Apres Ski in Tignes
Tignes does not have the same reputation for après ski and nightlife that neighbouring Val d’Isere has, but there are plenty of places in which you can eat, drink, listen to music and dance, from quiet restaurants to vibrant bars and clubs. Val Claret is probably the liveliest village, and Tignes 1800 the quietest.
Apres Ski Bars & Nightlife in Tignes
Cocorico, at the foot of the slopes in Tignes Val Claret and close to the Grande Motte funicular base station and bus stop, is probably the liveliest apres ski bar in Tignes. It opens in the afternoon and closes mid-evening at around 8.30pm. It’s easy to find: if you don’t hear the non-stop music (there is usually a live band alternating with a DJ), you’ll see the light and laser show supplemented by flame-throwers. Inside it’s often standing room only, with dancing on the tables. It has screens to protect it from the worst of the weather, but on a cold evening you should wrap up well unless you dance very energetically.
The Inside Bar, also in Val Claret, also has live acts and music on some evenings but on others it’s more like a classy cocktail bar, at least early on in the evening. Later on it has dancing until 2am.
The Loop Bar in the centre of Tignes le Lac is known for its music but it’s big enough to have quieter bars where you can eat and drink before hitting the dance floor.
La Palette des 2 Boules also in Tignes le Lac has more of a wine bar feel and better food but also stays open into the small hours.
Le Strike in Tignes Le Lac has a big dance floor but only basic food.
The Marmotte Arms in Tignes le Lac is a long-standing, popular and slightly strange mash-up of a British pub, a sports bar, a gourmet burger bar, and an apres ski hang-out with music. It shouldn’t work but it does.
Down in Tignes 1800, everything is much quieter, but Cav’Ois a nice wine bar for a cosy drink.
Restaurants in Tignes
Tignes is not noted for culinary excellence, but there are loads of well-run restaurants offering good and relatively cheap food, at least compared to Val d’Isere.
For traditional Savoyard fare, La Coeur des Nieges in Tignes le Lac is good. But if you want something very different from what you would normally find in a ski resort, Bazurto in the Ynycio Residence in Val Claret offers outstanding Colombian and Latin-American dishes.
In Tignes 1800, Restaurant 1800 has high quality gourmet food. (If in doubt go for the duck, which is delicious).
In Tignes les Brevieres, L’Armailly offers a wide choice of dishes on its menu but the raclette is particularly good.
Other Activities in Tignes
Other activities in Tignes include ski-jöring (being pulled along the snow by a horse), paragliding, snowshoeing and even ice diving.
Tignes is definitely a resort for skiers rather than non-skiers but it does have plenty of other pastimes to supplement your day if you need a breather from the slopes or feel in need of some other form of entertainment.
One of the strangest is ski-jöring (being pulled along the snow on skis by a horse) as well as more conventional equine activities such as horse riding and riding in a horse-drawn sleigh. There is also paragliding, cross country skiing, snowmobiling/skidoo-riding, and dog-sledding.
There is a also a 3km long tobogganing/sledding/luge slope, which includes a 40-metre tunnel, above Tignes le Lac, and accessed from the Palafour chairlift.
Snowshoeing is deservedly popular too. ESF organise expeditions that explore the woods around Tignes les Boisses during the day and at night.
Outside Tignes Le Lac, Evolution 2 offers ice diving under the lake. If that sounds too technical, scary or exhausting, it also offers ice floating: they give you a dry suit which you put on over your ski clothes, then you float around in the ice, sipping a hot drink and staring up at the sky for the ultimate chill-axing experience.
If you want a complete change then Tignes has a sports centre, a swimming pool/aqua cenre, a cinema and a bowling alley. If you’re after some retail therapy, though, then it is be best to go elsewhere, as Tignes does not have that wide an array of shops. Le Bec Rouge (in Le Lac) and Val Claret offer the largest selection of retailers, though most are sports shops. There are enough supermarkets for the large self-catering community, but prices are higher than they are in Bourg St Maurice.