Andorra Day Trip from Barcelona
Are you interested in taking a day trip to Andorra from Barcelona, Spain?
Here’s everything you need to know about how to do it, both on your own or with a guided tour.
Andorra is a small landlocked country nestled between Spain and France in the Pyrenees mountain range. The capital is Andorra la Vella, and the whole country has a population of about 80,000 people. With a land area of just 181 square miles, Andorra is among the smallest countries in Europe.
The official language of Andorra is Catalan, which is very similar to Spanish. Catalan is also one of Barcelona’s two official languages (the other being Spanish.) Given its location between Spain and France, Spanish is also commonly spoken in Andorra, along with French and, interestingly enough, Portuguese.
Andorra is a blend of cultures and it’s a unique place to visit on a day trip.
Why Visit Andorra?
Andorra is known for several things. Its mountainous landscape makes it a popular winter destination for skiing and snowboarding, as well as hiking in the summer. The other big thing Andorra is famous for is being a tax-free shopping haven, so many Europeans from neighboring countries come here to shop.
If you’re a country counter like me, it’s also fun to visit Andorra so you can check another country off the list. Being about 2.5 hours from Barcelona by car, Andorra is definitely doable as a day trip.
However, you can also spend more time in Andorra. My brother and some friends went skiing in Andorra for a weekend while they were studying abroad in Barcelona. You can easily stretch a trip to Andorra for several days or more. But if you’re short on time, you can get a taste of Andorra on a day trip.
I took a day trip to Andorra from Barcelona and I’m here to share all the details with you.
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Tours to Andorra from Barcelona:
- The tour I took visiting both Andorra and France from Barcelona
- Small-group tour that just goes to Andorra
How to Visit Andorra from Barcelona
You have several options for visiting Andorra from Barcelona.
I’m going to talk about each option below, along with the pros and cons of each one.
As a quick overview, your three options are:
- Driving yourself
- Taking a tour
- Taking the bus
Now let’s talk more about each of these options in-depth…
Option 1: Driving Yourself
The first option is driving yourself. This option offers maximum flexibility and you can see more of Andorra than just the capital city. You can have more time to explore the scenic mountains and small towns too.
You can rent a car in Barcelona for a day and it shouldn’t cost you more than €60 or so, plus you’ll have to factor in gas, tolls, and potential parking fees. However, this might be a worthwhile option for you, especially if you’re comfortable driving and have other people to split the rental car costs with.
I recommend using DiscoverCars to search for rental car deals in Barcelona.
Since I was traveling solo, this was not a cost-effective option for me. However, I would have definitely enjoyed the flexibility of having a rental car and being able to see more of the Andorran countryside.
Option 2: Taking a Tour
Another way to take an Andorra day trip from Barcelona is to join a group tour.
This is what I did because it ended up being the easiest and most affordable option. I didn’t have to worry about any of the logistics, and I enjoyed my tour, but there were a couple of tradeoffs I made.
This is the tour I took to visit Andorra.
This tour departed from Barcelona, and we actually got to visit two countries: France and Andorra. We first drove to the village of Ax-les-Thermes in France and had about an hour there, before crossing the border into Andorra for about two hours of free time in Andorra la Vella. Then we returned back to Barcelona.
I actually really liked getting to visit Ax-les-Thermes, but the only drawback of this tour is that I felt like I could have used a little more time (even just an extra hour) in Andorra la Vella to explore the city more.
We also made a photo stop in the mountains of Andorra, but other than that, I didn’t get to see any of the country outside the capital Andorra la Vella. That was fine, but I was left wanting just a bit more.
This tour looks like a good option if you just want to visit Andorra from Barcelona, without also going to France. However, it’s a small-group tour and it is a lot more expensive than the tour I did.
Option 3: Taking the Bus
Your third option for visiting Andorra from Barcelona is taking the bus.
FlixBus and DirectBus both offer transportation between Barcelona and Andorra le Vella with more than a dozen departures each day in each direction, making it easy to take a day trip.
However, the cost of the bus is actually pretty steep. The average fare is about €50 round-trip, so you’re really not saving much compared to doing the tour I did. However, the bus could still be worth it for you.
The benefit of taking the bus is that you can spend a lot more time in Andorra.
If you take an early bus, you can arrive in Andorra la Vella in the morning and have plenty of time for sightseeing and maybe even some time to get out of the city and see a little of the countryside.
Ultimately, I’m happy with the tour I took, but the bus would have been nice because it offers more flexibility in terms of how much time you can spend in Andorra before returning to Barcelona.
Is Taking a Day Trip to Andorra Worth It?
I definitely thought taking a day trip to Andorra was worth it.
I enjoyed getting to see Andorra la Vella, which is a strange capital city. There’s a small historic center, known as the Barri Antic, which is worth walking around and exploring. The rest of the city is quite modern and not super charming, although the backdrop of the surrounding mountains is nice.
One thing I would have liked is to spend a little more time in Andorra, though. I’m glad I got a taste of the country on my day trip, but I’d love to return in the future and spend a couple of days there.
In that sense, the day trip wasn’t 100% successful since it left me feeling like I hadn’t really seen Andorra. But like I said, it was still an enjoyable experience and it’s a unique day trip from Barcelona.
Andorra Day Trip from Barcelona
This guide showed you how to take a day trip to Andorra from Barcelona.
Being located just 2.5 hours from Barcelona by car, Andorra is a great day trip if you want the chance to explore an entirely different country. It’s a fascinating little destination that is well worth a visit.
Enjoy your trip to Andorra!
Related Guides:
