Discussion
I went to Andorra exactly three weeks ago.
We had to drive one of my vans down to southern Spain to empty my late-Fathers property, so Andorra seemed like a reasonable, (slight) detour to buy tobacco, (incredibly cheap), perfume, (pretty cheap), and fuel, (also cheap).
It’s a nice but slow drive up there from Toulouse. The scenery is fantastic.
Andorra itself is busy and larger than I expected.
All of the local restaurants seem to shut at 15:00. The main shopping area is located in the south near the Spanish border, and there is passport control and manned vehicle searches when exiting via Spain, with the expected long queues.
I thought Andorra itself was a bit ‘meh’. It certainly didn’t blow me away. The place felt safe enough though.
There is a PH’er on here who lives in Andorra, although I can’t remember his name. Maybe he’ll be on here to answer your questions in more detail.
As for prices;
250g of Amber Leaf rolling tobacco in Andorra cost the same as 50g in the U.K.
I bought my daughter a large bottle of Chanel Chance and my Wife a large bottle of Coco Chanel. Both of these were Eau de Parfum and they cost the same as the smaller sized Eau de Toilette versions in Boots U.K.
I think fuel was €1.40 per litre for super diesel. There were a couple of filling stations that were 20c or so a litre more expensive, but most of the petrol stations had pretty similar prices.
Food, (eating out), seemed a bit steep looking at the prices in the window, but as everywhere was else was shut, we ate at McDonald’s.
Be very careful of roaming charges though. We switched all of our phones off shortly before the border. My Wife turned her phone on briefly, (less than ten minutes), to do a couple of bank transfers from £ to €. That cost her £34.65 in roaming charges !!!!
We had to drive one of my vans down to southern Spain to empty my late-Fathers property, so Andorra seemed like a reasonable, (slight) detour to buy tobacco, (incredibly cheap), perfume, (pretty cheap), and fuel, (also cheap).
It’s a nice but slow drive up there from Toulouse. The scenery is fantastic.
Andorra itself is busy and larger than I expected.
All of the local restaurants seem to shut at 15:00. The main shopping area is located in the south near the Spanish border, and there is passport control and manned vehicle searches when exiting via Spain, with the expected long queues.
I thought Andorra itself was a bit ‘meh’. It certainly didn’t blow me away. The place felt safe enough though.
There is a PH’er on here who lives in Andorra, although I can’t remember his name. Maybe he’ll be on here to answer your questions in more detail.
As for prices;
250g of Amber Leaf rolling tobacco in Andorra cost the same as 50g in the U.K.
I bought my daughter a large bottle of Chanel Chance and my Wife a large bottle of Coco Chanel. Both of these were Eau de Parfum and they cost the same as the smaller sized Eau de Toilette versions in Boots U.K.
I think fuel was €1.40 per litre for super diesel. There were a couple of filling stations that were 20c or so a litre more expensive, but most of the petrol stations had pretty similar prices.
Food, (eating out), seemed a bit steep looking at the prices in the window, but as everywhere was else was shut, we ate at McDonald’s.
Be very careful of roaming charges though. We switched all of our phones off shortly before the border. My Wife turned her phone on briefly, (less than ten minutes), to do a couple of bank transfers from £ to €. That cost her £34.65 in roaming charges !!!!
Edited by 105.4 on Monday 4th September 23:01
Edited by 105.4 on Monday 4th September 23:02
In Summer it’s drab,cheap shopping and fuel,not much else going for it.
The rail toboggan however is bloody fantastic and worth the trip alone,just for the fun factor.
Just checked the toboggan site and it appears you can’t buy the tickets separately,which is a shame.
The rail toboggan however is bloody fantastic and worth the trip alone,just for the fun factor.
Just checked the toboggan site and it appears you can’t buy the tickets separately,which is a shame.
Edited by smifffymoto on Tuesday 5th September 06:19
I live in Andorra for about 1/2 the year - all winter and a bit of the summer. I live in one of the ski villages though and they are pretty dead in the spring & autumn.
For a day trip - it kind of depends on what you want to do...... there's quite a few outdoor activities and La Vella is a nice small city to walk around.
As above, Fuel, alcohol & perfume are cheaper, but the super cheap item is tobacco - typically 200 branded cigs (eg Marlborough) are around 35EUR. There are customs posts on the French & Spanish borders with random stops. The French Douane also sometimes set up lower down the mountain on their side as well. That said, I rarely get stopped and I'm in a UK car.
From Toulouse, it's about 2 hours - half motorway and the other half mostly a single lane mountain road with odd stretches of dual carriageway. The border crossing is usually fairly straightforward though there can be queues. The French side is mostly ski villages & the Spanish side is more residential & commercial, though you can drive from border to border in about 40 minutes.
And agree with the above on roaming charges - just turn off roaming - it can cost £50 in minutes if you're not careful. Unless you're on Plusnet - they are the only ones to include Andorra in their free roaming. I don't know how or why they do it, but guess who I moved to
For a day trip - it kind of depends on what you want to do...... there's quite a few outdoor activities and La Vella is a nice small city to walk around.
As above, Fuel, alcohol & perfume are cheaper, but the super cheap item is tobacco - typically 200 branded cigs (eg Marlborough) are around 35EUR. There are customs posts on the French & Spanish borders with random stops. The French Douane also sometimes set up lower down the mountain on their side as well. That said, I rarely get stopped and I'm in a UK car.
From Toulouse, it's about 2 hours - half motorway and the other half mostly a single lane mountain road with odd stretches of dual carriageway. The border crossing is usually fairly straightforward though there can be queues. The French side is mostly ski villages & the Spanish side is more residential & commercial, though you can drive from border to border in about 40 minutes.
