A Day In Andorra

Andorra is a tiny landlocked country in the Pyrenees mountain range between Spain and France. The population is less than 90,000 people. For more than 700 years Andorra was ruled jointly by the leader of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell, but it gained its independence in 1993. It is one of the smallest countries in Europe, occupying approximately 468 square kilometers. Most people live in the capital city of Andorra La Vella, in one of the seven parishes of the city. The official language is Catalan, but many people speak English, French, Spanish and German as well. The main industry in Andorra is tourism, representing roughly 80% of its GDP. It is known for its skiing and hiking, and duty free shopping.

There are no planes or trains that go into Andorra, but you can take a bus from either France or Spain. We took a three hour bus ride from Barcelona and stayed for the day then returned home once again through the Pyrenees Mountains, the same way we came.

Andorra is a beautiful and clean little country. We enjoyed our visit. We saw and did a lot of walking and hiking while we were there.

The border between Spain and Andorra. Passports are a must to enter into Andorra. No passport = no entry. We saw this happen to someone who was sitting on the bus right in front of us. He did not have his proper paperwork and/or passport and was thrown off the bus and taken directly back to Barcelona.

Once we got off the bus, we walked all around the city of Andorra La Vella and enjoyed the sights.

The river runs through the city.

Here is a tribute to their past and some of their traditions. Even though Andorra is a Catalan country, with ties to both Spain and France, it is very Germanic in appearance.

Here is some of the town’s artwork proudly on display. I just love all the attention to detail. When we first arrived it was close to lunch time, so we bought some sandwiches and had a little picnic lunch in the park by the river.

Larry is very tall, but not quite as tall as this guy. 🙂

Even their gates and fences are artfully designed and decorated.

The residents who live in Andorra are primarily Roman Catholic and there are a few beautiful little churches dotting the tiny area.

After strolling around and meandering around through town, we took a little hike up through the mountains. Here is our mountain view of the area.

We were in Andorra for a full day. We knew we needed to eat before heading back onto the bus back to Barcelona, so we stopped at a little Vietnamese restaurant for an early dinner. Again, we split what we ordered and enjoyed it all.

This is a very creative way of recycling the plastic bottles.

We dined outside and enjoyed the sunshine and the view of the park once again. It was a gorgeous day.

We enjoyed our day in Andorra. Our newest family member Andorra, Dorrie for short, is named after this tiny, little country. She is a Great Pyrenees. We name all our fur babies based on their countries or places of origin.

And so another country, Andorra, gets entered into our ever-growing repertoire of countries visited. Yet another check in our passport. I think we have now been to almost 50 different countries, and 40 of our own 50 states. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.