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The most dramatic scenery in the Pyrenees...
Imagine a tiny principality offering the most dramatic scenery and the best skiing in the Pyrenees. Come to Andorra and experience it for real. Occupying a mere 450 square kilometres, Andorra is living proof that quality is always more
important than quantity...
Situated on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees,
squashed between France and Spain, the principality of Andorra measures a mere
25km north to south and 30km east to west. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, lies
in the southwest of the country at the confluence of the Gran Valira, the
Valira del Oriente and the Valira del Norte rivers. Andorra’s independence can
be traced back to Charlemagne, who captured the region from the Muslims in 803
AD. In March 1993, Andorrans voted to establish the country as an independent,
democratic “parliamentary co-principality,” placing full sovereignty in the
hands of the Andorran people. The French and Spanish co-princes continue to act
as joint heads of state with greatly reduced powers. Andorra has the finest and most inexpensive skiing and snowboarding in the Pyrenees. Ski season lasts from
December to March. The tranquil beauty of Andorra’s relatively unspoiled back
country offers great opportunities for hiking with the northwesterly parish of
Ordino offering some particularly good trails. When you’re all skied and
snowboarded out, indulge in some shopping.
Andorra’s role as a mecca for
duty-free shopping stemmed from the business of smuggling French goods to Spain
during the Spanish Civil War and Spanish goods to France during World War II.
Electronic goods, cameras and alcohol retail at prices 30% lower than those in
France or Spain. Andorran cuisine is mainly Catalan. Sample some local dishes
such as escudella (a stew of chicken, sausage and meatballs) or xai (roast
lamb) after a hard day’s skiing and shopping. There’s something inherently
romantic about a small, independent princedom... come and discover why
yourself.
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