Tignes | Ski Resort Review

The yin to Val d'Isere's yang, Tignes is one of the best ski resorts in France. Located in the western half of the huge Espace Killy linked ski area, in the upper Tarentaise Valley of the central French Alps, Tignes is perfect for keen intermediates and advanced-level skiers and snowboarders. It also has good off-slope amenities plus a lively nightlife scene.

A buzzing mini-metropolis in the otherwise uninhabited realm of snow and ice in the High Tarentaise, Tignes is split into two main resort centres, Tignes-le-Lac and Val Claret, facing each other across the frozen lake in this high treeless trough.

"The resort is best suited to keen intermediates and advanced visitors craving big mileage and big vertical"

Architecturally, Tignes is not to everybody's taste; the resort was mostly constructed during the 1970s, and visually is still redolent of that age. When the resort's original designers dreamt up the idea of constructing massive high-rise blocks here, it was because they had just two absolute prerequisites in their brief: easy access to some of the world's best skiing, and guaranteed snow conditions. Indeed, Tignes pioneered the concept of ski-in/ski-out accommodation.

Overall, Tignes is not the best choice for beginners, although there's certainly plenty of terrain that competent novices should find manageable. The resort is best suited to keen intermediates and advanced visitors craving big mileage and big vertical, and for those travelling early or late in the season and looking for peace-of-mind regarding snow reliability.

Best deals on Tignes hotels: Book now on Booking.com

Best deals on Tignes Ski Hire: Extra 5% off with SnowRental

Best deals on Tignes Ski School: Book now with Maison Sport

Tignes - Ski Map & Pistes:

Tignes is a big, busy resort, with big scenery, but there's masses of space in the ski area to disperse the crowds. The variety of terrain is extensive: from the intoxicating glacial heights of La Grande Motte, to the thigh-burning long cruises down to the tree line and valley floor at Les Brévières; and from the quiet powder fields around the Col des Ves, to the bustling groomed motorways linking towards Val d'Isere via the Col de Fresse and Toviere.

The majority of the ski area is a paradise for intermediates, with a great selection of sweeping blue and red pistes. There are several black runs marked on the piste map, although most are in fact fairly tame.

The Grande Motte glacier is Tignes' most emblematic sector. This towering, permafrost peak allows the resort to roll out a snow sure white carpet earlier than any other French ski station; opening in late September and staying open until early May, with snowsports on the glacier available during July and August too.

Tignes Interactive Piste Map:

Tignes - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:

Tignes in one of the best resorts for powder skiing with access to exceptional off-piste terrain. Advanced-level thrill-seekers look beyond the piste map and see the real potential that this area has to offer, with some of the most extreme and exposed off-piste routes in the Alps, for those that have the ability and the mettle.

Tignes Les Brévières has some lovely off-piste skiing when it's a whiteout as you can pick and choose some lines in between the trees. There is also plenty of terrain alongside the pistes, and you can usually spot the best of it while riding up on the lifts here.

If you're skiing Tignes Le Lac on a powder day then you can enjoy good descents near the Chardonnet lift, Palafour lift and can then cross over to L'Aiguille Percee and Tignes Les Brévières. 

Tignes - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:

Despite its austere facade, Tignes does have a discernible soul. It's a lot more Gallic than Brit-centric Val d'Isere; French urbanites flock here every weekend and the resort works hard to animate the harsh surroundings of this high valley with regular events and entertainment.

The ski resort boasts two sports & leisure centres, numerous spa facilities, a tenpin bowling arcade, plus there are various day-time and evening adventure-sports activities available.

Although Tignes’ après-ski has always been more laid-back than neighbouring Val d’Isère, it’s far from sleepy. The scene has evolved in recent years, with the resort quietly stepping up its game: lively bars, late-night joints and a growing mix of quality restaurants are now scattered across both Val Claret and Tignes-le-Lac. In short, it’s still relaxed, but definitely still relevant — and there’s no shortage of places to keep the night rolling.

The greatest concentration of venues are clustered in the upper Val Claret Centre quarter: buzzing base-area bars such as Drop Zone kick off the afternoon apres-ski action here, whilst the surrounding area is filled with further animated bars plus a good range of restaurants; there are also two well-established nightclubs in this zone, the Blue Girl revels in Euro-trash antics and cheesy tunes, whilst the Melting Pot has a more up-to-date music policy and occasionally hosts big-name international DJs. 

While Val Claret hosts the major late-night and “big-club” scene, over in Tignes-le-Lac, there’s more of a pub venue vibe: the Loop Bar and the Marmot Arms are two key apres-ski joints here.

Despite Val Claret and Tignes-le-Lac being quite some distance apart, a free 24-hour bus service enables party animals to spread a night out across the two centres.

Tignes - Ski Hire: 

With so many solid hire shops in resort, the easiest way to sort your ski gear in Tignes is to book with Snowrental, where our readers get 5% off online rates, then simply choose the outlet closest to your accommodation. 

All the big names are well represented — Intersport, Sport 2000 and Skiset each run multiple outlets across the main villages — making drop-offs and swaps easy wherever you are. For something a little more specialist, Deep Snow and Antarctik in Val Claret continue to offer higher-end gear and more personalised service, rounding out a rental scene that’s both convenient and up to date.

Tignes - Ski School:

You can choose from a wide selection of top-rated ski and snowboard instructors in Tignes on Maison Sport. Simply select your dates and lesson type, choose your ideal instructor and book online. 

Other outfits include the ESF, New Generation, Evolution 2 and Ultimate Snowsports.