A week of skiing in Andorra

Well, this post is certainly a bit behind, but better late than never! After the sad winter of 2020/21, we were very keen to go skiing again but with a lot of travel and wedding plans in the works, we wanted to do it on a budget. Throw in the chaos of travelling in times of covid, with varying situations in different countries, and we decided to book our trip to Andorra. And lucky we did, because by the time we took off, France had a ban on tourists coming from the UK.

I had previously thought of Andorra as a budget option compared to the famous alpine resorts in France, Switzerland and Austria, but was pleasantly surprised with just how great Andorra really is. It’s a pristine microstate that caters perfectly to ski tourists - in fact, it’s more or less one big ski resort during the winter. There’s one winding road in and out between Spain and France that curves through the various resort towns and provides easy access to the slopes. Everything appears pristine throughout, I was really shocked by just how well organised it felt.

There are two ways of arriving in Andorra from the UK - via the airports in Barcelona or Toulouse, followed by either a public bus or a car. We chose to fly into Barcelona, which was lucky given the changes to the French border at the time we left. We then took the bus service from the airport to Soldeu, the town where we stayed. The bus is easy enough but be warned - it’s a long ride and stops aren’t scheduled. Getting to Soldeu, which is roughly in the middle of the resorts, took just under five hours. For a couple, the bus makes the most financial sense but if you’re travelling in a larger group, it may be worth looking into other options.

We were very happy with our choice to stay in Soldeu. Being in the middle of the resorts, it offers plenty of ski options, in one direction to El Tarter and Canillo, and in the other, Peretol, Grau Roig and Pas de la Casa. We’re by no means good skiers and would definitely refer to ourselves as rookies, but we found plenty of great blue runs that could be accessed from Soldeu and took us all over the Grandvalira resort. There are also plenty of red runs for more confident skiers, but there are no green runs at Soldeu so for first-timers, Soldeu may not be the best choice.

We bought a four in five ski pass, allowing access on any four days within a five day period. On our first day, we stayed close as we reacquainted ourselves with ski life, and we explored the ski runs between Soldeu and El Tarter. I especially loved the tree run that goes into El Tarter - so pretty. My only downvote for sticking to this area is that it definitely wasn’t my favourite location for lunch. On the following days, we ventured further afield and did several days of skiing all the way over to Pas de la Casa. Hot tip: Pas de la Casa has excellent lunch options. We became somewhat loyal to Restaurante Pulka in Grau Roig and went back about three times for their range of fresh food (not the usual hot dogs and chips that can often be found on the slopes).

We kept our accommodation cheap and stayed in a studio apartment. At the time of booking, we thought it had both a bed and couch, but it turned out that the couch was also the bed. I certainly wouldn’t call it luxury, but I much preferred this setup over the hotel in Brides Le Bains, where we stayed on our last ski trip in 2019. Our chalet had a very well equipped kitchen and despite never cooking dinner there, it was great to wake up a make a fresh coffee on the stovetop and breakfast, without the hassle of a hotel breakfast.

We took our third day off to visit Andorra La Vella. Known for its extensive duty-free shopping area, the city also has plenty of historic sites to visit and a beautiful view from the hills. We visited the Casa de la Vall, which was a great place to soak up the history of Andorra and discover the early beginnings of this microstate. I was especially impressed that Andorra has always remained independent, despite its location jammed between France and Spain.

The food in Andorra was great with plenty of different cuisines to try. Our favourites were Bar Restaurant La Cabaneta in Canillo, a great value spot for delicious Spanish meats, and Bar Restaurant La Taverna de la Iaia for delicious tapas.

All in all, we loved our trip to Andorra.