski schools in the Alps. They offer group and private lessons, kids clubs, and a range of unique winter activities in Tignes.

Intermediates

Tignes is a dream resort for intermediate skiers, with endless ground to cover and speedy lifts to whisk you across the mountain.

For a first-day confidence boost, take the Perce Neige blue in Le Lac. It’s a quiet piste with lots of fun turns to help find your snow feet again. Its stunning views across the valley will pique your excitement for the week ahead. Afterwards, go to Grande Motte and ski the Grattalu run. This run is often forgotten about since it neighbours the snow park and many of the resort’s most popular reds. From here, get the chair back up and take a long blue route back to Le Lac for lunch.

Now you’re warmed up, the whole resort is your oyster. You could spend the week on long, cruisy blues but, with so many outstanding red runs on offer, you may as well push yourself.

Make sure to check out the excellent selection of blues and reds heading toward La Daille. The Orange run is a gorgeous red departing from the top of the Marmottes chairlift. You can even stop for a drink at Folie Douce on the way down.

The long reds down from Grande Motte or Aiguille Percee are not for the faint of heart or weak of limb. The 6.2km trip from Aiguille Percee to Les Brevieres is a local favourite, with lots of red and blue options so you can mix it up each time. If you happen to be in the area, make sure you take the Cyclamen red at least once. This is the home of Tignes’ famous Eye of the Needle, a rock formation that serves as the icon of the resort.

Advanced

With an impressive collection of black runs, challenging reds, and marked itinerary runs Espace Killy is one of the more challenging ski areas even for skiers who don’t like to venture off the piste.

Warm up on the long reds in La Daille, before heading up to Grande Motte, where you’ll have a fabulous time hopping between reds and blacks. You could easily fill a whole day on Augille Parecee, with super long red, black, and itinerary routes. The most famous black in Espace Killy on the Tignes side is Sache- a gruelling 10km run littered with moguls, steep sections, and tricky twists. You’ll definitely have earned a vin chaud by the time you reach Les Brevieres.

Although Tignes is considered the advanced side of Espace Killy, you’ll find lots of great blacks on the Val d’Isere side, including the legendary La Face. On the way home, check out the Johan Clarey black in Toviere. It offers stunning views over the lake, long and tricky terrain, and delivers you almost to the front door of your luxury accommodation in Tignes Le Lac. For a big day out, you could start early in Le Fornet and challenge yourself to get to Les Brevieres before the lifts close.

Espace Killy has many itinerary runs, also known as naturides. They are marked and patrolled but not groomed. These are excellent options for capable skiers who haven’t yet made the transition to off-piste skiing.  A good place to start would be the Leisse on Grande Motte or the Guerlain Chicherit on Col de Ves. Both offer more than enough challenges but are short enough not to overwhelm you on your first time.

If you do want to venture outside the lines on your piste map, you’ll find some of the world’s best lift-served off-piste. La Daille, Grande Motte, and Auguille Percee provide fantastic options, but this is a ski area best explored with a guide. Although heli-skiing is illegal in France, many companies offer the chance to heli-ski across the border in Italy and Switzerland.

High altitudes and the Grande Motte glacier ensure a fantastic snow record in Tignes year after year. On the rare occasion that the snow is lacking, Espace Killy has one of the best artificial snow-making and piste-grooming systems in the world. With one of the longest winter seasons in the Alps, lifts typically open from late November until early May.

December
Tignes has great snow conditions in December and the slopes are usually quiet before the festive rush. The days leading up to Christmas hit peak season. Although more expensive and busy, it’s a magical time to visit with Christmas markets, festive activities, and even livelier apres ski than usual.
Average snowfall: 141cm
Snow days: 10

January
New Year’s Eve is huge in Tignes, with an open-air party, live music, and fireworks. Once the festivities have died down, January is a cold but quiet month, perfect if you want good snow and the pistes to yourself.
Average snowfall: 137cm
Snow days: 9

February
European half-term weeks make February one of the busiest times for families in Tignes. Historically, this is the best month for powder and bluebird days.
Average snowfall: 98cm
Snow days: 9

March
March is a great time to visit with longer days, sunny weather, and still plenty of fresh powder. This equals more time on the slopes (or more time sipping Aperol at apres).
Average snowfall: 105cm
Snow days: 9

April
Tignes is a great option for spring skiing, when the snow in many other resorts has started turning to slush. It’s possible to get some great late-season deals at this time, especially outside of the easter holidays.
Average snowfall: 75cm
Snow days: 8