Discover Tignes

Things to Do in Tignes - Discover the Resort’s Main Activities

Tignes: The History of this Unique Destination

Not-to-be-missed Events in Tignes

Hit the Slopes in Tignes - Piste Map and Webcams

Stay in Tignes: Our Selection of Chalets and Apartments

Situated in the heart of the Vanoise massif, above the Tarentaise valley carved out by the river Isère, Tignes is a dynamic and multi-faceted resort which appeals to a large and diverse clientele. With around 2,000 inhabitants out of season, the resort sees its population increase dramatically during the tourist seasons, thanks to 30,000 beds available for holiday visitors. In 2010, there were only 1,000 primary residences compared to more than 5,000 secondary residences. Tignes is a surprising and innovative resort, to discover alone, with family or with friends.

The resort
Activities
History
Events
The ski
Accommodation

The Tignes Ski Area

Tignes has long prided itself on being a resort with something to offer 365 days a year. With a top altitude of 3,456m, the Grande Motte glacier has been used for summer skiing since 1967. The best snow sports athletes train here and return to compete in major sporting events.

But it is above all, the 300km of pistes in the interlinked Tignes Val d'Isère ski area which make this such an exceptional mountain playground. Numerous competitions take place in this natural arena including World Championships and European Cup events. During the 1992 Winter Olympics, Tignes was also the venue for three freestyle skiing events - moguls (a first-time Olympic event), ski acrobatics, and aerials.

Tignes was voted France's most sporting town by L'Équipe newspaper in 2008. And not without reason, since skiing is not the only activity practiced in this huge area. You can also try ice diving in winter, enjoy the 3km Palafou toboggan run, try out snow tubing, or go for a dog sled ride. And the more adventurous can amuse themselves in the many off-piste ski couloirs.*

In spite of adopting the slogan "Tignes - the sportiest ski resort" several years ago, the commune has gone out of its way to also cater for families and complete beginners. The "1,2,3 . SKI START" nursery areas are equipped with free magic carpets and button lifts, specially equipped for discovering skiing in complete safety.

Tignes, A Year-Round Resort

In summer, there are numerous other activities on offer in Tignes such as paragliding, hang gliding, tennis, beach volleyball, an 18-hole golf course (the highest in Europe), archery, mountain biking, and on the lake, paddle boarding, pedalo, sailing and water jumping.

Since 1997, the French football team has trained here in preparation for international competitions. Tignes has also been chosen as the finish location for stages of the Tour de France in 2007 and 2019.

An Exceptional Geographical Location

The resort of Tignes is situated on the edge of the Vanoise national park. Created in 1963, this was the first of its kind in France, where all animal and plant species are protected. Throughout the year, you can see chamois, ibex, marmots and golden eagles among others. Furthermore, Tignes is an eco-responsible resort which, in 2017, was awarded two flowers in the national towns and villages in bloom competition.

The resort of Tignes is situated on the edge of the Vanoise national park. Created in 1963, this was the first of its kind in France, where all animal and plant species are protected. Throughout the year, you can see chamois, ibex, marmots, and golden eagles among others. Furthermore, Tignes is an eco-responsible resort which, in 2017, was awarded two flowers in the national towns and villages in bloom competition.

Crédit photo : ©Photograph : Tristan Shu

A Village to Suit Every Visitor's Taste

The commune of Tignes is made up of several villages old and new, each with a different style, to suit the tastes of all visitors in both winter and summer.

The first tourist quarters of the resort were Tignes Val Claret and Tignes Le Lac, developed in the 1960s. Today, nearly all the villages in the Tignes ski area are linked by the resort bus service from late September to early May, and late June to the end of August. During winter, Le Lavachet, Le Lac and Val Claret are served by buses 24 hours a day.

rent in tignes

Les Brévières

Situated at the foot of the Chevril dam at an altitude of 1,550m, this is the most traditional of the resort's villages. Les Brévières is not served by the free resort buses and stands apart from the bustle of the main resort; it has the highest concentration of traditional Tignard houses. It is connected to the ski area by a gondola and a chair lift and has food shops, ski rental, a lift pass office and a bar.

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Tignes 1800

Opened in 2013, this is the resort's newest village. Tignes 1800 aims to combine a traditional atmosphere with the scale and stature of an international resort. The chalets here are built using authentic materials such as wood and stone, and all necessary services are available in the village. As with most of the other sectors in the resort, Tignes 1800 is a ski-in/ski-out village, exactly as envisaged by real estate developer Pierre Schnebelen in the 1960s.

Les Boisses

Next door to Tignes 1800, at an altitude of 1,850m, is the quiet hamlet of Les Boisses. Like Les Brévières, it is situated at the edge of the Tignes ski area, served by a single gondola lift. The village has a small number of shops supplying essential items. It is here that you can visit, in the midst of the neo-Savoyard style chalets, the reproduction of the church of old Tignes, submerged under the waters of the artificial lake in 1952, at the time of the construction of the Chevril dam.

Les Brévières | Tignes — Crédit photo : ©Photo : Greg Mistral

Le Lavachet

At an altitude of 2,050m, Le Lavachet is another peaceful hamlet, with very good links to the rest of the ski area via the free resort buses to Tignes Le Lac and Val Claret. It has all the essential shops such as a ski pass office, ski rental, food shop, bakery, and a restaurant.

Tignes le Lac

This is the main village and the nerve centre of the resort of Tignes. Situated at an elevation of 2,100m, it was the area's second tourist site, developed in 1968. There are a number of shops and restaurants, as well the Maison de Tignes tourist information centre. Leisure facilities here include bowling, a wellness centre and the "Le Lagon" swimming pool. Needless to say, all of this is situated at the foot of the slopes.

Le Val Claret

At the heart of the ski area, Val Claret is the highest part of the resort at an altitude of 2,127m, and is one of the two main centres, along with Tignes Le Lac. Very well served by ski lifts and the free resort bus service, Val Claret is the liveliest quarter, with slope-side après-ski bars and clubs, plenty of shops,and numerous restaurants ranging from the most traditional to the most quirky.

Rent in Tignes

Apartment Rond Point des Pistes A 314

Tignes - Val Claret

5 guests ⸱ 1 bedroom ⸱ 39 sq.m

From 1 235 € /week

Apartment Ornate

Tignes - Le Lac

12 guests ⸱ 5 bedrooms ⸱ 240 sq.m

From 13 750 € /week

ALL THE stays in tignes

Discover the activities for an
exceptional vacation in the heart of Tignes

Explore activities, useful information and great deals with our experience booklet.

Experience Booklet

All winter activities in Tignes

Dog sledding

Experience an extraordinary moment close to nature and animals by discovering the sublime snowy landscapes of Tignes pulled by sled dogs. It will be difficult not to fall in love with these adorable little creatures! Let yourself be guided by your musher, who is passionate about dogs and nature, and who will show you around the resort and the surrounding mountains and teach you more about his animals, which are real athletes. An activity to discover with family or friends!

Ice diving

Discover the lake of Tignes from another angle by living a unique and bewitching experience: ice diving! Less known and less practiced than scuba diving, ice diving is just as impressive. You will be surprised by the silence that reigns under the icy water and by the specific light that illuminates it.

Dive in complete safety, accompanied by professionals and equipped with the right gear: wetsuit, mask and oxygen tanks.

Are you ready to be guided?

Mountain biking on snow

Let yourself be tempted by a new skiing experience. Once the day is over and the slopes are closed, try mountain biking on snow for a thrilling experience in a unique mountain setting. Speed down the slopes with the sunset in the background.

Technically, the tyres and rims are larger than on conventional mountain bikes, allowing you to ride easily on snow.

Equestrian activities on snow

SKI & SNOWBOARD JOERING

Let yourself be pulled by a horse on a ski or snowboard and enjoy an unusual riding experience!

HORSE SNAKEGLISS

Discover the Horse Snakegliss, a playful activity where you sit in a buoy and let yourself be pulled by a horse.

HORSE RIDING

Horse riding allows you to discover Tignes and its landscapes in a different way, in a natural and authentic way.

The Chevril Dam: A Traumatic Chapter in the History of Tignes

In 1929, stock market speculation on hydroelectricity led to the proposal of a dam project downstream from Tignes. Construction of the Chevril dam was delayed by the Great Depression and then by the Second World War.

The local inhabitants, attached to their ancient agricultural way of life, fiercely opposed the project, but their objections were over-ruled and work began in 1947. The dam was one of the largest construction projects in Europe, and especially remarkable due to the high altitude of the site. Funded by the French government and aid from the post-war Marshall Plan, the project employed up to 5,600 workers in 1949. Sadly, hazardous working conditions and the hostile environment resulted in the death of several dozen workers over the course of the project.

Despite difficult climatic conditions, the history of Tignes attests to a human presence since antiquity, thanks to travel routes to the Maurienne valley and Italy. An early village already existed in the Middle Ages and between the mid 16th century and the beginning of the 19th century, its population nearly doubled from 622 to 1164 inhabitants.

During this period, the commune was made up of several hamlets surrounding the main village and its central square which formed the heart of the community where debates on public affairs took place. The church of Saint Jacques contains altars from the 17th and 18th centuries adorned with painted Cordovan leathers, and gilded Baroque altarpieces. All these treasures can be seen today in the church of Les Boisses.

The Beginning of Tourism in Tignes

The first boom in mountain tourism happened around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. During the Belle Époque, city dwellers came to enjoy the fresh mountain air, but only in summer. The first hotel catering for this summer clientele opened in 1872.

From 1914, the railway line was extended to Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the road to Tignes was equipped with, among other things, an avalanche protection system.

In addition to summer tourism, the development of winter sports in Tignes began between the first and second world wars. In 1925, the first chalet refuge opened its doors. It would become a hotel refuge in the 1930s and still exists today.

In the winter of 1931 to 1932, Tignes received a boost from the weather with 90cm of powder at a time when snow was sorely lacking in Chamonix and Mègeve.

During the 1930s, the development of tourism in Tignes took a major step forward with the opening of the first private ski schools, its first sports shop, tourist office, ski club and nine hotels. The most important development was, however, the installation of the first ski lift in March 1936. At 600m in length and with a vertical gain of 70m, the new Rhonas drag lift was the world's longest ski lift at that time.

Ski competitions were becoming more numerous, but the rural economy was still resistant to the development of tourism. Indeed, the location of Tignes, in a basin with abundant sunshine, made it particularly favourable for high mountain agriculture.

In 1951, the Arbitration Commission granted the 87 families who were forced to relocate additional compensation to that provided by EDF. Nonetheless, following acts of sabotage and violent clashes, the Garde Mobile had to intervene to maintain order amidst fears of a popular uprising. The 384 inhabitants of Tignes had to be forcibly removed by the CRS in advance of their homes being dynamited. Against this backdrop of forcible eviction, and after seven years of struggle, 15 families were rehoused in the commune of Les Boisses, 20 elsewhere in the canton, six in Val d'Isère, 26 in Savoie and Haute-Savoie and 11 in the South of France.

An identical replica of the church of Saint Jacques was constructed in Les Boisses, with all the graves relocated from the old cemetery to the new site. With Les Boisses now the centre of the commune, the town hall and communal buildings were also rebuilt here. In 1975, the town's services were transferred to Tignes Le Lac which became the official administrative centre.

On 26 March 1952, the village was submerged beneath the waters of the Isère river. President Vincent Auriol declared the dam open on 4 July 1953. Fed by an artificial lake of 235 million cubic metres covering 320 hectares, the 181 metre high dam remains the highest in France to this day. The dam opened up the resort, paving the way for tourism and a more modern way of life to replace its high mountain pastoral past.

In 1989, Jean-Marie Pierret painted a giant 18,000 sq. m mural of Hercules on the dam.

In 2002, in memory of the old village of Tignes, and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its disappearance, sculptor Livio Benedetti created the "Lady of Tignes", a 3.8 metre bronze statue which now gazes out over the lake.

Tignes, A Winter Sports Resort

The resort of Tignes Le Lac opened in the mid 1950s with the Chardonnet drag lift on the slopes of Palafour. The resort, however, was under-equipped and the population remained divided on the development and transformation of Tignes into a tourist destination following the construction of the dam.

In 1956, Raymond Pantz designed one of the first tourist residences, the "Paquebot des Neiges", a semi-circular building offering a 360° view.

