Hola! Andorra – A Whole World In A Petite Gem

In just 468km², this tiny country is the sixth smallest mountainous country in Europe!  Andorra, bordered by France and Spain.

It does not need any introduction to 11 million Shopaholics to visit this petite country yearly.  It has an excellent standing with the ‘resort tax free’ status, so as to that, it is not surprising at all that this country has become one of the most popular holiday destinations on this planet.

At the foothill of Pyrennes mountain

Andorra is located on top of the Pyrennes mountain and at the highest peak (more than 2743 meters), it makes the capital, Andorra La Velle, the highest city in Europe.  Awesome! We were on top of Europe!

From Toulouse, France to Andorra - Beautiful journey!

It took three and a half hours drive from Barcelona, Spain and three hours drive from Toulouse, France (where we started our journey) to get to Andorra.

This is Ariege, Pyrenees town - turning right - to Andorra

The official language is obviously Catalan, other than Spanish, French and Portugese.  Rest assured, English is widely spoken in all shopping outlets.    Nevertheless, a few words of Spanish for instance ‘Hola’ (hello), ‘Gracias’ (thank you), ‘Como se’ (how are you?), ‘La cantidad de’ (how much?), ‘Hermosa’ (beautiful), ‘Porfavor’ (where?) and of course ‘Banao’ (restroom!!!) will really help and believe me, you will get ‘admirable’ attention even if, you do not buy anything!   They are very pleased with our effort to communicate in their language or 'mother tongue' (well, I think everybody should be) and of course that is the ‘ice breaking’ to get to know more about their culture, styles and great tips on what's worth to and not to buy!

On the way up to Andorra ...

Okay now, this is the unique part about this country.  Before we reached the capital, Andorra La Velle, we have to pass by Pasca De La Casa. Stop here! 

This is the place that you will enjoy the snow and the activities,
(not at the higher capital!).  

Enjoy the one of the best place for snowboarding and check this out -
this is the very cheap winter sport destination!

Within the town, it has plenty of shops, restaurants, leisure facilities,
bars, clubs at the duty free price!

Andorra is a peaceful country, I must say.
Andorra does not require visas for any nationalities.
Andorra has no police station.
Andorra uses the euro as the currency. 

Snow in Andorra often lasts until the first week of May

During winter, Andorra is a home to more than 200 km of ski slopes and ...

... it also offers a great place for hiking and trekking during summer!

But for hiking here, do not assume that you can carry it out easily!  A hiking team guide is a must.

This is part of Andorra La Vella, the capital of Andorra

This is the home for the best brands at the best prices on fashion, shoes, perfumes, leather goods, watches, electronics and telecommunication gadgets!  Second time rest assured, Andorra offers only products of the highest quality.  Maria, the Sales Assistant at one of the boutiques told me that the prices here in Andorra (at any time) is easily 60% cheaper than in any boutiques that sell the same brand in the entire Europe! – Auww! How about that, huh?  And I can confirm you that she is absolutely, right!

Food.  Since Andorra has a very strong connection with Spanish culture, pintxos (tapas) is popular here.  There are two types of pintxos: cold and hot.  The cold ones are displayed on the bar and hot ones must be ordered from the barman.  Pizza is also a favorite food here (I guess that goes without saying) other than vegetarian, Asian, Mexican and seafood.  Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds can easily be found too.  There are also many shops specialized in local Andorran cheese made from goat’s milk.

Although it is a tiny place, you can easily get lost in Andorra
because the streets have no signboards!
Shopping can get you carried away eh ... ha! ha!
But then, in any case, since the town is situated in a valley, 
you will definitely get some thoughts where is your where about 
by looking at the hills surrounding.

Or make a point to meet up here if you ever get lost!

Even though, Pasca De La Casa and Andorra La Velle offer duty free prices and can vary a significant amount compare to other parts of the world, I noticed that certain things like watches and camera gadgets are cheaper in Pasca De La Casa than in Andorra La Velle!

Unless you put up a night in Andorra, make a list in advance of what to buy.  Otherwise, you can find yourself with not enough time as shops start their business at 10:00am and close at 6:00pm. 

Anyway, it is not advisable for you travel after dark as the winding road could be slippery and be super extra careful of the ‘black ice’.

Parking space and the heavy traffic could put you intense, especially during the peak hours.  You will never find a taxi service here, but travel from one place to another by bus is easy!

The panoramic view, the snow, the trekking, the hiking, the shopping, the quality, the value – Gosh!   This tiny place has so much to offer ... isn't it?

Go on – explore Andorra!   

You never know, you might find what you have been looking for … here …. :))