The tiny principality of Andorra is probably best known to most as the backdrop in the mountain section of the Tour de France cycle race.
Landlocked in the eastern Pyrenees between two European giants, France and Spain, Andorra was once an isolated and feudal state. Spanning 468 square kilometres of rugged country, set over seven narrow valleys, it is sometimes called the Valleys of Andorra.
Today it is a tax haven, a land of duty free shops, producer of home grown cigars and host to over nine million tourists a year, who come to take in the breathtaking panoramas and precipitous landscape. Andorrans may be a minority in their own country -accounting for a third of the population- but the benefits of their clean mountain environment means they have the world’s longest life expectancy at
83.5 years.
Andorra’s majestic peaks run on average to 1,996 metres high, with the tallest mountain being Coma Pedrosa (2,946m.) There are 177 snowy slopes and some of the best skiing in the Pyrenees to be had, with 285 skiable kilometres to slide over. The Ski Resorts of Grandvalira, Vallnord, Naturlandia-La Rabassa, provide a host of snowbound adventures for non-skiers, from riding dog sledges to walking mountain routes in snowshoes, night excursions on snow bikes, igloo building and ice-skating in the ice rink of Canillo.
Guests can stay in igloos at the Iglu-Dorf Hotel of Ice in Grandvalira, 2300 m above sea level. Unfettered natural waterways and springs provide Andorra one of its most appreciated commodities, water. Much is made of the healing hot springs at Escaldes-Engordany and detoxing treatments at Caldea, Southern Europe’s largest spa.
The indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, saunas and UVA cabins at Caldea, are positioned at an altitude of 1,100m and spread over a 25,000 sq m site. There is even a post-treatment water bar and a night-time underwater music and light show as well as cafes and a restaurant.
The Valley provides relics of an ancient communal system of land management that sustained life on the mountains for over 700 years. Mountain guides are available tohelp visitors hike and climb here and in the Valleys of Comapedrosa Communal Natural Park and Sorteny Valley Natural Park.
A medieval church and stone houses can be found in Encamp, between the capital Andorra la Vella and the French frontier. Many of Andorra’s traditional mountain homes or bordas have been converted to restaurants, each with specialty menu, unique to the area.
The state of Andorra was created and protected by Charlemagne, King of the Franks, to act as a buffer from the Moors of al-Andalus Andorra la Vella has been the main town since 1278, when the French and the Episcopal co-princes agreed to joint suzerainty.
The old town — the Barri Antic — features streets and buildings from this time. Its most notable building is the Casa de la Vall, constructed in the early sixteenth century, the state’s parliamentary house since 1707. The oldest structure is the ninth century church of Santa Coloma. The national language is Catalan, though most speak Spanish, French or both. A rich tradition of Folk dances like the contrapàs and marratxa and music survive especially in Sant Julià de Lòria.
