Andorra la Vella is the capital city of Andorra, furthermore it’s the highest European capital. People visit Andorra either for skiing or to tick another country off the list. Here are a few things to do in Andorra;
- Church of Saint Stephen
- Casa de la Vall
- Central Andorra la Vella
- Madriu Perafita Claror Valley UNESCO Site
- National Stadium
- Winter Sports
- Duty Free Shopping
Hotels are incredibly cheap off season, however if you visit during the ski season, prices rise.
Church of St Stephen
The Church of St Stephan is an 11th century Romanesque building. You’re welcome to visit the interior which features paintings. Furthermore, there’s a wonderful city panoramic view from the church.
Casa de la Vall
Casa de la Vall is a 16th century manor and tower defense house. Today however, it houses the parliament of Andorra. Similarly to the Church of St Stephan, there are wonderful panoramic views from the Casa de la Vall.
Central Andorra la Vella
Andorra de la Vella is an incredibly clean and picturesque European capital. As a matter of fact, it’s split through the middle by La Valira river. However, many of the hotels and points of interest are located on the side of the mountain. Fortunately, there are free elevators up to the different levels of town. Keep your eyes open for these elevators as an elevator ride is much easier than walking up the streets!
Madriu Perafita Claror Valley UNESCO Site
The Madriu Perafita Claror Valley is a glacial valley which covers 9% of the whole country! What’s more, it’s the only UNESCO world heritage site in Andorra. For information on hiking, as well as panoramic viewpoints, check out the Madriu Perafita Claror Valley website.
National Stadium
In central Andorra de la Vella is the National Stadium. It’s a 3300 seater stadium with an artificial pitch. Home games of the Andorra national team are played here. When they are playing European qualifiers, often some of the big teams visit. Check the football fixtures to see if there’s a game on when you’re in own.
Winter Sports
The main winter sport of Andorra is skiing, as a result their are miles of world class ski slopes. In addition, there are many other winter sports growing in popularity in Andorra. Other winter activities you can try are, dog sledding, snowmobiling and even helicopter skiing!
Duty Free Shopping
I mentioned there were 2 main reasons to visit Andorra but in actual fact there are 3. The third reason to go is for duty free shopping. As Andorra is not part of the EU, they can sell products without tax. For this reason, you’ll see numerous large duty free shops.
How to get from Andorra to Barcelona
Andorra la Vella to Barcelona direct bus service – €33
From the tiny bus station in Andorra la Vella, there is a useful bus service called DirectBus which leaves every 2 hours to Barcelona Sants as well as Barcelona airport. This service takes 3 hours with free WiFi and phone chargers. I would recommend sitting on the left hand side of the bus with your camera ready to photograph the amazing views of the mountains throughout the journey.
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