The best après-ski bars and activities in Tignes
The diverse nature of Tignes , with its separate villages at different altitudes, means that it is by no means the spiritual home of après-ski.
Indeed, in the afternoon you'll find that a considerable proportion of the revellers drinking and dancing on the terrace and tables of La Folie Douce in Val d'Isère have migrated from Tignes. They need to clock-watch, because it's a long journey home via the Tommeuses eight-seater chair where the lift operators tend to stick firmly to the scheduled closing time.
However, Val Claret's Cocorico is an equally noisy alternative and there are plenty of bars with music. The best of the evening action is undoubtedly in Tignes Le Lac.
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Après-ski bars in Tignes
Cocorico
££ | cocoricoapresski.com
The 1960s concept of the après-ski dance in your ski boots is alive and well – albeit in a more lively 21st-century format in Tignes Val Claret at the bottom of the slopes. After the success of Cocorico in Val d'Isère, the team opened a branch here with live bands and DJs. Any energy you have left from a hard day on the mountain you can use up here on the 400 square meters of terrace from 2pm to 8pm (closed Saturday). Drinks are moderately priced and flow freely. The restaurant serves quick lunches and is open all day.
Prepare to dance the night away in your ski boots at Cocorico
Loop Bar
££ | bartignes.com
The Loop is home to live music in Tignes Le Lac. There's a large terrace that's a sun trap overlooking the Rosset slope. Inside, there's a cellar bar and dance floor. It's a great place for live music and DJ-led party nights. The food's good, too – it's known for its burgers, wraps, and bowls; unusually for a French ski resort, there's an emphasis on veggie and vegan alternatives. Action gets going after 3pm and lasts until 1.30am.
Le Strike
££-£££ | instagram.com/strike_tignes
This is the old bowling alley in Tignes Le Lac that's been transformed into a lively party venue. Its 1,200 metre square dance floor makes it one of the largest in the Alps (it claims to be the largest, but there are other protesting contenders). Le Strike is open 8pm to 3am, Wednesday to Sunday with live bands, DJ sets and ticketed events. For the first part of the evening, it's a busy bar with food, a tattoo van, and a photo booth. After 11pm it morphs into a full-on late-night venue.
Le Strike has one of the largest dance floors in the Alps - Tignes Developpement
The Marmot Arms
£-££ | themarmotarms.com
Every resort needs a proper pub and The Marmot is just that: a carefully chosen treasure chest of draught beers, including lagers, ales, and IPA which – until we hear to the contrary – is the only marmot-themed pub in the world. It has a warm and woody alpine interior, and traditional après-ski is the speciality here, with happy hour running from 4pm to 6pm. There's either a live band or a DJ every day as the lifts close and the music often continues way into the evening. The pub is renowned for its homemade burgers served from 10am until 9.30pm.
Grizzly's Bar
£££ | restaurants-ski.com
It's both quirky and cool in Val Claret. Eccentric owner Jean Louis has converted the interior of the building into his own North American bear cave, a multi-level log cabin given over to his exquisite wood carvings – guarded by two huge bears at the entrance. Outside is a large terrace with a firepit for grilling grizzly burgers.
Children love the quirky bear theme, with figurines and statues, hand-carved wooden furniture and lots of fur rugs. There's also a small shop selling mementoes. Meanwhile, adults can concentrate on the best vin chaud in the French Alps – quite a statement, but a true one. It's expensive but worth it.
Kids will adore the quirky bear theme at Grizzly's Bar
Other activities in Tignes
Ice diving
£££ | evolution2.com
Dive beneath the one- to two-metre ice cap of the Lac de Tignes at 2,100m with an instructor. It sounds chilly, and it is. But you wear a dry suit and waterproof mittens, which keep out much of the cold. The reward is entry into an underwater world of streaming colours and lurid shadows formed by the ever-changing ice above your head. You can do it by day or by night, but beginners should start with a day dive. The whole experience lasts about an hour, with 15-20 minutes underwater. Maximum of two people per instructor and minimum age of 15.
Dive under the ice for a unique winter adventure - Tignes Developpement
Le Lagon Aqua and Wellbeing Centre
£ | tignes.net
Le Lagon Aqua and Wellbeing Centre in Tignes Le Lac has a 25m sports pool for serious swimmers, a fun recreational pool with waterfall, bubble bed and swimming against the current. Then there's a paddling pool for toddlers with a mini slide, bubbles and a mini waterfall. The centre also has a gym and exercise studio, and a spa with three saunas, a steam room, four whirlpools, and a tea room offering detoxing teas and a view of the lake.
Ice climbing
££ | guides-montagne-tignes.com
Equipped with crampons, a helmet and an ice axe, you'll learn how to climb a frozen waterfall during this experience in Tignes Les Brévières. You need a good level of fitness, a head for heights, and some climbing experience is helpful. Wrap up warm in technical clothing that's breathable – it's heavy exercise and you are going to get hot. The minimum age is 14 and children must be accompanied by an adult. All equipment is provided. Bring sunscreen and a water bottle.
Dog sledding
£££ | evolution2.com
Take an unforgettable ride around the Lac de Tignes in a sledge pulled by a team of adorable Greenland dogs. You can book one, two, three or four-person sledges, but the combination of adults and children must be decided by the musher. Wear ski clothes and snow boots. The ride lasts about 20 minutes, preceded by a ten-minute briefing. Minimum age for children is two years.
Experience Lac de Tignes with a team of excited (and adorable) Greenland dogs - Andy Parant
Wilderness Camp sledding
££ | evolution2.com
On this exciting experience, a driver whisks you to a secret yurt village in the forest near Tignes Les Boisses. After a hot chocolate or aperitif around a fire while drinking in the views, you dine in one of the yurts on fondue and charcuterie washed down with a Savoyard wine, before pudding and a local digestif. Then you take to the slopes with instructors for a pretty hair-raising 30-minute toboggan ride all the way down to Les Brevières. Tobogganing is quite rightly limited to riders over the age of 16.
Magical Yurt Escape
££ | +33 4 79 06 30 28
For families with younger children, the ESF runs a tamer evening of entertainment from Tignes Le Lac on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (minimum age six years). A piste machine takes you up to the Chaudanne Plateau and a yurt camp at 2,300m. You dine on homemade soup and tartiflette cooked on a wood-fired oven before gentle sledge ride back down.
How we choose
Every bar, venue or activity in this curated list has been chosen by our ski expert, who has visited the resort to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs on the piste to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of skier – and consider the drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. Non-ski activities are chosen to provide an alternative to traditional après, whether for families or adrenaline junkies looking to enjoy the mountains in winter away from the slopes. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.
