 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, we're relative newbies to ski holidays and are self-catering & driving from UK to Tignes for the first time in Easter 2024. I can see that we need to book a parking spot in resort for the week that we're there - is that as straightforward as it looks? Just pick nearest covered parking to building where we're staying, which is Phoenix apartments and book via Tignes.net? Can you drive to near your apartment block to unload first? Anything else we need to know? I assume we need to sort snow chains and usual French safety kit.
Also wondering if most people drive back in one go on the return journey, catching a ferry / shuttle the same evening, or whether they break the journey?
Thanks everyone for any advice or reassurance you may be able to provide.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Take a read of this: https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5178564
Are you going together? 
You don't NEED to book a parking spot... but if you want to be sure that you'll be in the parking station of your choice, then it would de-risk the issue.
I've booked in resorts for half term before now, and then found I could have just rocked up and parked.
I've not done Tignes, but in most resorts there is very limited on-road parking near apartments, so you might be able to get close for an unload but unlikely to be able to leave your car there for more than an hour (if that).
Winter preparation in France means chains or approved socks (those with TUV testing and approval). Don't forget that the dayglo tabard needs to be accessible BEFORE you leave the vehicle (ie: the boot isn't acceptable, but the back-seat pocket would be ok).
I've always done the drive in one hit (with regular 30min stops for sleep/comfort). Leave resort before 7am and catch the 5pm ferry... or leave at 3pm (after a quiet day's ski) and catch the 2am tunnel.
One-hit driving is possible if you have compliant passengers (e.g. children). I guess it's a nightmare if they are squabbling for 10hrs!!!!.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ha, no not going together! Thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@easybreeze, you can usually park near your block and unpack before driving to the car park.
Most of the time we ski Saturday, drive to Chambery, buy some wine and cheese to take home, eat dinner and then drive through the night, getting a tunnel crossing at 6/7 in the morning. On occasion, we've extended the trip when it's a bank holiday on the Monday (we ski at Christmas and Easter) - so stopped off in Paris, Reims, Lyon.
Some people find driving through the night a struggle physically/mentally but it does have the advantage of driving on traffic free roads and the motorway is boring anyway. Also our kids will sleep while we share the driving. I do like getting home Sunday morning and having the day to unpack, relax and do washing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@easybreeze, worth asking your apartment owner if there's any parking available at the block before booking anything. Some do have some, although it's probably unlikely.
Used the tignes parking in le lac last Christmas no problem, and there was plenty of spaces available in there despite being high season.
We parked in Tignes Lac 3 in a Ford Transit custom van and had no issue with getting around the car park, just a few tight turns.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@easybreeze, There’s no parking with the Phoenix building. But you can park on the street for an hour, if you can find a space. On Page 1 of the Tignes thread in Snow Reports,Bob has done chapter and verse on parking.
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Thanks so much for all the replies - much appreciated!
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| easybreeze wrote: |
| Also wondering if most people drive back in one go on the return journey, catching a ferry / shuttle the same evening, or whether they break the journey? |
I normally do the return journey in one day (mostly from Les Arcs but have done from Tignes/Val d'Isere with travel time being very similar). It does need a prompt start, for me normally by 6.30am (which has the benefit of avoiding the worst of the transfer day traffic), and obviously depends on how far you have to drive in the UK when you leave the ferry/tunnel (I live about 90 minutes from the Eurotunnel terminal). I normally work on the basis of about a 10 hour travel time from resort to Eurotunnel check-in, but leave an extra margin of an hour or so before my check-in time, assuming typical winter weather is forecast, just in case. If I arrive ahead of schedule sometimes Eurotunnel have put me on an earlier train without charge, although this seems to happen less frequently so I'll have a break in the terminal building.
Of course, doing the journey in one day means no opportunity to ski on your departure day, so some people will find a hotel two or three hours away for the Saturday night, and ski on their final day.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Of course, doing the journey in one day means no opportunity to ski on your departure day |
Not if you do the drive in one night 
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| Layne wrote: |
| rob@rar wrote: |
| Of course, doing the journey in one day means no opportunity to ski on your departure day |
Not if you do the drive in one night |
I did that once, on the way down. Wasn't my choice and it wasn't a very successful option so I'd not do it again (although squeezing in an extra day of skiing at the start or end of a trip is no longer as attractive as it once was for me, so YMMV).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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you would need to be leaving Tignes way before 6.30am unless you fancy a nose to tail journey of several hours for not much distance.....5 hours to Lyon is not uncommon, albeit i see you are easter travel, which is far less than Feb HT i ve encountered
our new norm is to leave after skiing on the final day and crash out the journey in one go into the wee hours. granted its not for everyone, but if you are getting up at 4am to get going, chances are you wont have slept much anyway.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| stefoy4me wrote: |
| you would need to be leaving Tignes way before 6.30am unless you fancy a nose to tail journey of several hours for not much distance.....5 hours to Lyon is not uncommon, albeit i see you are easter travel, which is far less than Feb HT i ve encountered |
I've avoided those peak Saturdays for a long time now. Does the Tarentiase get that busy, that early in the peak weeks?
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @easybreeze, There’s no parking with the Phoenix building. But you can park on the street for an hour, if you can find a space. On Page 1 of the Tignes thread in Snow Reports,Bob has done chapter and verse on parking. |
Thanks for directing me to this thread - very useful!
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You know it makes sense.
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Normally I leave Les Arcs somewhere between 11:00 and 12:00 getting home sometime between 1:30 and 3:00 the next morning depending on the tunnel. But I never do the journey on a Satuday. This Christmas, however, we have to be out of the apartment by 12:00 on the Saturday so we'll clean up and go skiing for the rest of the day before leaving the resort about 18:00. We will then crash at a friends house near Grenoble and spend New Year's Eve skiing at Les 7 Laux.
ps has anyone tried the back road to Moutiers via Notre Dame le Pre? If so what's the traffic like. It was terrible when they closed the tunnel last year and we were diverted.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| I've avoided those peak Saturdays for a long time now. Does the Tarentiase get that busy, that early in the peak weeks? |
Yup it does - we left 6:45 ish half term week and it was way too late. Like mentioned it was a good 4/5 hours to get out the mountains and we tried all sorts of routes to avoid the standstill too.
We are doing the same this year but planning to be leaving around 5ish so that we can get further down before the mass exit. Doesn't help that ValD/Tignes is at the end of the valley so the worst (I would prefer just to leave the night before and drive through the night but the wife isn't in favour of that)
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Poster: A snowHead
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At half term in 2018 (I think) I left Tignes Les Boisses at about 04:30 to get to Lyon airport for a 10 am ish flight. Light traffic, and I was checked in and in departures by 8am. Our flight was delayed by about 1hr because a large number of passengers had been stuck en-route. The person who ended up sitting next to me on the plane had left Val Diz at 06:00, and it had taken them nearly 2 hours to get past Aime and through the tunnels to Albertville.
Easter has never struck me as being anywhere near as busy as HT though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@johnE, That diversion is quite a drive and is normally sealed off by Police in the busy Saturdays.
@Rob_Quads, Yeah, out by 5, or leave it till after lunch. Earlier if it’s snowy.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Rob_ Quads - Yup it does - we left 6:45 ish half term week and it was way too late. Like mentioned it was a good 4/5 hours to get out the mountains and we tried all sorts of routes to avoid the standstill too.
We are doing the same this year but planning to be leaving around 5ish so that we can get further down before the mass exit. Doesn't help that ValD/Tignes is at the end of the valley so the worst (I would prefer just to leave the night before and drive through the night but the wife isn't in favour of that)
we done exactly that last year - and it worked a treat, - last year left at 10pm...but this year going at around 5pm after skiing for 3am(FT) tunnel........and should be in bed by 4am
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
ps has anyone tried the back road to Moutiers via Notre Dame le Pre?
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Yes. Don't recommend, especially if it's snowing. Though you can shave 5 minutes off the 3-hour traffic jam in the valley...
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