7 hours in Andorra (Day Trip)

23rd June 2024 No comments Article

Where is Andorra? That’s often the first question comes to mind. It is landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, with Spain in its south and France to its north. Although it uses the Euro currency , it is not a member state of the European Union. Andorra is the world’s 16th-smallest country by land and has a population size of around 80,000 people only.

Located just 3 hours bus ride from Barcelona (Spain) or 4 hours bus ride from Toulouse (France), one can easily cover the country within a day trip. Here are some interesting fact of this country:

-Andorra produces a lot of tobacco: Due to its status of being tax free, one of the key things that foreigners do is to purchase cigarettes. Andorra is also one of the few places in Europe where you can still smoke indoors in public places.

-Andorra is the world’s only co-principality: A principality is a place ruled by a prince. Monaco is an example of a principality. Andorra is ruled by 2 princes, making it co-principality. One prince is the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The other co-prince is the Bishop of Urgell. This is the only country where one of their heads of state (the President of France) is democratically elected by another country. The other prince, the bishop, is appointed by the head of state of another country (the Pope).

–Andorra has no national bank and currency: There is no national bank in Andorra, so it has to use private banks if the country wants to incur debt.

-Andorra has the highest capital in Europe: Andorra la Vella, it stands at an elevation of 1,023 meters above sea level.

-European/Spain / France SIM card does not work in Andorra: Yes, no doubt it is in Europe zone, but Andorra being an independent country has its own telecommunication network/services. Your SIM card likely would not work in Andorra unless you purchase a local SIM card. If you are only there for a day trip, many cafes, restaurants and popular tourist spots like the shopping malls provide free Wifi. That is where I uses the network to check the next tourist spot and set my GPS map. That makes travelling around Andorra so much easier, without the need to purchase additional SIM card.

Getting to Andorra:

Most visitors who heads to Andorra would depart from Barcelona, Spain. Simple tip is to book the bus tickets with a company called Alsa which offers bus trips from Barcelona Nord Bus Station.

Decide what time you want to depart Barcelona.

1st choice : Bus depart 7am direct bus and arrive Andorra at 10.15am.

2nd choice: Bus depart 10.30 am direct bus and arrived Andorra at 1.45 pm.

I suggest going for the 7am direct bus as that will leave you with 7 hours or more to explore the beautiful landlocked country. Do note there are many non-direct buses heading to Andorra as well when you intend to purchase a bus ticket. This mean that these buses will stop and alight/pick up people along the way, up to 37 possible stops. Resulting an additional of 1 to 2 hour more in travel duration (5 hours) compare to direct bus journey (3hrs). Let’s say you plan to depart at 8am from Barcelona, you may arrive Andorra at 1pm.

Next, decide what time to depart Andorra to head back Barcelona.

The best choice would be to depart Andorra La Vella, using the direct bus at 5.15 pm and arrived in Barcelona at 8.15 pm. As you are out on the road exploring Andorra and shopping mall, one is likely to get tired with all the walking esspecially there are mostly steep slopes if you would venture the outskirt of the capital. The trick to saving bus transfer cost is to book return non-refundable tickets right from the start. You will need to determine what time you intend to take the return bus. The bus tickets do not allow for changes or cancellations and cost €30.90. The return would mean a top up of only €5.10 + €2.90 processing fee, which adds up a total of €38.90 (VAT included) for return trip.

Things to do in Andorra:

#1) Shopping!

Being a tax free heaven, things in the capital (Andorra La Vella) are so much cheaper than what one gets in outlet shopping (Spain , France). There are plenty of malls and things to buy are cigarettes, perfumes, fashion clothes. Avenue Charlemany is one of the main shopping streets in the city. Other popular malls like Pyrenees Andorra , E.Leclerc Hiper, etc are like one stop mega malls offering plenty of fashion options in it.

#2) Major Tourist spots in the capital

* Caldea spa complex is one of Europe’s largest such developments that features more than 6,000 square meters of watery fun and treatment areas. The building dominates the capital’s skyline with its magnificent glass pyramid tower.

* 7 Poets are a composition of sculptures – flying above the ground, placed in the front yard of the Commune administration building. They represent the seven parishes of Andorra and are an essential example of the importance of public art in this little country in the Pyrenees.

*View of the Pont de París is a good place right smack in downtown to take selfie picture.

*La Noblesse du temps – de Salvador Dalí is the place to step on if you want to be seen as having visited the country. It is a monumental bronze sculpture made by the Catalan artist. Keep in mind that you may required to wait in line for a while before being able to come close enough to take a picture.

#3) Nature!

Andorra is known for its nature: More than 90% of the country is made up of mountains, forests, rivers, lakes and meadows. Check out scenic hiking route around the city. Some of the popular spots include Mirador Roc del Quer viewpoint.

*Roc de Senders viewpoint serves as a great vintage point overlooking the entire capital (Andorra La Vella). Take in the nature and the city skyline!

*Vista – Passeig is a well-groomed panoramic path over the capital with benches and lanterns (lit at night) along gardens and a small stream/watercourse. Very nice view over the city.

#4) Hot Springs!

Just a few minutes’ drive from Andorra la Vella, there lies the town of Les Escaldes. Known for their high sulphur and nitrogen content, the town’s waters range from a pleasant 22 degrees Celsius to a scalding 66 degrees Celsius.

So that is all you will likely need to know if you plan to head up to visit one of Europe smallest countries, Andorra! Simply hop on a day trip if you are visiting Barcelona (Spain) the next time to explore this beautiful country, also known for winter sports!

Categories: Europe Region

7 hours in Andorra (Day Trip)

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