Why Tignes les Brevieres?

• High altitude, snow-sure resort

• The same amazing skiing, with access to entirety of Tignes and Val d’Isere, but at a more affordable price

• Only village in resort with free car parking

• Traditional Savoyard village, not purpose-built for skiing

• New high speed gondola installed in 2019

• Night gondola accessing Tignes

• Family friendly, with free drag lift for learners

• All chalets within walking distance of piste

Nestled just a couple of hundred metres down the valley between the famous town of Val d’Isere and the central villages of Tignes, Tignes les Brevieres is often considered the prettiest village in resort. With a peacefully trickling river and quirky old architecture, including one of the original churches that dates all the way back to the 16^th Century, Les Brevieres has an abundance of character, history, and heart.

The quaint village centre features old winding footpaths, pretty traditional chalets, and a nice selection of French restaurants serving traditional French cuisine. There is also a selection of bars and a further café on the snow front with deck chairs to enjoy the afternoon sun.

The new gondola station is located just over the bridge from the village centre and runs everyday to give you access to the entirety of the Tignes and Val d’Isere resort. The pistes down into les Brevieres include a gentle winding blue run through the trees and a wide red run, making the homerun enjoyable for all levels of skier. For the journey back to les Brevieres, should you wish, you also have the option to hop on the gondola from the top to carry you back down, giving you peace of mind for a safe and comfortable end to a big day of riding.  As well as the gondola, there is a short button lift which is free and offers a beginner slope with a very gentle gradient, perfect for first time skiers or even just for those wanting to warm up a little before heading up the mountain.

Unlike the other Tignes villages, Les Brevieres consists of nearly all traditional alpine chalets, setting it apart as the prettiest village as it is not made up of modern high-rise buildings. The majority of chalets are located on the road which winds upwards from the village centre, with the slope of the road meaning all our chalets have beautiful unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains. And for any of our chalets located slightly higher up the village, the ascenseur – a handy funicular-style ski lift – provides easy access down to the piste in the morning and back up to your chalet at the end of the day.

While providing you with a more secluded and peaceful base from which to explore the Tignes and Val d’Isere resort, Les Brevieres is by no means unsuitable for those seeking to explore the famous apres-ski scenes of the resort. Firstly, the village has some of its own friendly and lively bars to spend the evenings, a couple of which stay open into the early hours. And secondly, the village is not far from the centre of Val d’Isere or Tignes, so you can easily jump in a taxi or take the late night gondola which operates a couple of nights a week, and you will in no time find yourself in some of the best apres-ski pubs, bars, and clubs that the French alps has to offer.

Les Brevieres is easy to reach no matter your transport of choice. Busses stop in the village centre of Les Brevieres before heading up to the other villages of Tignes, and private transfers can easily drop you right outside your chalet. There are also two large free car parks, meaning you can easily drive to resort without having to pay extortionate fees, unlike the other Tignes villages where you could easily be paying up to €100 per week to park.

Tignes les Brevieres is truly a hidden gem of the valley, offering beautiful and cosy chalets within touching distance of the vast mountain range of Tignes and Val d’Isere, but at more affordable, accommodating prices. The quirky little village, with its cosy community feel, becomes a home away from home for so many visitors, ourselves having many returning guests who just can’t wait to return to the pretty village of “Brev”.

Why Ski in the Resort of Tignes and Val d’Isere?

• High altitude, snow sure resort with 37 square kilometres of mountain slopes and over 150 runs to explore

• Great for all levels of skiers/snowboarders

• World famous après-ski scene

• Incredible off-piste skiing

• High speed and modern ski lift system throughout

• World-class Snow Parks and Olympic runs

Spanning 37 square kilometres wide and 3,456 metres high, the resort of Tignes and Val d’Isere truly is the perfect playground for any ski or snowboard lover. Its beautiful glistening pistes are nestled in the heart of the French Alps, just a half hour drive from the nearest train station and a two to three hour drive from the airports.

Of its 37 km², 5 km² are marked slopes, leaving 32 km² to a snowy off-piste wonderland for the backcountry adventurers. For those who stick to the pistes, there are 156 runs in total, including 23 beginner green runs, 66 easy blue runs, 40 intermediate red runs, and 27 advanced black runs, making it the perfect resort for all levels of rider.

The two towns are made up of 10 villages overall. In Tignes, you have Les Brevieres, Les Boisses, Le Lavachet, Le Lac, and Val Claret. In Val d’Isere, you have Val d’Isere centre, La Daille, Le Cret, Le Fornet, and Le Joseray. Each area has its own unique character, its own selection of incredible pistes to explore, and its own restaurants and bars either to pop into for lunch, or to winddown the evenings. But while they all boast their own little corners of paradise, they also join together perfectly and are connected by efficient shuttle bus services and an abundance of ski lifts to create a united, expansive ski resort, with all corners of the resort easy to access from wherever you are staying. For such a large ski resort, this accessibility is quite unique, as the intricately planned infrastructure makes it far better connected than many other resorts of the same size.

Tignes and Val d’Isere is one of the highest, largest, and most famous ski resorts in the world, each year boasting one of the longest seasons, opening the lifts in November and closing them in May. As such a snow-sure resort, it even has two glaciers, one in Tignes and one in Val d’Isere, which open their doors to summer and autumn skiing, as the peaks of this mountain range maintain the right temperatures for snowfall all year round. These iconic slopes have welcomed plenty of competitions and events over the years, including the Alpine World Ski Championships in 2009 and the incredible 1992 Winter Olympics. And every three years since 1955 the resort has hosted the largest ski competition in France, the Criterium Ski World Cup.

But on-piste excitement is not all Tignes and Val d’Isere has to offer. This vast mountain range is also incredibly popular for backcountry skiers as there is so much un-pisted slope to explore. If you’ve got the right kit, knowledge, and a qualified guide, this is the perfect place to try off-piste skiing and touring. For route ideas, take a look at Mark’s Off-Piste Guide.

And skiing is not all Tignes and Val d’Isere has to offer, as holiday makers can try out paragliding, dog sledding, wildnerness camps, heliskiing, ice diving, snow shoeing, parachuting, ice skating, ice driving, snow mobiling, and much more. And with the added bonus of shuttle busses and gondolas suitable for pedestrians, everyone can have a wonderful fun-filled holiday.

Tignes and Val d’Isere truly has captured the hearts of so many skiers and snowboarders over the years, as has it ours. Our team at Chalet Chardons love living, working, riding, and providing amazing chalet holidays in Tignes and Val d’Isere, and we would love to have the opportunity to show you this magical place we are so lucky to call home.

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