Where is Andorra? How to get?

Many people may be interested in knowing where Andorra is to get to and move around the country. Either immigrants looking to expatriate and settle in the Principality for various reasons (especially their great fiscal appeal), open a business creating a company, work in high season as a temporary worker to live a different experience and reside for a while in this wonderful territory or simply to travel as a tourist to ski, do mountain activities, enjoy spas and thermoludic centers or simply buy some products cheaper than in the surrounding countries.

However, although Spanish, French and Portuguese already know how to access the country by proximity, travel and knowledge of nearby circles, people living far from the country probably do not know where this jurisdiction is or how to get there. I speak of countries in northern Europe, Hispanic America and even more so in North America, Africa or Asia.

In this article we will proceed to address where Andorra is and how to get there in different ways: from the available means of transport and the necessary documentation to the most useful telephone numbers.

Where is Andorra?

Andorra is right between Spain and France. The Principality of Andorra is a small country in southwestern Europe and is located in the very heart of the pyrenees: It is right in the middle. Besides, is a country and an independent state and it does not belong to Spain or France. In fact, it does not belong to Europe either, although is negotiating an association agreement with the European Union and their relationships are very fluid and fruitful.

The Principality covers an area of 469 m2, mostly mountainous and forested terrain, among which small towns and cities rise. It is composed of seven parishes as territorial subdivisions, each with its capital, which in general terms divide the territory into two valleys meandered by the two tributaries of the Valira d'Orient river: the east exploited by Grandvalira and the west by Vallnord.

These two tributaries of the river meet in the capital, Andorra la Vella, forming the La Valira river that goes down through the parish of Sant Julià de Lòria to La Seu d'Urgell. Due among others to its strategic position and its orography, it is a very safe country despite not having many security personnel, and has behind it more than 700 years of historical political neutrality.

In order to get an idea of its extension, let's keep the idea that after arriving, to cross the country you have to do approximately 45 km that can be done in an hour by car along the main road that connects the only two border posts between Spain and France. The roads are built more or less parallel to the Valira river (taking advantage of the valleys) and run through all the intermediate urbanizations available to the country.

How to get to Andorra?

Once we know where Andorra is, we have to understand that currently it only has two land accesses, although the opening of the La Seu de Urgell airport with commercial flights, a heliport and a supposed Andorran airport are pending (still without plans to do so definitively). The two accesses to get to Andorra are:

• The Spain-Andorra border. You enter through the north of Catalonia, in Spain, Sant Julià de Lòria, the southernmost parish in the country. It is accessed through a Spanish national road.
• The France-Andorra border. It is entered through the south of France, to the northeast of Andorra. This border post is located in Pas de la Casa, Encamp, the most famous town for ski lovers and one of the highest. It is also accessed by the French national road.

So what people from distant countries is taking a flight to one of the two closest airports, What are they:

• Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. Toulouse is the closest major French city to Andorra.
• Barcelona-Prat airport. Where is Barcelona, southeast of Andorra, in Catalonia.

Both airports are located about 200 km from the country, less than 3 hours By car, they have buses that take people directly to the Principality and they have a large number of commercial flights to all countries in the world.

How to go to Andorra from Barcelona or Tolouse?

As we have previously said, if you have a car available both cities are less than 3 hours and about 200 km away. However, for those who do not have a car, they have these three options to reach:

• AndBus or Andorra By Bus: is a bus company that operates the Tolouse-Andorra and Barcelona-Andorra lines. Specifically, it operates four routes: that of terminals 1 and 2 from Barcelona-Prat airport to Andorra, that of Tolouse-Blagnac airport to Andorra and that of the Toulouse-Matabiau (or Gare Matabiau) train station to Andorra. The buses make numerous stops in Andorra and some in Lleida and Reus, and carry out private service to homes and hotels, among others. Rates for Barcelona are € 33 one way and € 56 round trip, and for Tolouse € 36 one way and € 64 round trip.
• Directbus: Similarly, it is a bus company that operates Barcelona-Andorra lines. Unlike AndBus, this company does not offer services in Tolouse but instead offers three routes in Barcelona, since in addition to the two terminals of the Barcelona-Prat airport it also covers the Barcelona-Sants train station. Fares are € 30.5 one-way and € 51 round trip from Barcelona-Sants train station and € 34 one-way and € 59 round trip from any of the Barcelona-Prat airport terminals.
• BlaBlaCar: If you do not have a car, Bla Bla Car can be a great option to get to Andorra, since the Barcelona-Andorra route is a fairly frequent route due to proximity and proximity, it is quite easy to find an available Bla Bla Car.
• Another option would be to go with the ALSA buses They leave from the Barcelona Nord bus station, going there by metro from the airport or from the train station. The advantage is that the tickets are cheaper, especially the round trip (€ 28.70 one-way, € 33.75 round trip) but you have to add to that the costs of the metro or others to get to the station. bus.

