Why Andorra? 24 Hours in This Fascinating Country

Candace Ahlfinger
Sep 13
5 min read

And on to Andorra.

Andorra is not an easy country to reach. There is no train or plane—simply car or bus. So why go to Andorra? Besides the fact that it was a new country to explore, Andorra is known for hiking, skiing, biking, and shopping. Fewer than 88,000 people live in Andorra, the 5th smallest country in Europe and the 11^th smallest in the world with only 181 square miles. Since we only had a very short time available, we limited our trip to driving through the countryside and visiting the capital of Andorra La Vella which is primarily famous for its shopping and, lest I forget to mention, its spa. (For enquiring minds...Andorra is located between France and Spain.)

Having heard about possible snow on the roads in April, we didn’t want to drive ourselves, so we compared our options. The cost of hiring a driver was about 10 times the cost of the bus, so the bus it was. The Andbus left from the Toulouse M Station promptly at 9:45. (When we travelled, there were only two buses each day, morning and afternoon. The bus was comfortable, and we quickly left the relatively flat lands of Toulouse for increasingly rolling hills at the foot of the Pyrenees always keeping the snow-capped peaks of Andorra in our sight. As we climbed into the Pyrenees, the well-maintained roads followed major curves that made us thankful we weren’t driving ourselves. We went through border checks between France and Andorra, since Andorra is not part of the EU, without any problems. (We did not even have to show passports although I have read that this is always a possibility.)

Andorra Park Hotel--A View from the Back

When we arrived at the National Bus Station in Andorra la Vella, Andbus personnel quickly and efficiently loaded our luggage to a smaller van that then delivered us directly to our hotel. (We stayed at the Andorra Park Hotel which had beautiful views of the mountains and wonderful rooms. In addition, all staff members were very helpful both before and during our visit.)

Of course, as soon as we arrived, we were off to explore and to make our reservation to Caldea Spa, the largest spa in Southern Europe which is actually in the neighboring town of Escaldes. Thankfully, Maria, the wonderful concierge at our hotel, walked us to the nearest elevator to save us from following the steep twisty roads to the town. Knowledge of how these elevators, vertical streets, work is extremely important in this mountainous city. We enjoyed walking the streets and seeing the many shopping options, even if we’re not big shoppers. We stopped for a quick lunch at Smash Hiro Burger and may have been spoiled for life. The burgers were excellent.

We made it to the spa where we enjoyed the quiet, non-crowded adult hours in the beautiful glass-domed spa. While the spa was relatively empty when we arrived, it was filling up quickly when we left. (We only stayed an hour. I’m not overly good at relaxing and there was no way to move from area to area within the main pools without either getting out or having water shot in your face.)

We enjoyed the walk through the main pedestrian street of Andorra la Vella with its instagrammable melting clock Dali statue, La Noblesse du Temps, and the lighted Andorra La Vella sign on the Paris Bridge which spans the Valira River. Dinner was at Celler d’en Toni, a delicious upscale meal, followed by a leisurely walk back to our hotel.

The next day we had a tour with Xarli (Charly) of the city. (What’sApp +376 384 708) He was so informative about the history and the surroundings and gave great advice of places to go and things to do.

A few of the many interesting pieces of information that I learned:

Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe at 3,356 feet above sea level. In addition, the Principality of Andorra is the country with the highest altitude in Europe at 6,440 feet.
The national language is Catalan, but most people speak Spanish. English, and French are also widely spoken.

According to history, Charlemagne gave the country to the residents. Then, the peace treaty of 1278 was signed which established joint control of the country by the Count of Foix and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell. Through marriages, the leadership changed hands but finally, in 1593, King Henry III of Navarra, descendent of the Count of Foix, was crowned King Henry IV of France and Navarra. Since then, the Head of State of France and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell in Catalonia, Spain, are the Co-Princes of the country. Since 1993 when Andorra ratified its Constitution, Andorra is a Parliamentary Co-Principality, which is an independent, constitutional, democratic, and social state. What does that mean? The country has two Heads of State, the President of France and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell in Spain, while the country has more power on its own. Before the ratification, both the bishop and the president had to sign off on any major decisions. Now only one signature is required which generally allows Andorra more freedom. (One example is the question of divorce which the Catholic bishop’s one vote would have vetoed.) The main legislative body is the Parliament, or General Council, which has 28 members who are elected every four years. (A note: Andorra historically had three things that enabled the country to maintain its independence and safety. Those three things: poverty, balance, and isolation.)
Andorra is the safest country in the world. It does not have a standing army and has only a small police force.

Charly was a great tour guide as we wandered through the streets, seeing the few historic sites including the Barri Antic, aka the Old Town, Sant Esteve Church, and the Casa de la Vall, which was the seat of the parliament from 1702 to 2011.

We had dinner at El Crostó for fabulous food and wonderful rustic atmosphere. (The menu is amazingly large!) The owner discovered that I speak Spanish and gave me the much-needed opportunity to practice. Everyone made us feel welcome. We had fun talking to people at the table next to us. The evening was a perfect end to our quick visit to Andorra!