Andorra Travel Guide | Shopping, Food, What to Do & Things to See in Andorra [VIDEO GUIDE]

I’m Kim the Abundant traveler and welcome to the channel today I’m going to be sharing with you tips tricks and hacks and everything that you need to know before you go to Endora that’s a tiny country in the middle of Europe between Spain and France if you’re new to the channel I put out laid-back luxury travel videos inspiring you to buy that plane ticket and get out there and go I want you to live your best life through travel and these videos will share ideas and inspiration to make your travels easier more fun and just encourage you to go you may not have even heard vandora but it is a tiny little country in the middle of Europe it’s not part of the EU so don’t get confused it is 469 square miles with 80 000 inhabitants it’s quite a small place in the middle of the Pyrenees sandwiched in between France and Spain a couple of interesting facts about Andorra before we get started on where to go how to go when to go how to get there how to get around and where to stay and what to do these random facts include there’s no postage as long as you’re mailing your mail within the country also eighty percent of the GDP is through tourism so you’re going to find lots and lots of tourists the primary language and the official language of the country is Catalan even though everybody speaks pretty good English French Spanish as well as Catalan the country is 90 mountains and a couple of extra interesting facts they have over 20 museums and over 40 churches in this little tiny country so what is Andorra famous for it is famous for its duty free shopping you can buy cigarettes if you’re a smoker I don’t recommend it but you can buy cigarettes hair relatively inexpensive also there are more perfume shops in Andorra than any place I have ever seen it is a tax Haven with a banking where their non-disclosure banking they also have a 10 percent tax throughout out the country so it’s a wonderful place for expats and people that need tax Havens something to note though that if you want to become an endoring citizen you are going to have to renounce your other citizenship and you have to live it have residency for 20 years that’s a really long time France is only five Spain is 10 and Italy is 10. so that gives you a little bit of information you have to really want to live in Andorra to be able to get a passport so why would you go to Endora well it’s in the middle of the Pyrenees and so in the winter there’s fabulous skiing in the summer there’s wonderful mountain biking and hiking and horseback riding it is a outdoor Mecca and it’s a wonderful place to go either in the summer or the winter the only time I wouldn’t go there is in the middle of mud season right after the winter when there’s lots of water and everything is Muddy something to note about skiing in Andorra in the middle of winter is that the valleys are very very steep which means that the cities do not get a lot of light and the slopes don’t get a lot of light so a lot of your skiing will be in very flat light my understanding is in the middle of winter you actually don’t get any sun until around 11 o’clock in the morning which I cannot imagine if you’re looking at temperatures in the middle of winter you can be 35 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer you can be 60 degrees in the morning 85 90 degrees in the afternoon I was there at the end of August and I was wearing long pants closed-toed shoes and a jacket a couple of nights a couple of days it was raining and a couple of days I was in a t-shirt and shorts so it just depends you just never know what you’re going to get in the mountains so be prepared so how do you actually get to Andorra well you cannot take a train and you cannot take a flight there are no airports and no train stations in Andorra you can take a bus or you can drive your own car are the best way to get there is if you’re flying you can fly into Toulouse in France and it’s about two hours to Andorra coming in from the North or coming from Barcelona and it’s about three hours coming up from the South Customs and immigration are super easy it’s just they just want to see your passport let you go through but do note that they are watching your every move even though it seems extremely easy to get into the country if you’re not going to drive a car from the airport or drive in then the best thing for you to do is take the buses there’s great bus systems going from the Barcelona and the Toulouse airport I believe they’re about 35 Euros each Direction really nice easy way to get into the country also within the country they have taxis they also have a wonderful bus system locals the bus is free but I believe it was about 1 euro 50 to take a bus anywhere in the country something to note though about taking the buses throughout the buses don’t go everywhere and there are gorgeous tiny little roads up into the mountains windy and twisty to get to some beautiful locations some beautiful scenery so I do recommend getting a car and you’ll want to get the car at the airport a few things to note about getting a car in Andorra one the gas is cheaper in Andorra because it is subsidized by the government so just get the minimum in France or in Spain and then fill up in Andorra also they follow the speed limits and endure it they’re they actually have these little smiley faces if you’re going slow enough and they have a little frowning face if you’re going too fast there are very few stop lights it’s mostly roundabouts and definitely stop for pedestrians pedestrians will walk right out in front of you so you have to pay attention to that final thing to know about getting a car to go to indoor remember you’re in the mountains so you want to have a car with great power do not get a Fiat 500 it will never make it up those mountain roads now a little bit about the money currency and ATMs the euro is the official currency of Andorra and even though I heard that they have their own Euro supposedly I never saw any I just saw the regular Euro but supposedly they do have a few uh coins they seem to be shinier also ATMs are readily available throughout the country and prices are relatively inexpensive I thought so the average rate wage I think is about 1750 Euros so things are relatively inexpensive also everything is shopping as I mentioned before is lots of Duty free because things are low tax and subsidized by the government use your regular ATM card but be careful about using your American Express American Express is not widely accepted and Endora kind of like the rest of Europe so the language in Andorra is officially catalon that is the only official language for the country most everybody does speak French they speak Spanish and they speak English as well well as Catalan amongst themselves they do speak Catalan and the schools teach Catalan once you have arrived in Andorra where should you stay and how long should you stay I recommend staying three to five days in Endora unless you’re there on a week ski vacation in your three to five day visit in Andorra I recommend that you spend some time in the capital of Andorra lavella it is where lots of restaurants are plenty of shopping since it is a tax Haven duty-free shopping country I also recommend that you spend some time in the mountains hiking biking or skiing so spend a little time in the city and a little time in the country where you stay in the country really depends on what your goals are and what you’re going to be doing if you’re there in Winter then I recommend going to those ski and ski out lodges where it’s you have to get warm fireplaces and it’s relatively easy to get up and down the mountain if you’re there in summer then I recommend doing a combination of staining and Dora Villa or for the town next door called escaldes and I recommend going and staying up in the mountains as well but not all Mountain chalets and hotels are open in the summer just something to note but go stay in what is called a borda or a farmhouse where you can get amazing service amazing food and beautiful views if you’re interested in which hotels that I recommend make sure to watch my video on the hotels and places you should stay I traveled solo to Andorra and most people ask me well as a Solo Traveler is it safe for you yes it is super safe to travel in Andorra it is one of the safest countries in the world to be honestly I can’t remember a place that was so law abiding my tour guide Charlie which I’ll talk about in a minute told me that the week before I was there they had a total of 16 crimes that’s one six a couple drunk driving a couple speeding um maybe one petty theft it is also written in the new newspaper every week all of the crimes it is a very law-abiding very very safe country you can walk around in the middle of the night even though nobody is out in the middle of the night but you can walk around in the middle of the night and feel absolutely safe again I always recommend you take care of your belongings and do pay attention to where you are and always keep that Sixth Sense out there and be paying attention when you’re traveling so what to pack when you are going to endure it if you’re going during the winter then you will need all the ski clothes so I have some videos on what to pack when you’re going skiing check out the link in the description below I also have a free download for everything that you need to have when you go skiing so check that out the free download in the description below as well I’m going to talk about summertime remember you are in the mountain so be prepared for everything and anything it can rain one minute and then have a rainbow the next and be 95 degrees and then be 40 degrees so you need to bring a jacket you need to bring some shorts as well as long pants and if you’re going to be hiking I recommend some of those Columbia pants or you can zip off at the between shorts and pants bring hiking shoes bring your day pack as well and if you are interested to see what I put in my day pack every time I go day hiking I also have a free download in the description below for that I again recommend a jacket and a scarf I wore a hat in the middle of the summer one night I used an umbrella a couple of times I also wore my tank tops and I wore my Birkenstocks and I wore my hiking shoes so even though you don’t need a lot of things for three to five days you need a ton of things because you just don’t know what to expect be prepared for cold and wet as well as sunny and warm and always remember bring sunscreen you’re in the mountains at altitude it is very very very easy to get burned let’s talk about what there is to do once you arrive the top top things to do I’m just going to do a couple of highlights because I have a dedicated video on all the things that you have to do when you go to Andorra number one is shopping shop till you drop duty free shopping if you still smoke which I don’t know why one would still smoke cigarettes are relatively inexpensive also perfume is inexpensive and there is great shopping all of the regular stores that you see normally in Europe h m and Zara Etc are there in Andorra to shop to your heart’s content I also recommend going to caldea Spa which is one of the largest spas in southern Europe it is a gorgeous building and it is open all up until midnight every day and it is a great way to go get those thermal Springs in the town next door to Endora LaBella called escaldez which is a gorgeous thing to do I recommend going hiking I recommend going to the Sundial up in in the in the northern part of the country I also recommend going to to the Tibetan bridge and the Mirador if you’re interested in those I have some dedicated videos on those you can see them in the links below I also suggest that you go horseback riding if you can ride horses in the middle of the mountains why wouldn’t you do that I also recommend taking a tour with Andora free tours and going with Charlie one he will give you a city tour of Indore La Villa but I also hired him as a private guide one day and he took me up into the mountains and showed me some gorgeous things that I would have never seen otherwise I have left Charlie’s information in the description below if you’re interested in taking a city tour or taking a private tour with him as well the rest of those goodies check out my video on everything that you have to go see while you’re in Andorra now that you’re exhausted from all the activities let’s talk about food and what food is famous in Andorra they are famous for rabbit in Andorra they are also famous for snails I got a plate of snails I there were probably 45 snails on the plate I’ve never seen a plate of sandals that big and they’re quite famous for those they are also famous for Mountain food so open fire cooked Mountain meats whether it’s lamb or rabbit or beef I went to a particular border called the borda LA Arena which is near Andorra lavella and it was the most delicious dinner my rabbit was cooked right there on the open fire right in front of me well worth it they’re also famous for a dish that is similar to bubble and squeak which is not an American thing they also have a Crema and Dora which is like creme brulee they are also famous for andoran trout as well so delicious food can be found throughout Andorra a couple of restaurants I recommend going to that you can get these delicious Delicacies the first one I’ve already mentioned is borda de la Arena where I had my rabbit over the Open Fire I also since I’m gluten free there is a zero percent gluten-free which had delicious salads and sandwiches and pastries really really good I also suggest that you go up to in the north and go to borda Del p and if you can stay there stay there it is up by the Mirador as well as the Tibetan Bridge go there for drinks in the afternoon beautiful views it was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon if you can go there for lunch or dinner then I recommend that as well also a great wine bar that I tried is 13 and a half percent it’s an indoor lavella and it is right there on the river that runs through town definitely worth stopping by there for some delicious food and wonderful wonderful ones by the glass so what do things cost while you’re visiting in Andorra well it was about a hundred euros a night for a four-star hotel again I’ve left a bunch of hotels in the description below and I have a designated video on hotels if you’re looking for a three star you can spend about 40 to 50 euros out in the countryside as well uh if you’re looking to get a coffee in the city then it’s about two Euros gas is about 20 percent less due to vat being subsidized in by the government it’s about 20 percent less than it is in Spain and in France and if you’re going to get a glass of wine it’s only about three Euros for a glass of wine unless you’re at 13.5 percent where they have higher end ones so you can spend six to seven eight nine euros per glass of wine my dinners while I was out I would spend anywhere from maybe 10 euros for lunch to probably 25 Euros in the evening for 1 wine and dishes that’s including getting a big plate of snails a couple of glasses of wine a main course like getting a fish course and having some potatoes and vegetables so it was quite a lot of food for 25 to 30 Euros so let’s sum up my feelings on Andorra I decided to extend my stay I was only going to be there three days I decided to stay five so it’s well worth going there would I go back I would absolutely go back to Andorra I love being in the mountains in the summer I want to go back and go horseback riding I’m not a mountain biker but some of the best mountain biking in the world is in Andorra as well I really enjoyed the food I think that it is extremely safe and they’re super law-abiding citizens it’s just a wonderful easy place to go if you’re with a family or traveling by yourself or it’s the middle of summer and you’re in Europe and it’s so hot everywhere else in Europe and it’s nice and cool in Andorra so I highly recommend going to indoor I appreciate you watching this video thank you so much I hope that you found it valuable if you have any tips or suggestions please leave them in the comments below and I am Kim the Abundant traveler and I will see you in the mountains somewhere very very soon because I love the mountains see y’all soon bye!