Andorra Travel Guide | Shopping, Food, What to Do & What 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 Andorra. 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 of Andorra, 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, 80% 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; they’re 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% 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 Andorran citizen, you are going to have to renounce your other citizenship and you have to live, 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 Andorra? 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 an 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. 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 in Andorra, and 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 Andorra, 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 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, its 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 in Andorra, 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 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 Andorra, 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 in-ski out lodges where 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 staging in Andorra La Vella or 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, maybe one petty theft. It is also written in the 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 Andorra. 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 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 to 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 Andorra La Vella, called Escaldez, which is a gorgeous thing to do.

I recommend going hiking. I recommend going to the Sundial up 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 Andorra La Vella, 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, there were probably 45 snails on the plate. I’ve never seen a plate of snails 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 borda called the Borda L’arena, which is near Andorra la Vella, 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 Andorra, which is like creme brulee. They are also famous for Andorran 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 L’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 13.5 Percent. It’s in Andorra La Vella, and it is right there on the river that runs through town. Definitely worth stopping by there for some delicious food and wonderful, wonderful wines by the glass.

So, what do things cost while you’re visiting 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. 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 that being subsidized 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 Andorra! 

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.

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!