And agree with the above on roaming charges - just turn off roaming - it can cost £50 in minutes if you're not careful. Unless you're on Plusnet - they are the only ones to include Andorra in their free roaming. I don't know how or why they do it, but guess who I moved to
Edited by Car bon on Tuesday 5th September 08:21
fourstardan said:
I'm not a smoker tbh, the only interest was seeing a bit of the pyrenees and then something different to do for a day but I think I'll give it a miss.
Andorra's claim to fame is offering very low taxation to residents, not quite a tax haven but attracts international athletes especially who benefit from the training grounds it provides plus income savings. President Merkin said:
You mean cyclists. It's a hot spot for monied pro cyclists via an accident of geography & low taxes. So happens the UCI world cups blew through a fortnight ago & Greg MInnaar failed to win his home race.
Yes, cyclists. Willie Smit is a local, I follow his Vlog so see the area a fair bit through his eyes. Also Vuelta blasted through there last week.
Tom Pidcock lives there too.
It seems to be where Pro cyclists who haven't yet cracked the big-time earnings go to live. Once they get really wealthy they live in Monaco and let their Wealth Managers sort it all out. Pidcock must be getting close by now.
Spent a week mountain biking there in June this year.
Would recommend it for that - scenery and trails were great (and very steep/technical) plus Vallnord bike park (or Pal Arinsal as it's now called) was really good.
Not sure I would go there for any other reason though, even though it was a nice place.
Would recommend it for that - scenery and trails were great (and very steep/technical) plus Vallnord bike park (or Pal Arinsal as it's now called) was really good.
Not sure I would go there for any other reason though, even though it was a nice place.
Yes we do it most times we travel to the Argeles/Canet area, we were there last week as our most recent visit.
We absolutely love it up there and have even done a few overnight stays.
Its about three hours roughly to get there but the views are great and its not a boring journey.
Yes the booze and fags are cheap so that can sort of offset the cost, and never have we been stopped by any customs at the border.
We stop in El Pas de Casa first and then drive up and over the top before heading down the mountain stopping at a few more shops. We always stop in Andorra Le Vella as its a nice place to have a wander and we normally get lunch here.
Activity wise there is a great viewing point (Cap del Roc del quer) just off the main road with views down the valley to La Vella plus there is a massive suspension bridge i want to do on my next visit. The toboggan run is great too
At the Very top of the Pyrenees there is a lovely short walk to the old Sud Radio transmitter building, i did this at dawn last year and the views were stunning with the cloud base below you.
We then drive out of andorra into spain but then loop round to bourg madam in france and descend back to the coast on the same road.
Andorra may not be the most exciting place but in my opinion its definitely worth a visit.
One other thing i'd recommend in the area that doesnt quite to to Andorra is the little yellow train, it starts in villefranche and the experience is fantastic.
We absolutely love it up there and have even done a few overnight stays.
Its about three hours roughly to get there but the views are great and its not a boring journey.
Yes the booze and fags are cheap so that can sort of offset the cost, and never have we been stopped by any customs at the border.
We stop in El Pas de Casa first and then drive up and over the top before heading down the mountain stopping at a few more shops. We always stop in Andorra Le Vella as its a nice place to have a wander and we normally get lunch here.
Activity wise there is a great viewing point (Cap del Roc del quer) just off the main road with views down the valley to La Vella plus there is a massive suspension bridge i want to do on my next visit. The toboggan run is great too
At the Very top of the Pyrenees there is a lovely short walk to the old Sud Radio transmitter building, i did this at dawn last year and the views were stunning with the cloud base below you.
We then drive out of andorra into spain but then loop round to bourg madam in france and descend back to the coast on the same road.
Andorra may not be the most exciting place but in my opinion its definitely worth a visit.
One other thing i'd recommend in the area that doesnt quite to to Andorra is the little yellow train, it starts in villefranche and the experience is fantastic.
I hope to be passing through Andorra next Sunday!
Weekends there is little heavy vehicle movement, so the climb up and drop is a bit easier. I buy gin at the Waterside Centre, close to the Spanish exit, at 3.30e/ltr....far cheaper than UK Tesco at around £13/ltr. Pastis at about 8e/ltr.....and try to arrive with a near empty fuel tank.
Not yet had a pull at the border and noted on my last trip that the 'red' lane was overgrown!
Bear in mind that the EU allows just 2ltr of 'duty free' hooch, so IF stopped with more one may have a bit of bother!
In general, the climb from both sides is a lot easier than it was as recently as the end of the last century, tunnels to bypass the difficult bits and odd bits of dual cabbageway to assist in passing the heavies but there are still bits of the 'old road' with just a two foot stone wall between the road and a sheer drop....I would not attempt the trip between November and March, I am lead to believe that all weather tyres and snow chains are checked for.
Weekends there is little heavy vehicle movement, so the climb up and drop is a bit easier. I buy gin at the Waterside Centre, close to the Spanish exit, at 3.30e/ltr....far cheaper than UK Tesco at around £13/ltr. Pastis at about 8e/ltr.....and try to arrive with a near empty fuel tank.
Not yet had a pull at the border and noted on my last trip that the 'red' lane was overgrown!
Bear in mind that the EU allows just 2ltr of 'duty free' hooch, so IF stopped with more one may have a bit of bother!
In general, the climb from both sides is a lot easier than it was as recently as the end of the last century, tunnels to bypass the difficult bits and odd bits of dual cabbageway to assist in passing the heavies but there are still bits of the 'old road' with just a two foot stone wall between the road and a sheer drop....I would not attempt the trip between November and March, I am lead to believe that all weather tyres and snow chains are checked for.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff