What to see in Andorra: tips from Milan Bez Mapy

I think Andorra works better as a day trip from Barcelona than as a long holiday. The capital, Andorra la Vella, is a quiet mountain town where you mostly shop, hike and, in winter, ski. If you have more time, I’d hire a car and head out of town into the mountains.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

How I got there

Alsa express bus from Barcelona Nord bus station, a journey of 3 hrs 15 mins

Watch out

I tried to hire a car the day before and they were all gone; no trains run to Andorra

Documents

A Slovak ID card is enough, no passport needed

What I liked most

The Rec del Solà trail above the town; I joined it just behind Casa de la Vall, and the view is worth it

Where to eat

Restaurant 120 on the promenade, where I had the best salmon pizza in the world

I wrote this article in 2021. Prices, opening hours and connections may have changed since then, so check them before you travel.

What is there to see in Andorra? For a long time Andorra was a complete blank to me. A country most of us know next to nothing about, one of the smallest in the world, squeezed in between Spain and France. Online I found superlatives such as ‘beautiful’, ‘gorgeous’, ‘breathtaking’ and ‘stunning’. Are they right? I’ll give you my verdict at the end of the article. In Andorra you can do exactly three things: shop, hike and, in winter, ski.

What to see in Andorra: where to go and Milan Bez Mapy’s tips

• Andorra has no international airport, so you can’t fly straight into the country. The nearest is the small airport at La Seu d’Urgell, just over the border in Spain, which has only a handful of scheduled routes, such as those from Madrid and Palma de Mallorca.
• The country is mountainous, and its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe. It sits at 1,023 metres above sea level.
• One of the most popular things to do in Andorra is hiking the Gran Recorrido País, a trek that takes you from one side of the country to the other.
• If you ski, you’ve almost certainly heard of Andorra already, and you’ll know that its ski resorts are high on the list of places to visit.

Andorra day trip from Barcelona: do you need a passport or is an ID card enough?

You can do Andorra as a day trip from Barcelona. I looked at every way of getting there: an organised tour, the train, the bus or a hire car. I’d have preferred a car, but I only came up with the idea of visiting Andorra the night before, and by then every hire car was already booked. Trains don’t go to Andorra at all (who would bother laying a railway up into mountains this high anyway?).

The bus company Alsa runs express buses from Barcelona to the Andorran capital with no change. On top of that, its timetable fitted my plan perfectly: arrive in the morning, head back in the evening. The buses leave from Barcelona Nord bus station, and if you manage to get a seat on an express bus, you’re in Andorra 3 hours and 15 minutes after leaving Barcelona. In 2026 a single ticket costs from about €30, so a return is roughly double that. A Slovak ID card is enough to enter Andorra; you don’t need a passport.

What to see and do in Andorra

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Interesting facts about Andorra, its tax-haven status and tobacco

1. Andorra produces a lot of tobacco. There used to be a cigarette factory in Andorra, and thanks to the country’s tax-haven status you can buy cigarettes there far more cheaply than in Spain or France. Is cigarette smuggling in Andorra a long-standing problem, or more of a tradition? Even in Andorra, though, smoking in enclosed public places has been banned since 2012.
2. Andorra is the only co-principality in the world. A principality is a place ruled by a prince. Monaco is one example, but Andorra is a co-principality. It has two princes who share the title between them. Surprisingly, neither of them comes from Andorra. One is always the President of France, which in 2026 means Emmanuel Macron. The other co-ruler is the Bishop of Urgell, a post held since 2025 by Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat. Much like the British monarchy, the role is constitutional and carries no real power. Apart from a few limited matters, the two princes must exercise their authority jointly, not separately. Andorra is the only country where one of its heads of state (the President of France) is democratically elected by another country. The other prince, the bishop, is appointed by the head of state of another country (the Pope).
3. Andorra is the only country in the world whose official language is Catalan. Catalan is spoken in several regions of Spain, in parts of France and in an even smaller corner of Sardinia. Andorra, however, is the only country that has Catalan as its official language.
4. Andorra has no national bank and has never had its own currency. Today Andorra uses the euro. Before that it used the Spanish peseta and sometimes the French franc. Because there is no national bank, the country has to turn to private banks when it wants to borrow.
5. Andorra is not part of the EU, EFTA or the eurozone. It isn’t a member of most of the big European associations either. Although the country uses the euro, technically it is not part of the eurozone. It has a special relationship with the EU, following its trade rules for industry but not for agriculture. Nor is Andorra a party to the Schengen Agreement, but you can only get there through Spain or France, and both of them are.

TIP: Also read my article on what to see in Barcelona

Is Andorra a tax haven?

Andorra has a very elaborate tax system, but it is not entirely tax-free. The country has no inheritance tax, and the tax on the sale of goods and services is very low. On top of these advantages, the Andorran government levies no customs duties on imports and exports. For all that, Andorra stopped being a tax haven in the eyes of its neighbours years ago, and more recently in the eyes of the European Union and the OECD as well. It still pays off, though. Why?

