Tignes suits keen skiers who want an apartment at about 2,100 metres, with Val d'Isère linked for more than 300 km of pistes. Most homes are small apartments for about four, and none has a garden. The downside is looks: this is a purpose-built resort, started in 1956 and built upward.
Tignes is a purpose-built ski resort split into several villages rather than one centre. Tignes le Lac, at about 2,100 metres beside a natural lake, is the main hub, with Le Lavachet next to it and Val Claret slightly higher at about 2,127 metres; Les Boisses at 1,850 metres and Les Brévières at 1,550 metres sit lower down. Building began at the lake in 1956, and Val Claret followed from 1968, built upward to save space. The homes we list sit within about two kilometres of each other, mostly small one-bedroom apartments. Free shuttle buses link the villages. The old village of Tignes lies under the Lac du Chevril, flooded when the dam was finished in 1952. Tignes hosted freestyle skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Shares the Tignes-Val d'Isère ski area, formerly the Espace Killy, with more than 300 km of pistes between them.
At 2,764 metres, the highest paved pass in the Alps, linking Val d'Isère with Bonneval-sur-Arc; open to traffic only in summer.
Reservoir behind the 180 metre Tignes dam, whose face carries a Hercules fresco painted in 1989 ahead of the 1992 Olympics.
France's first national park, created in 1963, with the ibex as its emblem; the ski area sits on its edge.
Geneva, Chambéry, Lyon and Grenoble airports are all under about two and a half hours away. The nearest station is Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 30 km from Tignes, served by TGV and Eurostar trains, with coaches up to the resort. In winter, airport coaches from Geneva take about three and a half hours to Val Claret.
The 2025 to 2026 winter season ran from 22 November to 3 May, 163 days, with skiing from 1,550 metres at Les Brévières up to 3,456 metres on the Grande Motte. Summer skiing on the glacier was planned from 20 June to 19 July 2026, snow permitting, with up to 20 km of pistes. In summer the lake hosts sailing and other water sports, and in winter an ice rink.
Yes, for families who ski. The villages are linked by free shuttle buses, the lake has an ice rink in winter and water sports in summer, and pedestrians ride the Brévières gondola free. Apartments are small, mostly one bedroom, so check sleeping space.
Not usually in winter. Free shuttles connect Les Boisses, Le Lac, Le Lavachet and Val Claret, and coaches run from Bourg-Saint-Maurice station and the airports. In summer a car is handy for the Col de l'Iseran.
Le Lac is the main hub, at about 2,100 metres beside the natural lake. Val Claret is slightly higher at about 2,127 metres and was built from 1968 upwards. Free shuttles link the two, so it comes down to which part of the ski area you want on your doorstep.
Yes, for a few weeks. In 2026 the Grande Motte glacier was set to open from 20 June to 19 July, snow permitting, reached by the underground Perce-Neige funicular. The glacier has shrunk, so year-round skiing has ended.
Geneva, Chambéry, Lyon and Grenoble are all within about two and a half hours. In winter, Geneva airport coaches reach Val Claret in about three and a half hours, and Chambéry coaches reach Bourg-Saint-Maurice in about two and a half.
Written by the TrustedVillas team. Last reviewed October 2026.
Our villa experts are here to help you find the ideal property for your vacation. Contact us for personalized recommendations.