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Andorra la Vella town

6 Carrer de la Vall, Andorra la Vella, Andorra la Vella

Description

Andorra la Vella is the capital of the Principality of Andorra, located in the Eastern side of the Pyrenees between France and Spain. The word "Vella" can be translated as "Town" and the population of the entire urban area (incl. Escaldes-Engordany) is about 40,000. The town has been the main regional settlement since at least the 13th century and the old town has retained some streets from its medieval period. Highlights include the Casa de la Vall which has been used as the parliamentary house since 1702, the Old Town area, and the 11th-century Romanesque Church of Sant Esteve. Trivia #1: Andorra is not a member of the European Union but it uses the euro Trivia #2: the country does not have a train station

Access & Transport

The town is 32km from El Pas de la Casa, at the border with France The nearest cities with international airports are Toulouse in France (180km) and Barcelona in Spain (200km) - there are shuttle buses to the latter and to Girona airport.

Instructions & Recommendations

We suggest combining this activity with a visit of the Church of Santa Coloma d'Andorra, only 4km out of town and / or the Museo Carmen Thyssen Andorra in Les Escaldes (contiguous to la Vella)

Meta review

Visitors to the city seem to enjoy spending a couple of hours discovering the old town area. Clearly not comparable to the main European capitals but still a welcome change from the duty-free shopping or the ski slopes with a bit of history here and there. The Casa del Vall is without contest the most popular tourist attraction in town. Online reviews stress the historical aspect and qualify the visit, including the audio-guide tour, of interesting.

Environmental & Social

The main activities in the town have a low carbon footprint. Tourism is a welcome injection of activity in the local economy during the summer

Conclusion

Don't have high expectations for Andorra la Vella, it is nowhere close to a typical European capital and does not deserve a special trip from outside the Principality. Notwithstanding that, if you are exploring the country, this should be on your short-list as being the historical center with a handful of cultural attractions. Worth 2-4h of exploration.

Key positive

A few historic buildings

Key negative

No standout attraction worth a long-range drive

Suitability

Partially suitable for visitors with reduced mobility due to the slope. However, Casa de la Vall isn't accessible.

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

May 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:0h 30m

est. visit time:2h 30m

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningNo

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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