Tignes family holidays and breaks

The perfect mountain retreat, Tignes forms part of the extensive Espace Killy ski area, which also covers neighbouring Val d'Isère. Easily accessed from each other, the two resorts together provide a huge variety of terrain for both skiers and snowboarders.

Although gentle, wide nursery slopes make Tignes a fine spot for family holidays and breaks with beginners, it really comes into its own for advanced and intermediate skiers – the highlight is the magnificent Grande Motte glacier, where long red and blue pistes drop down into the resort.

Flying Time	1.75 hours
Carbon Footprint	0.72 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to Do

Ski. There’s more than enough skiing here for a week for all ability levels, and it’s great for snowboarders too. There are 97 lifts, including 2 funicular railways, to whisk you around the ski areas of Tignes and Val d'Isère. Beginners will quickly be able to master the blue runs on the Aiguille Percée side of the valley, and there are easy slopes in the Marmottes bowl on the Val d'Isère side. If you're more accomplished, you'll enjoy the glaciers and high-altitude unpisted open bowls.

Off-the-slope options include pony-rides, husky-sledding, bowling, ice-diving, ski-joring (being pulled on skis by a horse!), snowmobiling and helicopter sightseeing flights.

Take advantage of the local private nanny service, Snow Babies, whether you want full-on childcare or just a spot of babysitting.

Where to Stay

See the right-hand column of this page for our recommendations and deals for family holidays and breaks in Tignes, including Mark Warner's Aiguille Percée (see also our review of the Aiguille Percée and Tignes as a whole from an 11-year-old's perspective).

When

The ski season runs mid-Dec to mid-April. Tignes and Val d'Isère each have a glacier and you can ski at an altitude of nearly 3,500m.

In summer Tignes and the surrounding Tarentaise Valley offer a variety of outdoor pursuits that make it a great alternative to family holidays on a crowded beach.

How

Fly to Chambéry or Geneva, from which it's a 2hr or 3hr transfer respectively – longer than many other resorts and worth bearing in mind on family holidays including younger kids.

The nearest train station is Bourg St Maurice, from which it's a 45-minute bus or train up the mountain to Tignes. Note that overnight trains only have reclining seats, no couchettes. The 'snow trains' also get booked up well in advance and are very expensive; it may be worth booking the London–Paris leg first, then a regular SNCF train to Bourg St Maurice.

Eat

Most family holidays will take the form of packages including breakfast and dinner, but there are a variety of mountain restaurants plus eateries for all budgets in Tignes itself.

See our French Alps destination guide for more information on eating out in the region.

Cost

Budget £500–1,000 per adult for a week's skiing in Tignes, with prices, as everywhere, dictated by school holidays. It's particularly avoiding scheduling family holidays here for the February half-term.

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