Introducing Andorra
People may tell you Andorra’s nothing but skiing and shopping. They might add that Andorra la Vella, its capital and only town, is a fuming traffic jam bordered by palaces of consumerism. (Fact: Andorra has over 2000 shops – more than one for every 40 inhabitants). They’re right to a point, but also way off course. Shake yourself from Andorra la Vella’s tawdry embrace, take one of only three secondary roads in the state and discover some of the most dramatic scenery in all of the Pyrenees.
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This minicountry wedged between France and Spain offers by far the best skiing in the Pyrenees, like in Canillo & Soldeu or Arinsal & Pal. In the last five years, its resorts have invested over €50 million in mountain cafés and restaurants, chairlifts and gondolas, car parks and snow-making machines. And once the snows have melted, summer activities are to be had in Ordino & around. There’s great walking in abundance, ranging from easy strolls to demanding day hikes in the higher, more remote reaches of the principality.
A warning though: this may not be the case a few years from now. Greed and uncontrolled development risk spoiling those side valleys. Already the pounding of jackhammers drowns out the winter thrum of ski lifts and threatens the silence of summer.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
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Andorra
Things to do
- All things to do (18)
- Activities (0)
- Entertainment (2)
- Restaurants (5)
- Shopping (4)
- Sights (7)
- Tours (0)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Andorra
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1 Grandvalira
Shush your way over the snowfields of Grandvalira .
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2 Ordino and Soldeu
Tramp a sample of the walking trails that thread through the principality, especially those above Ordino and Soldeu .
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3 Caldea
Steep yourself in the warm mineral waters of the space-age Caldea .
Fast Facts about Andorra
- Telephone Codes
country code 376; international access code 00
- Official Language
Catalan
- Area
468 sq km
- Population
76, 900
- Famous for
skiing, shopping, smuggling
- Capital
- Phrases
hola (hello); adéu (goodbye); si us plau (please); gràcies (thanks)
- Currency
euro (€); A$1 = €0.60; ¥100 = €0.67; NZ$1 = €0.50; UK£1 = €1.48; US$1 = €0.78
Our favourite Andorra Blogs (beta)
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Lady in Andorra
Blog: A Lady in London - 14 November 2011
Andorra intrigues me. High up in the Pyrenees, the country is nestled in snowy peaks sandwiched between France and Spain. It seems far away and inaccessible, yet alluring and enchanting in its remoteness. My 90 under 30 Travel Project prompted me to visit, and over the weekend I traveled to Andorra to discover the country’s [...]
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Flying Over 3 Countries at a time in the Pyrenees
Blog: WildJunket - 9 October 2011
On board a light aircraft, we glide through the skies of the Pyrenees, drinking in an impressive view of the mountainous region. There’s not a speck of cloud in the skies and temperatures are at a balmy 28 degrees Celsius.
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UNESCO World Heritage Site #147: Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley
Blog: Everything Everywhere - 7 August 2011
From the World Heritage inscription: The cultural landscape of Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley offers a microcosmic perspective of the way people have harvested the resources of the high Pyrenees over millennia. Its dramatic glacial landscapes of craggy cliffs and glaciers, with high open pastures and steep wooded valleys, covers an area of 4,247 ha, 9% of the [...]