So, if you are traveling from Spain you can take a train to Barcelona-Sants and from there take the DirectBus bus, or take a plane to Barcelona-Prat airport and take either DirectBus or AndBus from there and thus reach the Principality. Similarly, traveling from France involves taking a train to Tolouse-Matabiau and from there the AndBus bus or a plane to the Tolouse-Blagnac airport and from there the respective AndBus bus. To get to Andorra from other countries there is only the airport option (landing at a different airport and then traveling by train to the station and then the bus is obviously much more expensive).

Also exist private transport companies that offer taxi rides from Barcelona, Lleida, Toulouse and Girona to Andorra for an approximate price of 300 Euros + tolls.

Go to Andorra from Madrid

Recently You can also come to Andorra from Madrid by plane, thanks to the establishment of a commercial airline at La Seu airport twice a week. In addition, the price of the flight is only €59, which is somewhat affordable. Once in La Seu you can take a bus or taxi to Andorra.

Getting around Andorra

Okay, yes, I have arrived in the Principality of Andorra. And now that? When traveling, how do I get around the territory? Well basically there are three ways: bus, taxi or car rental (also on foot or in your own car, but I suppose that you prefer to omit these means of transport).

Urban and interurban bus

Once inside the Principality, and if you do not have your own car, the best way to move is through the public bus lines that the country has. There are six bus lines, plus a circular line, three night buses and the express bus line, which manage to reach all the urban centers of the territory.

The express bus goes from Sant Julià de Lòria to Escaldes-Engordany and is the fastest bus line to travel, since the route is by secondary roads to avoid towns and traffic jams. The buses on this line are orange in color and their stops are usually located on the outskirts of urban centers.

As can be seen in the rates tab, the single ticket costs € 1.90 and the round trip € 3.55, although there are different bonuses and zones. There is also the Andorran Interurban Cooperative, which offers discretionary trips and some international trips between Portugal, Spain and Andorra.

Andorran taxi

Another alternative is to travel the country by taxi. Taxi stops are usually located in the most central and commercial streets, as well as in the main places of interest, although the service is usually ordered by phone to take the taxi to the collection point. The Center number Express taxi reservations are (+376) 812 345 and that of the D'Andorra Taxi Association is (+376) 863 000.

Examples of good taxi stops are Meritxell avenue, 94-96 and Tarragona avenue, 42-44 in Andorra la Vella and carlemany avenue, 35 or Hospital Nostra Meritxell in Escaldes-Engordany. The cost of Approximate flag drop in taxis is € 2.35, and the approximate prices for different services are:

• Price per km working days from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.: € 1.02 / km.
• Price per km at night and on public holidays: € 1.22 / km.
• Waiting time: € 17.35.
• Departure from the Principality: € 0.50.
• Rates for packages greater than 55x35x35: € 0.50.

Car rental

If you want to travel and move freely around the country, without restrictions, and you do not have your private car, this is the best option. Rent a car in Andorra It is one of the best tools to get to know this beautiful country, since it will allow us to go anywhere beyond the defined public transport routes, without being aware of schedules and even visiting the peaks.

Also, a huge advantage that is important to note is that to drive a car in Andorra you don't have to have an international card, as long as the reason for the stay is limited to sightseeing.

exist various providers and rental centers where to pick up the desired car for Andorra. At Rental Cars We can search for available cars from at least two suppliers according to the day, the collection point, etc. We can also search in Economy Car Rentals, in CarFlexi.com. If we also search for example "rent a car in Andorra" on Google Maps we see that we get numerous car rental agencies such as Goldcar, Avis, IFRENT, Go Vaning, etc.

