Searching for parking and finding where to park in Andorra is complex. The Principality is a small and rugged country and, at the same time, very frequented and traveled. It is not just that there are more and more Andorran residents Y foreign investment applications, but Andorra is a very touristy country and receives every year between 5 and 10 million visitors and about 2-3 million tourists (the difference is that visitors do not spend at least one night in the country).
Specifically, In the years of the 2020 and 2021 pandemic, Andorra received some 5 million visitors every year but if we look at the trend that was in 2018 and 2019, this was 8 million visitors annual. Therefore, it is obvious that Many people pass through Andorra and this makes it difficult to park anywhere free or find cheap parking. Anyone who has experienced traffic and Andorran car parks understands what I mean.
Parking in Andorra for free
First of all we are going to discuss where you can park in Andorra without paying. Obviously, it must be clear that free parking in Andorra is not located in the center. Therefore, if your priority is to leave the car near the shopping street or the center of Andorra la Vella, you will not be able to do it for free, nor in those places where many people go, such as gondolas and chairlifts, train stations, ski or major hotels.
In generating, To park for free in Andorra in a totally legal way you will have to go to the outskirts, looking for streets with little traffic that do not even have parking lines, where cars are left on the side of the road. In those places you will be able to find free parking and without anyone bothering you, but, yes, it is outdoors and you will surely have to walk for a while to reach your destination. Valid examples in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes could be some streets and paths of:
- Can Diumenge, els Vilars and surroundings
- La Comella and surroundings
- Can Noguer, Engolasters and its surroundings
- Santa Coloma
But the same could be done with other locations and developments, the idea is to go to the peripheries. In many of these streets you can park legally if you leave your car up to 48 hours at most (something that, on the other hand, is not easy to control either).
Another option that some tend to do is park in blue zone and green zone without putting a ticket, with the justifications that the traffic guards do not control as much and are not so strict with the hours, the fines are low and that the fines, having a foreign vehicle, do not reach the country of origin. The perform This action is a risk that is borne by the user and we do not consider it precisely highly recommended. even more after speculation that there are cars on the road reading the license plate.
A lower risk option is to park in the blue and green zones by placing a ticket even if the hours paid and described in the ticket are not fulfilled in the hope that the traffic agents will turn a blind eye both for being a foreign vehicle and for having a ticket. In addition, the fine is less. In any case, it is still more advisable not to follow these tips. Finally, they should know that in general car parks in Andorra are free if the car is parked for less than 30 minutes.
Parking in blue and green zone in Andorra
In the Principality, as in most places in Spain, outdoor parking works by color. The lines painted in a certain color imply a series of rules and requirements regarding their use. In this way, it is possible to differentiate in general the blue zone and green zone, being the first more dedicated to visitors and tourists and the second more dedicated to citizens and residents (whom he usually privileges).
However, blue and green zone parking is a matter regulated by each parish that is to say: for each Comú of Andorra. Thus, there are different prices and regulations depending on where you park. For example:
- In escaldes the Comú approves a blue zone rate each year in this regard, being €1.25 per hour by 2022.
- On the massana, are managed by a company called GAVSA and here you can see their rates. They vary according to the season, the time frame to leave the car and if you have the residence or not.
- In Andorra la Vella, there are some 900 parking spaces in the green zone (at a price of €0.5 per hour) and 150 in the blue zone (at a price of €1 per hour). In addition, you can pay with a mobile app called The parking so that the schedule can be extended remotely.
- In Ordino, the Comú approves the rates in the BOPA and in 2022 both the blue and green zones are priced at €1 per hour.
- In Canillo the same thing happens as in Ordino and according to the last BOPA the normal blue zones are €0.20 every 15 minutes and the “high turnover” ones are €0.20 every 12 minutes.
Regarding the timetables of the zones, all the parishes oscillate around the same, which is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Of course, some parishes exclude Sundays, others Sundays and holidays and others apply it every day. Finally, in some parishes there is also a maximum time that can be parked, which usually ranges between 3 and 5 hours. This maximum also depends on the type of space, and there are some parishes that for the maximum amount allow parking throughout the day (from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
The areas to look for places depend on the location, but for example in Andorra la Vella and surroundings we can find in the Prat de la Creu street and the fiter and rossell street.
Finally, it should be noted that there are other options apart. We have already named the daily rates but also apart there are subscriptions for months and years, and payment exemptions for electric vehicles. The price of subscriptions is usually around €15-20 per month or €100-200 per year. Finally, it is a relief to know that In general, the regularization of the tickets for having exceeded in time costs a fine of €6-7 if it is done on the same day.
Cheap parking in Andorra
We also have the car parks, the latest and most varied parking option. Although there are many differences, we could summarize them in two fundamental characteristics: communal (public) vs. private car parks and covered vs. open-air car parks. These differences, moreover, are the most fundamental when it comes to distinguishing the price of their rates.
