What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Tignes?
Emergency number
112
Police: 17. Ambulance: 15.
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: en.tignes.net, tignesmedical.odoo.com
Tignes itself has no hospital; the nearest hospital with an emergency department is ~20km away in Bourg-Saint-Maurice — this is normal for small Alpine ski resorts, but worth knowing before an accident happens.
Good to know
Good to Know
- Save 112 as your default emergency number in Tignes — it works from any mobile phone regardless of carrier or SIM, and connects you to the correct service (police, fire, medical, or mountain rescue) based on your location.
- For skiing/off-piste or hiking emergencies, calling 112 is preferable to guessing between 15/17/18, since the operator will route you to mountain rescue (PGHM) if needed.
- If you're in an avalanche or backcountry situation with weak signal, try to move to get GPS/data on before calling, and keep your phone charged — the Gendloc location-sharing link sent after a 112 call depends on it.
- 114 is an SMS-based emergency number primarily intended for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or when a voice call isn't possible — it has slower processing than a 112 voice call, so use it only as a backup.
- There is no hospital located in Tignes itself — for any real emergency, the first call should be 15 (SAMU, the French medical emergency number) rather than trying to drive to a hospital yourself.
- The nearest full emergency department is at the Centre Hospitalier de Bourg-Saint-Maurice, roughly 20km down the valley, and it's staffed 24/7 for trauma, medical, and pediatric emergencies.
- Ski-related injuries are extremely common in Tignes in winter; on-mountain, ski patrol (pisteurs-secouristes) and mountain rescue typically handle the initial response and transport before a hospital is involved.
National Numbers
Police / Gendarmerie
- Number
- 17
Fire Brigade (Sapeurs-Pompiers)
- Number
- 18
Ambulance / Medical Emergency (SAMU)
- Number
- 15
114
- Service
- SMS emergency line (for deaf/hard-of-hearing, or when voice call is not possible)
Official Apps And Tools
Gendloc
- Purpose
- Geolocation-sharing tool used during a 112 call: after calling 112, the operator sends an SMS with an HTML link; opening it and authorizing location sharing sends your exact GPS position to rescuers.
- Developer
- French National Gendarmerie (PGHM Le Versoud / Grenoble High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon)
- How To Use
- You do not pre-install an app for this — you call 112 first, then follow the SMS link sent by the operator.
FR-Alert
- Purpose
- National public-warning cell-broadcast system for major emergencies (severe weather, avalanches, industrial accidents, etc.). Alerts arrive automatically as a loud phone notification to any phone with a signal in the affected area — no app download required.
- Developer
- French Ministry of the Interior (Sécurité Civile)
Hospitals
Centre Hospitalier De Bourg-Saint-Maurice Tarentaise
- Address
- 139 Rue du Nantet, 73700 Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France
- Trauma Capability
- Handles orthopedic and trauma surgery, general/abdominal surgery, and runs its own SMUR (mobile emergency resuscitation unit) and a short-stay emergency observation unit (UHCD). France does not use the US-style numbered 'Level I/II/III trauma center' system, so there is no official trauma-level designation to cite — but this is the designated emergency/trauma referral hospital for the Tarentaise valley, including Tignes, and it also participates in the helicopter emergency medical service (SMUR héliporté) based in Courchevel for rapid mountain evacuations.
- Distance From Tignes
- Approx. 20 km / roughly 25-35 minutes by road from Tignes, depending on which part of Tignes (Val Claret, Le Lac, Le Lavachet) and winter road conditions.
- Emergency Dept Hours
- Emergency department (urgences) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- General Front Desk Hours
- Main switchboard/front desk: Monday to Sunday, 7am–9pm (extended to 10pm during the winter ski season).
- Notes
- This is the practical 'go-to' hospital for ski-accident trauma, fractures, and general emergencies from Tignes. Very severe polytrauma cases are sometimes stabilized here then transferred by helicopter to a larger regional hospital (e.g. in Grenoble or Chambéry) for specialist care, though we could not independently confirm the specific transfer protocol for this response.
Centre Hospitalier De Moûtiers
- Address
- Rue de l'École des Mines, 73600 Moûtiers-Tarentaise, France
- Trauma Capability
- Secondary option down-valley; specific trauma-level detail not confirmed.
- Distance From Tignes
- Approx. 29 km from Tignes.
- Emergency Dept Hours
- Also operates an emergency/SMUR antenna, though Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the closer and more commonly used option for Tignes-based emergencies.
- Notes
- Listed as a backup/alternative to Bourg-Saint-Maurice for the Tarentaise valley; less commonly the first stop for Tignes accidents given the extra distance.
