Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

From Tignes Les Brévières at 1550 metres you can ride the ski lifts to the highest point of the Espace Killy ski area where the Grande Motte cable car reaches almost 3500 metres.

Arts and culture

Tignes Les Brévières has a fine church of its own but Val d'Isère’s village church dates from the 17th Century and has a fine baroque interior. Appropriately the church is dedicated to St Bernard the patron saint of skiers and mountain dwellers.

Something for nothing

There’s a nursery slope with a free drag lift in the village so it’s a perfect place for little ones to learn how to ski.

Shopping

There are only a limited number of shops in Tignes Les Brévières. For retail therapy and ski gear Val d'Isère is a much better option. Killy Sport at the Tourist Office and the Billabong and Quiksilver stores at the Kandahar Hotel are worth a browse.

Children

The French Ski School has an office down in the village so you’ll only be a couple of minutes away. Most of the facilities, like the Mini Piou-Piou area for small children, and classes for young skiers are located up at the main Tignes-Le-Lac resort (www.esf-tignes.org). Tignes-Le-Lac also has a cinema and bowling alley as well as ‘Le Lagon’ a large aquatic and wellness centre. Val d'Isère about 15 minutes up the valley has similar facilities. As Tignes Les Brévières is at a lower altitude than surrounding resorts the mountain air is not as dry so small infants should sleep better.

Activities

The Espace Killy ski area, which includes Tignes and Val d’Isere, has over 200 miles of piste suitable for all levels of ability. The highest peak is the Grande Motte where the glacier offers 20 miles of summer skiing. Snowboarders should head to Tignes-Le-Lac which has the largest snow park in Europe. The resort is also a popular venue for skidooing, ice climbing, dog sledding and skijoring (being pulled along on skis by a horse). Among the wide range of other winter sports on offer, Tignes Les Brévières has its own ice-driving circuit which you can blast round on specially adapted go-karts. Even more extreme sports include tackling the Olympic bobsleigh course at nearby La Plagne.

And

It’s possible to take a scenic flight over Tignes and the surrounding mountains for a truly unforgettable view of the Alps. The flights are available via the Aéroclub du Palet (+33 (0)4 79 06 57 60).