Contact Us

We’re here to help, so hit us on any of the channels below or scroll on down for the contact form.

Email
BARCELONA BOATS Email
san sebastian surf Email
Phone
WhatsApp
BARCELONA BOATS WhatsApp
SAN SEBASTIAN SURF HOUSE WhatsApp
Social





























    A BACKPACKER’S GUIDE TO ANDORRA

    Backpacking Europe » City Guides

    Posted by Stoke Media Team
    6 years ago | November 29, 2017

    A BACKPACKER’S GUIDE TO ANDORRA

    This little-known principality is tucked into the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. It’s known for its mountains and valleys, skiing slopes and tax-free haven status – including cheap cigarettes and booze – is a nice little country to tick off your bucket list. It’s also the location of Stoke Travel’s marvellously messy Andorra Ski Weekenders, by virtue of it having amazing ski slopes, and its location just up the road from our Barcelona headquarters.

    Facts About Andorra

    Andorra’s Population: 77,000

    Tourists to Andorra in a year: 7,800,000

    Andorra’s biggest cities: none. Andorra la Vella is the biggest “city” with 22,000 inhabitants and is located in the valley at one of the country’s lowest points, which means warmer weather

    Languages spoken in Andorra: Catalan is the only official language, although Andorra’s location means that Spanish and French are widely spoken

    Average wage in Andorra: €2000

    Price of things in Andorra: dinner for two in a pub €37, lunch menu with drink €13, pint of beer €3, packet of cigarettes €2.95

    Average summer high temperature in Andorra La Vella: high 25.1°C, low 14°C
    Average winter low temperature in Andorra La Vella: high 10°C, low 0°C

    Festivals in Andorra

    There are plenty of festivals in Andorra every year, especially for a country of this size. These range from the Andorra Jazz Festival to the Andorra la Vella Festa Major, held every summer in the capital. The best festivals, however, have to be the Stoke Travel Andorra Ski Weekenders, that squeeze in extra hours on the slopes, and more importantly in the clubs and bars at the bottom of the slopes.

    How to Get to Andorra

    GIven its size and mountain location, there are no airports in Andorra. This means that you’ll be driving in when you arrive, either in a hire car, or on a bus. Stoke Travel organises private coach transfers for our Andorra ski trips that leave from, and return to, Barcelona. The trip is around three hours, but can be longer depending on traffic and hold ups at the border.

    Accommodation In Andorra

    There are plenty of hostels and hotels in Andorra la Vella, as well as in the many ski resorts and the villages that surround them. During the ski season these hotels fill up quickly, and prices are high, as Andorra attracts skiers and snowboarders from around the world. Hikers will find a variety of mountain huts available for a nominal fee in the summertime.

    Andorra Food And Drink

    The Pyrenees, in which Andorra is located, are famed for their top-quality farming and produce, in particular their meat. Being located practically inside Catalonia, we find many of the dishes famous in Barcelona and Spain here in Andorra. Nevertheless there are some dishes that are unique to this mountain principality, like trinxat, a bubble-and-squeak-like mixture of last night’s dinner, potato and bacon fat, and truta a la Andorrana, which is local freshwater trout, served with a slice of pork on top. They also have a tradition of making paella with squirrel meat, although backpackers would be lucky(?) to find somewhere serving this peculiar delicacy.

    There are also a small number of Andorran wineries, which is surprising given how many vineyards there are on either side of Andorra, in both the cava regions of Catalunya and the rosé wine areas of southern France’s Languedoc.

    General Andorra Advice

    Scams and dangers in Andorra

    Andorra, being a very small country, is overwhelmingly a safe destination. The main dangers in Andorra are self inflicted, usually the result of falling on the ski slopes, getting lost when hiking through the Pyrenees, or injuries sustained when partying too much after a big day in the mountains.

    Driving in Andorra

    Driving in Andorra is the same as elsewhere in Europe, with noticeable differences being the often confusing alpine and valley roads, as well as the often-long traffic jams going into Spain and France when leaving Andorra, the result of Andorra’s tax-free status and its cheap alcohol and cigarettes. Remember that if you are caught entering Spain and France with more than 300 cigarettes, 1.5 litres of spirits, or four bottles of wine, you could be fined.  

    Best way to access and use money in Andorra

    The euro is used in Andorra and there are plenty of ATMs to access your money.

    Visa options for  and how to stay longer than the allocated three months in Andorra

    While it doesn’t have closed borders, Andorra is not a member of the European Union and visitors to Andorra will be leaving the Schengen zone are allowed a stay of up to three months without a visa. Entry to Andorra is only through Spain or France, as there are no airports, so all visitors must be allowed travel elsewhere in Europe.

    Places to visit in Andorra

    The best places to visit in Andorra are its famous mountains, valleys and ski slopes, whether for hiking, or participating in snowsports as a part of Stoke Travel’s Andorra Snow Trips.

    Related Trips
    Andorra Ski* Weekenders
    Andorra
    Related Articles
    Andorra Destination Guide

    A little nation sandwiched between France and Spain that not many people know about but everybody should visit. With breathtaking views of each town from the surrounding mountain tops, amusement…

    Read More

    Seven Tips for Your First Time Snowboarding Andorra

    Are you a beginner snowboarder who doesn’t want to suck? Here’s all you need to know so you don’t blow in the snow this winter.

    Read More

    Top Ten Fun Facts About Andorra

    For sure you already know about our Andorra Ski Weekender, duh, but you’re probably scratching your head wondering just what the heck even is an Andorra, what’s it got to…

    Read More

    The Snow Is The Best Place To Pick Up

    We love the snow! Because we have to, because snow is one of the few redeemable features of the long winter that wraps Europe up for a quarter of the…

    Read More

    Six Ski Slope Dickheads

    As freeing as it is to glide downhill, sending a rooster tail of fresh powder high into the air behind you, there always seems to be at least one dickhead on the hill who seemingly exists purely just to piss you off. While it’s rarely enough to ruin the trip, these muppets are usually the only damper on an otherwise unblemished experience.

    Read More

    The Best Resorts For Apres Ski In Europe

    The Best Resorts For Apres Ski In Europe To be guaranteed the best après ski in Europe just join our Andorra Ski Weekenders where our expert team of bon vivants…

    Read More

    Search Stoke Travel Search by Trip, Destination, Month...