In 1960, the resort only had a dozen ski lifts. It was not until 1965 that winter sports took off, following the French government's first "Plan Neige". This resulted in increased investment and more and more facilities.

Real estate developer Pierre Schnebelen had an avant-garde philosophy. He wanted to develop a "ski-in/ski-out" resort with an interpenetration of the ski area and accommodation. Based on this principle, he created the district of Le Lavachet in 1965, and Val Claret, on the other side of the lake at the foot of the lifts up to the Grande Motte glacier, in 1968.

Since then, a succession of high-level sporting events has featured in the history of Tignes - the first World Cup in 1979, the World Championships in 1986, and the ski acrobatics for the Albertville Winter Olympics in 1992.

The House of Tignes was opened in 2000, centralising all services dedicated to tourism, and today, represents 30,000 beds throughout the resort.

Mountain Shaker

From July 19th to 27th 2025

After a memorable winter version, the Mountain Shaker festival is back for another summer edition!
For 9 days, fans of mountain biking, skating, trottionette and rollerblading will be able to enjoy a program packed with thrills and spills. On the program: multi-disciplinary competitions mixing two and four wheels, as well as film screenings, parties with aperitifs and DJs.

Tignes Trail

August, 16th & 17th 2025

A true mountain trail, with a route that takes in some of the finest trails in the area, including the Vanoise National Park.
The Cimalp Tignes Trail grows in stature year after year. Technical but accessible, the Cimalp Tignes Trail will be back in 2024 over three distances: 14 (740D+), 26 (1440D+) and 42 km (2630m D+), as well as 3 races for young runners aged 10 to 17.

Skiing in Tignes

The ski area

Tignes is the first ski area in the world to hold the "Green Globe" international label for sustainable tourism, recognised by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organisation.

Located in the Savoie, the resort is made up of several villages, four of which have direct access to the ski area. Of these, Tignes Le Lac (2,100m) and Tignes Val Claret (2,127m) receive the highest number of visitors. The other two villages, slightly lower in altitude, are Tignes Les Brèvières and Tignes Les Boisses.

Over 300km of marked runs, for all levels and tastes, await you in the interlinked ski areas of Tignes and Val d'Isère. For complete beginners, the resort has five free magic carpets and button lifts in the "1, 2, 3 . SKI START" areas. Children are also catered for with two free toboggan runs in Le Lac and Lavachet.

The snow

With an ideal altitude of 1,550m to 3,456m, the ski area is open from the end of November until early May. You can also enjoy summer skiing on the Grande Motte glacier, the highest part of the ski area, with blue and red pistes and one black run. The glacier is steep and ideal for lovers of downhill and speed. This also where the world's top ski racers come to train. Furthermore, if there is a lack of natural snow, the resort has 352 snow cannons distributed throughout the ski area.

The Lift System

Tignes is one of the highest resorts in France, with its first ski lift coming into service in 1936, and the resort has invested continuously in new equipment ever since. Since 1993, the Perce-Neige funicular has transported 3,000 skiers per hour from the foot of the pistes at Val Claret (2,100m) to the Panoramic terrace (3,032m) at a speed of 12m/sec.

The lift system of Tignes Val d'Isère comprises:

- 2 funiculars (1 in Tignes)
- 2 cable cars (1 in Tignes)
- 7 gondola lifts (3 in Tignes)
- 41 chairlifts (22 in Tignes of which 12 are detachable)
- 29 drag lifts (11 in Tignes)

For non-skiers, the resort has not forgotten you - there are eight lifts accessible by pedestrians, of which two are free.

ski area map

The Val d'Isère - Tignes Ski Area

The former Espace Killy was officially renamed "Tignes Val d'Isère" in 2016. This huge ski area offers no less than 159 marked runs for all levels (21 greens, 69 blues, 44 reds and 25 blacks).

With close to 2,000m of vertical drop, Tignes Val d'Isère has 10,000 hectares of ski terrain. Seasoned skiers or beginners, adults or children, there is something for all tastes including two snow parks, two glaciers, eight recreational pistes, three boardercross courses, a mogul stadium, nine slalom stadiums and a cross-country ski trail in Val Claret and Le Lac.

To extend your horizon beyond Tignes, ski passes giving you access to the entire Tignes Val d'Isère area are available.