There is no wealth tax, no gift tax and no inheritance tax. Capital gains are taxed at 10%, and a separate tax applies when you sell property in Andorra. Andorra introduced a new personal income tax system on 1 January 2015.

Personal income from €0 to €24,000 is taxed at 0%, income from €24,001 to €40,000 at 5% and anything above €40,000 at 10%. On top of that there are some property taxes, and most goods and services carry VAT at 4.5%.

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Things to do in Andorra: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks

1. The town centre and its many perfume shops
2. Salvador Dalí’s melting clock and the Paris bridge
3. Sant Esteve church
4. Casa de la Vall
5. The Rec del Solà walking trail

Andorra la Vella town centre and the Júlia perfume shops

I’ll be honest: in places, the centre of Andorra la Vella reminded me of Liptovský Mikuláš back home in Slovakia. It’s a compact mountain town, surrounded by hills, with a stream running through the middle. I’d recommend a walk around. There are lots of restaurants, cafés and, above all, perfume shops. And when I say lots of perfume shops, I mean every other shop. And 99% of those will be Júlia.

Honestly, after a while even you will start to find it funny. I don’t know who this Júlia is, but she is clearly the best-known woman in Andorra. The Júlia perfume chain, created by Júlia Bonet, has been in Andorra since 1939, and for many international brands Júlia is the only distributor here. It’s also worth stopping at Restaurant 120, where I had the best salmon pizza in the world. It’s right on the promenade.

Visiting Andorra with Milan Bez Mapy

Salvador Dalí’s melting clock and the Paris bridge

‘La Noblesse du Temps’ stands in Plaça de la Rotonda, in the heart of Andorra la Vella. The sculpture of a melting clock, which represents the passing of time, is by none other than Salvador Dalí. Cast in 1984, it travelled to many cities before it found a permanent home in the town square around 2010.

It is about 5 metres tall, so you won’t miss it. Enric Sabater, Dalí’s agent from 1968 to 1982, gave it to the Andorran government. The famous melting clocks stand for the omnipresence of time and its rule over human beings. The story goes that Dalí got the idea for his soft watches from the surreal sight of a piece of runny Camembert melting in the sun.

The Mitjavila bridge, right behind the clock and also nicknamed the Paris bridge, crosses the River Valira in Andorra la Vella. It is a composite bridge with two branches: one straight and sloping, the other curved. A bridge is a bridge, of course; this one became popular mainly thanks to the sign spelling out the name of the town, Andorra la Vella.

Sant Esteve church in Andorra la Vella

Churches aren’t really my thing, but since I was walking past anyway… This is the parish church of Andorra la Vella, and it dates from the 12th century. Apart from the beautifully glowing stained glass and the Romanesque apse on the east side (some of its frescoes are now in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona), the church is less interesting, because it was heavily altered in the 20th century.

The semicircular apse survives from Romanesque times. It is the largest in the principality and once held Romanesque wall paintings. In architecture, an apse is a semicircular recess covered by a hemispherical vault, or half-dome. The Wedding at Cana, an image of a winged bull and Christ before Pilate are among the fragments of those paintings now kept in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

Inside, the church has a polychrome wooden beam and two Baroque altarpieces. The 18th-century Painting of the Souls also deserves a look. Outside, you’ll see the bell tower and a Romanesque tower.

Casa de la Vall

Casa de la Vall is a historic house in Andorra la Vella, right next to the church. Until 2011 it was the seat of the General Council of Andorra. It lies south-west of the National Library of Andorra. The building is listed as part of Andorra’s cultural heritage. The Busquets family built it in 1580 as a manor house and defensive tower. It has a rectangular floor plan and two storeys. In one corner stands an old tower shaped like a dovecote. In the gardens you’ll find La Danse, a sculpture designed by Francesc Viladomat.

The Rec del Solà walking trail

And finally, the thing I liked most in Andorra la Vella: a walking trail that runs above the town. I joined it just behind Casa de la Vall, at the coordinates 42° 30′ 47.8938″, 1° 31′ 46.5054″.

The climb is a bit of a slog, especially if you go in the heat of summer, as I did. But the view is worth it. I’d recommend following the trail back towards the town centre and treating yourself to a proper afternoon snack. Along the way you’ll pass lots of vegetable gardens where villagers from the parish grow their own food.

The Rec del Solà walking trail

Is Andorra worth a day trip from Barcelona? Milan Bez Mapy’s verdict

I think Andorra la Vella makes a great day trip from Barcelona, to a place that probably wouldn’t occur to you on your own. Don’t expect too much: Andorra la Vella is a quiet mountain town and the highest capital in Europe.

You’ll find restaurants, fresh air and a great salmon pizza. If you haven’t been to Andorra yet, read this guide to what to see in Andorra and then go and see it for yourself. If you have more time, I’d hire a car and get out of town into the mountains.