My mother-in-law lives in the south of France, roughly 90 km North of Andorra, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. You may think how lucky it is that my “mother-in-law” lives so far away (knowing all the mother-in-law jokes), but she is actually very cool and I get on with her like ... Read review
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Advantages: Cheap, friendly plenty of huge shops Disadvantages: Traffic pollution hangs over the place like a blanket during the summer
My mother-in-law lives in the south of France, roughly 90 km North of Andorra, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. You may think how lucky it is that my “mother-in-law” lives so far away (knowing all the mother-in-law jokes), but she is actually very cool and I get on with her like a house on fire. So the only lucky side to the distance, is what an outstandingly beautiful part of the world she lives in and that I get to visit whenever I ... ...a very small country. It’s more of a principality really. It’s nestled neatly between France and Spain, very high up, in the Pyrenees. In fact it’s so small that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was merely a city when you look down at it from the top of the mountains you have to get over from France to get there. But more than that, Andorra is one of the few places left that is still duty free.
My mother-in-law lives in the south of France, roughly 90 km North of Andorra, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. You may think how lucky it is that my “mother-in-law” lives so far away (knowing all the mother-in-law jokes), but she is actually very cool and I get on with her like a house on fire. So the only lucky side to the distance, is what an outstandingly beautiful part of the world she lives in and that I get to visit whenever I like (pennies permitting of course!)
Andorra is a very small country. It’s more of a principality really. It’s nestled neatly between France and Spain, very high up, in the Pyrenees. In fact it’s so small that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was merely a city when you look down at it from the top of the mountains you have to get over from France to get there. But more than that, Andorra is one of the few places left that is still duty free.
Andorra is a very popular ski resort in the winter, although I’ve yet to visit during the skiing season. I’ve heard though that it is very good for skiing – if you can actually get there! If you intend to travel to Andorra by car, from France, be aware that it’s so high up that a diesel vehicle will struggle. I’m not quite sure of the mechanics of this but it is fact, diesel engines don’t appreciate the atmosphere at higher altitudes.
I visited during July 2000. The main reason was to buy duty free wine and champagne for my wedding the following month. Unbelievable, but hiring a car, getting a ticket for the channel tunnel, driving a round trip of 2000 miles plus any additional sightseeing and buying all the wine and champagne for the wedding actually worked out cheaper than buying the wine and champers from the wedding venue! How about that for highlighting how expensive Britain can be!
When you drive from France to Andorra, it seems like you have to travel much, much further than the distance actually is. Why? Because the mountains are so steep, the road has to take a very long and winding, twisty, road, which literally zigzags across the mountains and back numerous times. You can actually see where the road is for miles ahead. The view is absolutely spectacular though. But you don’t want to get stuck behind any lorries. Like I said earlier, height and diesel don’t work very well together, and everyone knows how slow lorries can be even going up minor gradients. Well this is steep and there are not many places to overtake either.
When you finally reach the top, and can see down the other side and into Andorra itself, and it is literally breathtaking in the beautiful-but-God-I-can’t-breathe sense of the word. If you’ve never experienced high altitude before, this will knock your socks off. And don’t forget your booties coz it’s cold out there!!! (‘scuse the Groundhog Day quotes!) But seriously, whether you set out from France or Spain to get to Andorra, it will be pretty chilly high up in the mountains so even if it’s 30 degrees in the shade when you set out, take a jacket as it’s guaranteed to be cold at the top!
Petrol is extremely cheap in Andorra. If you thought France or Spain was inexpensive, think again. Saying that, everything is pretty cheap in Andorra. Even French people go to Andorra to save some money on things like tobacco and alcohol and other foods etc. Going over the mountains from France, you descend into Andorra city, Andorra. One downfall to the place is the constant smog, which sits over the place during the summer months. The air is thin and traffic fumes hang heavy in the air. When I visited, there seemed to be a lot of development going on – new buildings, specifically hotel type places: All the more to accommodate the next season of skiers. Parking can also be a problem as there is nowhere really to park in the streets. They are either full or you’re not allowed to park there. There was a high presence of police. Well the Andorran equivalent anyway. We eventually found a multi-storey after traipsing round the one-way systems a few times. (Yes they even have those little ‘remind you of home’ type of quirks!)
Once you’ve found a parking place, you can shop ‘til you drop. There are huge department stores, selling anything and everything. You name it, they’ve got it. A whole floor can be taken up with countless varieties of alcohol alone! We found plenty of places to eat but only two of us were hungry, the other two were only thirsty. So we eventually stopped somewhere where we could get the best of both. My (almost at that point) husband and I shared a pizza, which was hand made, freshly baked and absolutely the best pizza I’d ever tasted. Forget Italy! The outdoor table we sat at didn’t just contain the usual salt and pepper sellers but also olive oil in a bottle with chillies and things like that in it. It really went well on the pizza! Again, the price was very low, as expected by now!
After stopping for between two and three hours (including the stop at the top of the mountains to take photos of the fantastic view) we headed for home – via Spain! It meant we didn’t need to climb all the way back up the mountains and follow that never-ending road all the way to the bottom behind some stinky lorry! We descended further and crossed the Spanish border. Then followed the road eastward, stopped for an evening meal in Spain although we were far to early. This was about 8pm but it was too early by Spaniard standards! They tend to eat their evening meal closer to 10pm. But we managed to find somewhere to eat. The way back was much longer but was nicer than going back over the top. And we had different things to see.
Andorra was a nice place to visit, the obvious benefits being the duty free of course. But next time I go, I would love to go during the winter and try my hand at skiing. I’ve only ever tried on a dry slope and that was many years ago! I’ve been told the skiing in Andorra is great, but I will write a ‘winter’ opinion on Andorra, at a later date ie when I’ve actually tried it out! No idea when that will be but hey, I’m lucky, my mother-in-law lives 90km away from the spectacularly high principality of Andorra. If you’re not so lucky, I would still recommend you make every effort to visit at some point. It’s well worth it.
Advantages: cheap good mountains Disadvantages: too many people shopping
Andorra is a small principality of 180.6 sq miles in the Pyrenees between Spain and France.
We chose to go there for the day as it was between where we were staying in Spain and where we were going to in France, and we thought we would pick up some cheap booze. Andorra has a different tax system that is what makes wine cigarettes and luxury items so cheap
Andorra is a long thin country with one main road going the length of it with a few miner ... ...country side is beautiful majestic mountains sparsely covered in grass a few fir trees and an occasional flower with mountain streams tumbling and trickling down the mountainside. Rocky contours with bare rock peaks rising into the blue cloudless sky it is a sunny day the sunlight picking out the snow on the permanent snow fields high up in the mountains here below by the stream butterflies fly visiting wild flowers for nectar as I look into the ...
mumsymary 01.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Andorra
Advantages: Scenery, perfect for a winter holiday Disadvantages: Longevity is low due to small size of country and lack of alternative activities
--- INTRODUCTION ---
Andorra is one of the smallest countries in the world with only 181sq. miles of territory in which 60,000 people live. It is a landlocked country 'sandwiched' in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. It has recently taken on democratic methods of rule, but its heads of state are the French President and the Bishop of Urgel in Spain. It has adopted the Euro, but is not a fully fledged member of the EU, the mainstay of the economy ... ...building boom with most of the buildings in Andorra not over 25 years old (as only 30 years ago it was a relatively poor country by European standards). This happened by taking advantage of the money injected into it by tourists of which it receives 12million a year. Most of the small communities along the main trunk roads are having at least one or two properties built if not more. Despite this it did not feel like a building site (too much) as ...
Puma1000 11.03.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Andorra
Advantages: Nature and sport activities Disadvantages: crowds and heavy traffic in the town centre (I don't recommend you stay there)
People who have lived in Andorra for a long time can’t but nostalgically remember the green fields just in the centre of town, mountain tracks, some of those are now unavailable for nature lovers, and the whole of the village atmosphere they once enjoyed.
Most of them complain just for the fun of it; the new economy and duty-free shopping made most of them unbearably rich. But what do we care? We visitors are poor and the central shopping ... ...of having the forest all over the place, in the centre of town the mountains seem walls covered with trees and that make them similar to what you always imagined to be hanging gardens, hanging forests. But if you do not raise the head it’s all people shopping, cars in traffic jams, shops and shops and shops and us trying to find best prices... Let’s get away from them and their shopping bags full of cheap licor, cheap cigarettes and other ...
happy_hamster 24.03.2001 (21.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Andorra
Advantages: cheaper and quieter than the Alps Disadvantages: long transfer
Andorra has always been a great resort to learn to ski and board due to both the fantastic ski schools and cheap prices. This has given it a reputation for being a bit cheap and cheerful but over the past couple of years it has been trying to shake this image and go more upmarket. We have visited Andorra 4 times in the winter and once in the summer, and over the past year or two we have seen so much work going on, they are pouring in what seems like ... ...la Vella is a shoppers paradise but it is sooo busy traffic wise. Pas de la Casa is the most popular resort but also in my opinion the ugliest (but hey you're not skiing in the town - it has fab pistes!), whereas some of the other resorts are prettier with old stone buildings etc.
Arcalis/Pal An undiscovered couple of gems in Andorra.. A car is recommended as we experienced long waits for the ski bus. Last year we stayed at the bottom of the red ...
girlscanboard 30.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Andorra
Advantages: shops, landscapes Disadvantages: maybe too small :)
This is a big little country. I live in Barcelona, and Andorra is really close to my home. I know that is too far away from uk to go there just to go for a walk. But if you are travelling to France or Catalonia (Spain) and you have enough time... think about visiting that small paradise. There are two things that are characteristic of Andorra: the landscape and the shops. The landscape is beautiful because Andorra is full of small valleys and pretty ... ...see at both sides big mountains that are really close because Andorra is on a valley. Shopping is one of the usual activities there. The reason is that Andorra hasn't have the typical taxes of any european country (lots of people have their money on Andorran banks). You can find lots of great shops there. One of the best offers is about perfumer's shop. You can find any perfum you want and really cheap. There are lots of electronical equipment that ...
cerb 26.12.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Andorra
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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Advantages: cheap everything, great nightlife. Disadvantages: not such good snow or terrain as the Alps.
The individual resorts in Andorra, to my mind, are not big enough to have the necessary terrain to entertain a good skier/snowboarder for a week. Most people have covered the resort where they are staying in a couple of days, and from this point on, unless the snow conditions are exceptional, the world-beating apres-ski comes to play an increasingly large part in the trip. And so what if it does? ;-)
Well, there is an alternative, which is to stay in the centrally-located capital, Andorra La Vella, and hire a car to drive to the resorts. Sure, it's more expensive to buy day passes than weekly ones, but if you decide to take a couple of days away from the slopes (no great loss if the weather is bad) you will be onto a winner. Car hire is cheap in Andorra, it is probably one of the cheapest places in Europe to hire the 4wd you will need ...
