What is tignes like for skiing

Enquiries and bookings: Peak Retreats UK reservations peakretreats. Opening for the winter season, this brand new prestige residence is ideally located in a ski-in, ski-out position near the foot of the 8-seater Boisses gondola in newly developed Tignes Le Lodge des Neiges offers luxurious apartments combining traditional Savoyard architecture with excellent modern facilities, including an exceptionally spacious and well equipped m2 leisure area with its indoor heated swimming pool and a large paddling pool with slide, hot tubs, saunas, steam room and fitness room.

Numerous facial or body treatments and massages are available to pre-book through Ski Collection payable. Guests also have the option of the bread delivery service. Outdoor Experiences Lac de Tignes. Sessions offered Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 9am. Become a musher with your own traineau and two or three dogs to pull you along. After a short training session, none of which will prepare you for what will happen, the dogs are untied and you are in control - in theory.

It's exhilarating, physically quite hard work but ultimately rewarding - and it's great to be around such wonderful animals. Tignes is one of the few sites in France to offer this extraordinary underwater experience. You can get free entry with your skipass to this leisure centre with fitness room, sports pool, fun pool with waterslide, waterfall, bubble pool etc. We liked the wellness area best — separated from the pools, and with a quiet, calming atmosphere, there are saunas, hammams and a variety of Jacuzzis, as well as invigorating showers plus sun-beds.

For fun or relaxation, go in early afternoon to avoid crowds. At lunchtime most diners head for the Nuvo Self , a self-service restaurant open every day from midday until 3pm. The real party, though, goes on outside, where crowds gather to enjoy a drink and hang out with loud music hosted by house DJs.

Michelin starred chef Jean-Michel Bouvier opened the superb Panoramic restaurant at the top of the funiculaire above Tignes Val Claret in autumn The restaurant is open every lunchtime from Closed evenings private bookings can be arranged except Thursdays , when you can dine Savoyard style beside the glacier then descend on skis by flaming torchlight.

The snack bar serves food from 11am — 3pm in winter and is also open in summer. If you have deep pockets, this is an absolute must when in Tignes. Interiors evoke traditional Alpine chalets, with exposed wood adorned with interesting mountain objets. The staff, in smart montagnard uniforms, are friendly and super efficient. The meal is satisfyingly Savoyard in style with tasty pickles and charcuterie, deliciously roasted meats and sublime desserts.

Not really one for vegetarians, although the chef will prepare a tasty alternative. All in all, one of the best dining experiences in the Alps. After a quick and easy reservation everything will be waiting for you when you get to your destination. Follow the signs to Tignes, a 30 minute drive. Allow a full day to travel from Calais and be prepared for long delays on Saturdays as you approach the main ski areas.

Lyon, Geneva, and Grenoble are all possible but transfer times and occasional delays make them less convenient. By train Ski trains run from late December to early April and take you direct into Bourg Saint Maurice for a short transfer to Tignes by bus, taxi or hire car. Transfers Visit Ski-Lifts for the best range of ski transfer destinations from airports and main rail stations. Compare and book flights on BudgetAir. Compare and book cheap flights on BudgetAir. Ski-Lifts offer the widest range of airport transfers to ski resorts in France, from economy shared transfers for budget-conscious travellers, right through to luxury limousines.

They also offer coach transfers for larger groups. The start of the wide cruise down to the Lac area for skiers heading from Tignes Around the mid-point we pause to catch our breath and take in the fairytale views of the cheerful snow-dusted village on the valley floor below. However, there are unmistakable signs that it too has begun to move upmarket. At the bottom we ski right into the throng of skiers heading in all directions to join the respective lifts which will carry them to their chosen mountain sectors, or making for the shuttle buses to carry them around the lake to Val Claret.

If you're new here, this is the essential starting-point to pick up a piste map and orient yourself. The plan is to make the most of the fresh snow and clear conditions by heading up to the Grande Motte glacier. Not that we really needed an excuse. Definitive scenic glacier skiing is your reward for a haul on one of the world's best-known the cable-cars. Beyond the first retro-signed unpisted drops lie wide, groomed glacier pistes - also graded Black, but not too challenging.

