Exciting Winter Activities in Andorra When There’s No Snow

In February 2024, I spent 5 nights in the small country of Andorra. This tiny nation sits in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. Though many Americans probably couldn’t find it on a map, it’s well known in Europe as a winter skiing destination. The idea of spending the week skiing in this mountainous country is exactly what drew us to book our trip to Andorra. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and we had to pivot to find some winter activities in Andorra that don’t require snow.

When we arrived, it was ~65 degrees Fahrenheit in the capital of Andorra la Vella and the ski resorts all had minimal snow. Rather than skiing in sub-par conditions and muddling through, we found adventure elsewhere. Keep reading to discover what Andorra has to offer in the winter months away from the slopes.

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How to Get to Andorra

Andorra has no airports or train stations connecting it to the rest of Europe, so you’ll need to drive in from either Spain or France. We rented a car in Barcelona and drove to Andorra la Vella. This drive is 2.5-3 hours depending on whether or not you take the toll roads.

You can also take a bus to Andorra and there is public transit within the country, but we opted to drive for more flexibility. Here are 2 easy ways to book tickets if you want to take a bus:

Although we did drive through the border patrol station, no one stopped us, checked our passports, etc. Because Andorra offers tax-free shopping on many goods, you’re more likely to be stopped when leaving the country.

Where to Stay in Andorra

Most of the major hotel chains don’t have a presence in Andorra, so my loyalty with Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott wasn’t a deciding factor in where to stay. We chose to stay at the Andorra Park Hotel and it was perfect for our needs. We were working remotely on this trip, so a nice hotel room with a desk, good WiFi, and room service were high priority.

The Andorra Park Hotel is also situated right on the edge of Andorra la Vella, making it very easy to walk to all the main areas (which is important because parking in town can be tricky). Even though we’d planned to ski on this trip, I didn’t care about being too close to the slopes because everything in Andorra is just a short drive away and I opted to be in the main town instead. It turned out to be an even better home base for Andorra winter activities when there was no snow.

Check Prices

Here are some other great hotel options in Andorra:

Ushuaia, The Mountain Hotel in Arensal (ski in/ski out)
Serras Andorra in Soldeu (ski in/ski out)
Yomo Centric in Andorra la Vella

Activities in Andorra When There’s No Snow

Finding winter activities in Andorra when there’s no snow isn’t as simple as Googling “summer activities in Andorra.” Some activities (like Pont Tibèta, the 2^nd longest Tibetan bridge in the world) are only open seasonally, regardless of weather.

Via Ferrata

We spent a lot of time wandering into gear shops asking where we could rent via ferrata equipment. Let me save you some time: go to Esports Roc Vertical in Canillo. There we were able to rent a helmet, harness, and via ferrata lanyard with carabiners for only €10/person/day. They took my driver’s license to ensure I’d bring the equipment back and didn’t charge me extra when we had to return the gear the next morning due to our work schedule and the shop’s hours.

From there we didn’t have to go far to Carretera de Montaup, the road where we were able to park for free and begin our climb. A big advantage to going in the winter: you’re not competing for the very limited parking spots! Canillo has 8 via ferrata routes and we chose to do the only K2 route: Canal de la Mora. Even with a rock-climbing background, this was the right difficulty level for us. It was only our second via ferrata and our first without a guide. This took us 1.5 hours to ascend and then we had a 20-minute hike up to Mirador Roc del Quer, a great viewpoint overlooking Canillo and the surrounding mountains (note: you can also drive up to this viewpoint).

Mirador Roc del Quer lookout view in the winter with no snow

The hike down took us about an hour and was a bit of a rock scramble. I found it just as difficult as the climb up!

If you’re going to do a via ferrata, make sure you’re up for it physically, choose an appropriate route for your skill level, and bring water and snacks. We did not have gloves for this climb, though they may have made it more comfortable.

Hiking

If there’s no snow, hiking becomes a viable option. In the summer, Andorra had lots of hiking trails and not many people think to explore them in the winter. However, it’s important you check the conditions, come prepared, and turn back if necessary. Also, pick a hike that is at lower elevation where you’ll be less likely to encounter any lingering snow.

Unfortunately, we did not listen to that important advice and did the Pic de Casamanya hike in worn out sneakers. We quickly ran into some icy patches on the hike and decided to push through them, even though we didn’t have hiking poles, microspikes, etc. We made it almost all the way to the top before realizing it was too dangerous to continue (we should have turned around much earlier). Had we been prepared with the proper gear, this could have been a really fun hike instead of a mildly terrifying endeavor.

If you’re looking for an easy walk instead, follow the river that flows through Andorra la Vella for a little bit of nature in an urban setting.

Spa Day

Andorra Park Hotel Pool - a perfect alternative when there's no snow in the winter

After the stressful day of hiking, we took the next day to relax and unwind. I’d looked into going to Caldea Andorra, a thermal water spa, but the reviews online were really mixed and some people had likened it to a YMCA… so we passed.

Instead, we took advantage of the spa at our hotel. Andorra Park Hotel offers massages and other spa treatments and has a pool, hot tub, sauna, and steam room. We went to sign up for a couple’s massage and they were able to book us an appointment that started just 10 minutes later. I loved not having to wait! After the incredible (and much needed) massages, we swam in the pool and relaxed in the hot tub and sauna. However, there were 2 things I found odd: we had to book a time at the pool and were required to wear swim caps – not a big deal and we did enjoy having the place mostly to ourselves.

Shopping

Andorra is a big shopping destination due to its tax-free shopping. Europeans flock here to purchase things like alcohol, cigarettes, perfume, sporting equipment, etc. because the VAT rate is 4.5% compared to most European countries’ 20%. There are various shopping districts across Andorra, but the main shopping streets in Andorra la Vella is Avinguda Meritxell (AKA the “shopping mile”).

Even if you’re not in the market for anything, it’s fun to stroll around and window shop, especially on the weekend when lots of people are out and about.

Fun fact: Andorra is not a member of the EU which is why its tax rates differ so much.

Walking Tour

We had signed up for a walking tour through Freetour.com, but not enough people signed up and they cancelled on us. That was disappointing because we really love learning about new places through walking tours. However, we were able to use Wikipedia as we walked around to learn about the history of this uniquely situated country.

Here are some companies that provide paid walking tours in Andorra:

If you’re only able to visit Andorra as a day trip, here are some tour options that include round trip transportation from Spain:

Where to Eat in Andorra La Vella

Andorra has a wide variety of dining options, especially in Andorra la Vella. We had breakfasts and dinners at our hotel (breakfast was included and we ordered room service while working in the evenings). That really only left us with the chance to explore during lunch most days, but here were our two favorite spots:

Final Thoughts

A ski trip with no snow is always a bit disappointing, especially when we learned it snowed again right after we left. However, we made lemonade out of lemons on this trip and had a great time challenging ourselves and exploring another new country. If you’re planning a winter trip to Andorra, keep these activities in your back pocket in case the weather doesn’t cooperate and there’s no snow.