Pharmacies
- Payment
- Bank cards and cash accepted
- Typical Hours
- Most pharmacies in Tignes open 9 AM–8 PM weekdays; variable Saturday hours; Sunday and holiday pharmacy on-call system available
- Count In Tignes
- At least 2 dedicated pharmacies within Tignes resort center
- After Hours Fees
- Additional charges apply (€5 per ordonnance Sundays/holidays; €8 per ordonnance nights 8 PM–8 AM)
- Emergency Pharmacy
- On-call pharmacy available Sundays, holidays, and nights (call local pharmacy or medical center for current duty pharmacy)
Services
- Prescription dispensing
- Over-the-counter medications
- Medical equipment rental (orthopedic, contention veineuse, etc.)
- Non-reimbursed medications
- Sports medicine supplies
Pharmacies
Pharmacie Du Lac De Tignes
- Phone
- +33 4 79 06 31 21
- Hours
- Open 7 days a week (Monday–Sunday)
- Address
- 211 Rue de la Poste, Tignes
- Location
- Immeuble des Ducs de Savoie, Le Lac (Tignes Le Lac center)
- Walking Distance
- Central, within ~5 minutes of Le Lac village center
Pharmacie Du Val Claret
- Phone
- +33 4 79 06 36 22
- Hours
- Open 7 days a week
- Address
- Val Claret, Tignes
- Location
- Résidence des Platières, Val Claret
- Walking Distance
- Central to Val Claret village
Mountain Rescue
- Direct Number
- +33 4 79 07 01 10
- Unit
- PGHM Bourg-Saint-Maurice (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne, Tarentaise sector — covers Tignes)
- How To Reach
- Dial 112 (or 17) and explain the mountain emergency; operators will dispatch the PGHM Tarentaise unit. A direct line also exists for the Bourg-Saint-Maurice PGHM detachment.
- Note
- In-resort, on-piste incidents are typically first handled by the resort's own ski patrol/pisteurs-secouristes, who coordinate with PGHM for off-piste, avalanche, or high-mountain rescues.
Universal Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Description
- European Union-wide emergency number, works from any mobile phone (even without a SIM card or credit) and connects to the appropriate local service based on caller location.
Healthcare
- Emergency Number
- 15 (SAMU for life-threatening emergencies)
- Overview
- Tignes has a dedicated ski resort medical center equipped for emergency care and trauma treatment, plus on-call physician services.
- Card Payment
- Most facilities accept bank cards; some smaller venues may be cash-only
- Payment System
- Pay first, then claim reimbursement (standard French system)
- Independent Nurses
- Available for home visits across Tignes villages (appointment required)
- Out Of Hours Service
- Call 116 117 (free national service hotline for non-emergency after-hours care)
- Insurance Requirement
- Visitors strongly advised to have up-to-date health insurance; EU visitors should obtain EHIC, non-EU should obtain GHIC or equivalent travel insurance
- Physiotherapy Osteopathy
- Available in Tignes; work closely with Tignes Medical Centre
Dental
- Phone
- +33 4 79 55 16 39
- Address
- 206 Galerie du Chardonnet, Rue de la Poste, Tignes
- Provider
- Dr. Marie Guillet, Dental Surgeon
- Access Note
- Dental services available; high demand may result in wait times, managed by Tignes Medical Centre
On Call Services
- Access
- Call 3624 to request home medical visit
- Availability
- Works 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
- Service Model
- Equipped doctors visit accommodation directly
- Description
- On-call doctors available 24/7 for home visits
Primary Facility
- Name
- Tignes Medical Centre (Centre Médical de Tignes)
- Type
- Mountain clinic and medical center
- Doctors
- Multiple general practitioners qualified in emergency and trauma medicine
- Location
- Tignes Le Lac
- Specialists Available
- Yes
- Specialist Note
- Nearest hospital lab is BIOGROUP in Bourg-Saint-Maurice (requires travel)
Services
- General medicine
- Trauma and accident care
- X-ray diagnostics
- Ultrasound (fast echo only)
- Emergency services (ECGs, stitches, infusions)
- Gynecology
- Dermatology
- Sports medicine
- Sexual health (PrEP)
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.en.tignes.net
- 2.tignesmedical.odoo.com
- 3.tignesmedical.odoo.com
- 4.seetignes.com
- 5.maisonsmedicale.com
- 6.en.tignes.net
- 7.housinganywhere.com
- 8.westernunion.com
- 9.frenchconnectionshcb.com
- 10.uniplaces.com
- 11.expatica.com
- 12.ibanista.com
- 13.goldenharbors.com
- 14.harrisonbrook.fr
- 15.wise.com
- 16.longtermrentalsinfrance.com
- 17.pharmanity.com
- 18.pharmanity.com
- 19.en.tignes.net
- 20.demarchesadministratives.fr
- 21.pagesjaunes.fr
- 22.pharmacie-ouverte.com
- 23.tradingeconomics.com
More About Tignes
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.