Casa de la Vall
The old house of the General Council
A sixteenth-century house that was Andorra's parliament until 2011; guided visits show the council chamber.
Barri AnticHistoryParliament
Andorra la Vella & Escaldes, Andorra
Ideal: 2 daysBest: Jun–SepPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Andorra la Vella & Escaldes in 60 seconds
Andorra la Vella and its twin, Escaldes-Engordany, fill a narrow valley in the eastern Pyrenees at about a thousand metres — the highest capital in Europe. The main avenues are lined with shops, a legacy of the low taxes that made Andorra a shopping trip for half of Spain and France, but the town is more than that. The stone Casa de la Vall housed the country's parliament for three centuries, a reminder that this co-principality of a French president and a Catalan bishop has governed itself since the Middle Ages. In Escaldes, the glass spire of Caldea marks a thermal spa fed by the hot springs that gave the town its name, and a path from the edge of town climbs into the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley, Andorra's only World Heritage Site. Two days, or a base for the whole country.
SpaUNESCO
Best for
- Mountains
- Hiking
- Budget
- Weekend
Known for
- Casa de la Vall
- Caldea
- Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley
- Shopping
Skip if
You want a pretty old town — the capital is mostly modern, and its charm is in the mountains around it.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Andorra la Vella & Escaldes fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Caldea
Thermal spa under a glass spire
Lagoons of warm spring water indoors and out, with the peaks above.
Escaldes-EngordanySpa
Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley
Glacial valley of shepherds' huts and lakes
No roads at all: walk up from Escaldes past stone terraces and huts to the high lakes.
Escaldes-EngordanyHikingUNESCO
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Barri Antic
The old quarter above the river
The few stone lanes around the Casa de la Vall and the church of Sant Esteve.
Escaldes-Engordany
Spa town joined to the capital
Caldea, the shopping avenue and the start of the Madriu trail.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Andorra la Vella
ModerateHotels along the main avenues
The most choice and buses to every parish.
BusesCentral
Escaldes-Engordany
ExpensiveSpa hotels by Caldea
For a trip built around the baths and the Madriu.
Spa
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- No airport or railway: buses run from Barcelona and Toulouse, about three hours.
- Money
- Andorra uses the euro but is outside the EU — duty-free allowances apply when you leave.
- Language
- Catalan is the official language; Spanish and French are spoken everywhere.
- Taste locally
- Trinxat, escudella, mountain charcuterie and crema catalana.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1278
The first pareatge shares sovereignty between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix.
- 1993
Andorra adopts its first written constitution and joins the United Nations.
- 2004
The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Ordino & La Massana
Stone villages and the Sorteny valley
Ordino & La Massana has its own guide.
20 min by busVillages
Canillo, Soldeu & Grandvalira
Ski slopes and Romanesque churches
Canillo, Soldeu & Grandvalira has its own guide.
25 min by busSkiing