In case you need roadside assistance there are several private companies that perform this service, such as is o is, which manage to reach the most remote roads in the country. And finally, each parish has a circulation service and citizen serviceHere are the main phone numbers of it:

• Canillo: (+376) 346 000.
• Encamp and Pas de la Casa: 162.
• Ordino: 163.
• La Massana: 164 / (+376) 736 925.
• Andorra la Vella: 165 / (+376) 873 111.
• Sant Julià de Lòria: 166 / (+376) 744 021.
• Escaldes-Engordany: 167.

Documentation: do you need a visa to travel to Andorra?

The attitude of the Principality in the international arena is quite particular. Although the country is not part of the European Union nor does it belong to the so-called Schengen Area, it has transit agreements with its neighboring countries. It should be reported that Andorra does not issue Andorran visas of any kind, nor does it require a visa for any nationality. However, as it is necessary to enter traveling through France or Spain, the legislation they require must be complied with. So, we are going to classify the necessary documentation to enter the country according to the country of origin:

• When arriving from a country of the European Union: people from any European state must not process any special permit. To enter or leave the country, the passport or the Identity Document will be sufficient
• Citizen from a country in the Schengen Zone but not from the European Union: The DNI is not only valid. It is necessary to carry the valid passport in addition to the identity document.
• Citizen of a country not attached to the Schengen Area: In addition to the valid identity document and passport, a multi-entry and multi-exit Schengen visa is required to previously pass the border of Spain or France, countries of obligatory passage to reach Andorra.

Finally, if adults are accompanied by minors, they must also have the family Book. And if they are traveling alone they must have an authorization to leave the territory, from the town hall or police station in addition to the documents already exposed above.

Customs control

As we explain here, it is necessary to be careful with the purchases and the products that are entered and removed from the country. At the border crossings of Andorra, a customs control is carried out, since there are limits for the amount of agricultural and industrial products that can cross the border and for imports. For more information about these limits, you can visit the page of the Andorran customs, where there are also addresses and hours.

Pets enter the country

If you intend to travel with animals and pets to Andorra, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Be identified by a microchip.
• Be duly vaccinated against Rage.
• Own the Passport for pets.
• Have the health and vaccination card updated animal

Plus:

• If the trip is from a country non-EU, it takes a health certificate of good health and pass a customs control upon entering the European Union.
• If the number of animals traveling exceeds five, in addition to the above requirements, a official health certificate called TRACES upon reaching the border.
• If any of the pets is a wild animal, native or non-native fauna, before traveling to Andorra you will have to request authorization for importation through a generic request to the Government Procedures Service, addressed to the Department of Natural Heritage. Depending on the animal species, you will have to attach the specific documentation that is detailed in the regulations regarding the conditions of transport and import and export of wild animals.

Useful National Phones

We could not finish the article without leaving a few useful phone numbers both when arriving in the tourist country and if it is going to reside in it. We remember that in Andorra there is no roaming or roaming, we recommend turning off the mobile at the border, before entering the country and turning it on again without putting the PIN. In order to be connected we already informed in its day of the different options such as Andorra Telecom prepaid cards or similar.

• National telephone information telephone: 111.
• International telephone information telephone: 119.
• Meteorological information telephones: Catalan: (+376) 848 851 Spanish: (+376) 848 852 French: (+376) 848 853
• Hourly information telephone: 157.
• Telephone of the Police department in Andorra: (+376) 872 000 or 110 if it is urgent.
• Fire service phone: 118 if it is an emergency.
• Our Senyora de Meritxell Hospital Telephone: (+376) 871 000.
• Telephone of the emergency medical service: 116.
• Ambulances: 118 if it is an emergency.
• Mountain rescue group telephone number: 112.

We also remember that to call from the Principality abroad you must first dial the prefix corresponding to the country, for example (+34) or (0034) in the case of Spain. I hope you found the article on how to get to Andorra, travel and move around the country helpful.

At Andorra Insiders we are experts in moving people to the country, either setting up a business or investing in the country. If you want to reside or live in Andorra, do not hesitate to contact us here and tell us about your case, we can help you to establish yourself as safely as possible. You can also read many of the services we offer here, and the advantages you can get in Andorra here.