Val d'Isere and Tignes

High Altitude Linked Ski Area Of The Haute Tarentaise (Tignes Val D'IsèRe), With Glacier Skiing On The Grande Motte And A Long Season · Val d'Isere, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

Val d'Isère and Tignes are two neighbouring ski resorts at the head of the Isère valley in the Savoie Alps, joined by lifts into one large ski area of roughly 300 km of pistes (confirm). They are among the highest resorts in Europe, with much of the skiing above 2,000 metres and a glacier on the Grande Motte above Tignes, so the season is long and snow is fairly reliable. The two places feel very different. Val d'Isère grew around an old village with a stone church and has many chalet-style buildings, busy bars and expensive hotels; its Face de Bellevarde run was built for the 1992 Albertville Olympics. Tignes was built mainly in the 1960s and 1970s around a lake at about 2,100 metres, with large apartment blocks, ski-in convenience and good value for groups. Both are known for off-piste skiing, which carries real avalanche risk and calls for a guide. In summer the Col de l'Iseran road above Val d'Isère opens, and lifts, trails and the lake draw hikers and cyclists. The nearest railway station is Bourg-Saint-Maurice, below in the valley.

Val d'Isère and Tignes, Haute-Tarentaise, Savoie, Val d'Isere, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France

The winter season usually runs from about late November or early December to early May, with the exact opening and closing weekends set each year and the glacier sectors sometimes opening earlier or closing later; confirm the current season dates. Lifts run daily in the daytime and close in the late afternoon, with the higher lifts often closing earlier and wind or avalanche control closing sectors without notice. Some lifts linking the two resorts shut on bad-weather days, which can leave skiers on the wrong side of the area. Summer skiing on the Grande Motte glacier has traditionally run for a few weeks in early summer in the mornings only (confirm), and summer lifts for hikers and bikers open roughly from late June to late August. Many hotels, restaurants and shops close between seasons, in May and June and again in autumn, when the resorts are almost empty. The Col de l'Iseran road is closed by snow for much of the year and usually opens only from about June to October. Weekly rentals generally run Saturday to Saturday, with heavy traffic on changeover days.

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