Tignes is not one village but five, spread between the dam and the glacier: Val Claret, Tignes le Lac and Le Lavachet at around 2,100 m, Tignes Les Boisses lower down, and Tignes-les-Brévières at about 1,550 m, the only part of the original village left after the Chevril dam was built.
How to get there: the nearest railway station is Bourg-Saint-Maurice, with coaches and transfers up the mountain road from there. The nearest airports are Geneva, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Chambéry and Grenoble.
Slopes and lifts: the Tignes – Val d’Isère ski area covers 300 km of marked pistes over 3,680 hectares, from 1,550 m up to 3,456 m, served by 74 lifts. Because the top third of it sits above 2,500 m, the season here is one of the longest in the Alps.
The Grande Motte glacier: the summit stands at 3,656 m and the lift system reaches 3,456 m — the Perce-Neige funicular climbs to 3,032 m in about seven minutes, and the cable car continues from there. The glacier also carries summer skiing.
Where you stay: most accommodation is in Val Claret and Tignes le Lac, both at 2,100 m and both built so that the lifts are a walk rather than a drive. Les Brévières, lower and older, is the quiet alternative.
Season: the glacier sector runs from 22 November to 3 May.