The run itself is neatly-groomed but looks slightly odd when seen in the far distance from the villages around the lake. Up here we can finally see why, as the grooming teams work hard after each snowfall to nudge some of each top layer into long, neatly-arranged walls of snow which they stockpile to ensure that the adjacent ski terrain can be opened during the summer-skiing months.

Our initial drop eases around the point, at which we peel off onto the Liesse Black piste, a worthwhile detour which immediately rewards us with a bracing drop towards the Col de la Liesse at m.

Others clearly love it too, as this single run has its very own 4-seater chairlift, which drops us neatly back beside the base of the cable-car for a truly memorable ride, which skims a succession of impressively-craggy limestone rock faces.

See the Tignes ski trail map. Many of these are in fact lower intermediate runs which combine well with the numerous long, cruisy intermediate runs. After a storm, the last terrain to open is usually the high elevation 3,m sector on the impressive Grande Motte.

Ranging from open alpine bowls to extreme couloirs, the freeride terrain in the region is immense, however there are also a fair few people to compete with to harvest a few fresh lines. From our experience, if unfamiliar with the resort, a local guide can usually sniff out a few untracked powder runs days after a snowfall with little effort. From late June to early August, 6 lifts access 12km of piste trails on m of skiable vertical high on the Grande Motte glacier for summer skiing.

Opening again from mid-October through to the end of November, the glacier provides quality autumn riding until the entire resort opens for the winter season all the way through to May. The combined ski network features km of runs linked by 78 lifts plus over 10,ha of diverse freeride terrain. Lift passes can purchased for the combined resorts expensive or just for Tignes good value. See the Tignes-Val d'Isere ski trail map. Not far at least as the crow flies! The closest major centre is the town of Bourg St Maurice , about 30km by road north of the resort.

The final road up the valley from Bourg St Maurice to Tignes isn't in great condition considering the magnitude of traffic it carries during winter, so a bus may be the safer option for most overseas visitors. By typically French, we mean visually challenging! All are linked by piste trails, ski lifts and a regular free bus service. Val Claret is the highest village 2,m elevation located in a prime ski in ski out location.

It is the perfect place to stay if immediate access to the lifts and piste to door skiing is your number one priority. But with all that convenience comes a price and it is in euro - sometimes lots of them! Accommodation costs may be manageable, but even an ordinary espresso very ordinary actually!

Tignes is situated next to a lake at 2,m elevation! Previously referred to as Le Lac because it is next to a lake of all things! During winter, a one-way road system keeps traffic through the centre of the village to a minimum.

Both are generally quieter, with fewer services, less nightlife and particularly in the case of Les Brevieres, less winter sunshine, but intriguingly, higher avalanche hazard potential long story - click on the Accom Info page to find out!

For more details on the best places to stay in the resort, see our Tignes Accommodation Info page. Ski rentals are available in all the Tignes villages through our local partners. Guides can help find the best untracked powder at a busy resort. Tignes has plenty of other activities on offer if anyone needs a break from the slopes.

It is actually a great way to gain confidence in the air. There is even an ice diving club for those that can't get enough of the cold?! All the family will have fun on the night-time snow-tubing lanes at Val Claret too. Entry if free with a multi-day lift pass.

If coming to Tignes for summer skiing, a whole host of other activities click in, not the least of which is riding atop the roof of the cable car up Le Grande Motte! Take a look at their website to book! Sponsored Link Tignes ski property guide. Chalets and apartments for sale in Tignes. This site uses cookies and similar technologies.

If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from this website. Resorts France. Tignes ski resort. Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Overview A buzzing mini-metropolis in the otherwise uninhabited realm of snow and ice in the High Tarentaise, split into two main resort centres, Tignes-le-Lac and Val Claret, facing each other across the frozen lake in this high treeless trough.

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