Family Holidays: Tignes family skiing holidays

Take the Family holiday rating 4 stars out of 5

Why

Tignes is the perfect mountain retreat. The resort forms part of the extensive Espace Killy ski area, which also covers neighbouring Val d'Isere. The two resorts are easily accessed from each other and together provide a huge variety of terrain for both skiers and snowboarders. Although beginners are well catered for with gentle, wide nursery slopes, Tignes 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.

If you've got young kids then bear in mind longer transfer times than at some other resorts.

Above left: Nursery slopes
Above right: Children

When

The ski season begins in mid-December and runs through mid-April. Tignes and Val d'Isere each have a glacier and you can ski at an altitude of nearly 3,500 metres.

Do also consider visiting in the summer as a great alternative to the crowded beach.

How

take the plane

Fly to Chambery or Geneva. From Chambery it's a two hour transfer while from Geneva it's three hours.

Do

There’s more than enough skiing here for a week to suit all ability levels plus it’s great for snowboarders too. 97 lifts, including two funicular railways, wll whisk your family around the ski areas of Tignes and Val D'Isere.

Beginners will quickly be able to master the blue runs on the Aiguille Percée side of the valley and there are also easy slopes in the Marmottes bowl on the Val d'Isere side. If you're more accomplished you'll enjoy the glaciers and acres of further high altitude unpisted open bowls. And to help you out there is a private nanny service available in the resort called Tignesie-Tots, who seem flexible and have had great reviews, their services range from a full chidcare service to evening babysitting.

Off the slope options include pony rides, husky sledding, bowling, ice-diving, ski-joring (a bit like water skiing except your on skis and being pulled by a horse!), snowmobiling and, if your wallet allows, helicopter sightseeing flights.

Eat

Unless you opt for self-catering you're likely to be well looked after at your chalet or hotel. There are also 13 mountain restaurants to choose from and Tignes has a wide range of restaurants to suit all budgets.

Cost

The cost of a week’s skiing in Tignes, like anywhere else, will depend on when you can travel. Prices rise substantially during school holidays, in particular February half-term. Budget somewhere between £500 and £1,000 per adult.