For example, In this link you can see the car parks in La Massana managed by GAVSA. As you can check, the covered car parks They have rates of approx. €2-3 an hour, while the price of those that are outdoor round the €1-2 an hour. This rule is still being followed in the other parishes, and if the car park is very well located, its price is close to the aforementioned upper limit. So if the goal is park cheapit will be much better prioritize uncovered car parks.
On the other hand, The same happens with communal and private car parks.. For example, if your objective is simply to park, clearly do not go to the E. Leclerc car parkWell, they're going to give you a good one. The E. Leclerc car park is private and although it is free for its clients with large purchases, it is very expensive for those who are not its clients. Therefore, to park cheap you will always have to prioritize the communal parking lots. In any case, it is also true that many private car parks have prices similar to communal ones due to competition.
For example, in the case of Andorra la Vella, In this link you have all the car parks in the parish Y those that are communal are marked with a white symbol of several people, at the bottom right of the parking symbol. In all these car parks the price is €2 per hour, €12 per night and €24 per full day. Similarly, here are all the car parks in Escaldes with those marked as communal. All of them cost around €2 an hour with the first half hour free.
In the case of Ordino, a very good option is the parking El Puiet, since it has a price of €1 per hour with the first half hour free and the 24 hours have a rate of €15.20. Something similar happens in the Canillo communal car park, because it has a rate of €1 per hour with the first hour free. As we can see, parking in parishes that are not Escaldes-Engordany or Andorra la Vella (the capital) is usually cheaper.
As a curiosity, to say that to everything we have said there are exceptions. For example, him Vall del Madriu car park has the first hour free and has some fees of €1 for every 12 hours of parking. Of course, be prepared to walk for a while until you go down to Escaldes-Engordany. On the other hand, the Vilars car park The first hour of parking is free and a maximum of €10 per day applies. Some Hotels and supermarkets have their own parking areas or give discounts to customers in one near them.
In this link you can see more car parks according to their prices.
Parking a motorhome in Andorra
Another different question that some people ask is where to park a motorhome in the Principality. And it is that throughout the country there are numerous motorhome parks, despite what it may seem. For example, one near the capital is the Prat del Roure car park. Another option is the car park Prat del Riuof Canillo. In general, the rates for parking are usually €4 per hour and €40 for 24 hours and with a price of €134 per month for having it available 24 hours a day.
Evidently, these car parks are complete areas for motorhomes with the possibility of emptying gray water and black water, water and electricity, and there are quite a few throughout the country and more continue to be opened. In fact, Encamp enabled three motorhome parking areas more in 2020 in The Pardines, Els Cortals Y Prat de Baró, already within the urbanization itself. there is also a motorhome area in Sant Julià de l'Òria, and another in the AC River, both near the border with Spain.
In La Massana we find the Borda de Torres car park that, moreover, it has a quite affordable price and in Pas de la Casa, on the border with France, is the Port d'Envalira. In Ordino, for his part, there is also parking on the Arcalis road. In any case, here they have even more motorhome parks.
Parking space rental in Andorra
To finish the article, we are going to see what are the options that an Andorran citizen already resident has to obtain a parking space. In this case, as is obvious, it is assumed that the space is going to be contracted indefinitely and not for a specific period of time (either hours or days), since you are going to rent a parking space to be able to have it at your disposal every days.
It should be noted that Many apartments and houses for rent (and for purchase) in Andorra they usually bring their place to park in the same building. However, there are others that do not have a space included and therefore their tenants have to find a place to park their vehicle if they have one. In this sense, first of all it must be said that some real estate agents and owners offer the Possibility of including a separate space both for sale and for rent. In these cases, the price usually ranges from €50-100 per month depending on the place, its location and conditions.
If you don't have that option, the An alternative is to rent a private parking space with a subscription. In these the price is usually around €100 per month. For example, it is the case of the communal car parks in Andorra la Vella for Andorran residents. Similar is the case of Vinyes, with a price per normal place of €105 per month and XL place for €150. In Escaldes there are also squares that go out to only €37.5 per month in the Les Molleres car park.
The same thing happens in those of Empark, you can see their rates here. They are €105 paid per month or €82 if paid annually. Also in La Massana with the company that manages them, GAVSA, mentioned above. In this case covered car parks are priced at €75.15 per month which is frankly very affordable. Also in Pas de la Casa there are another with a monthly payment of €72.9.
Bonuses, cards and discounts.
Finally, it should be noted that also there are vouchers and cards to be able to park in various places at a reduced or discounted price. For example, we have the Andorra la Vella PK card, for Andorran residents, who with a price of €5 allow them to pay for communal parking at €0.8 an hour, with the first hour free, the following 15 minutes at €0.5 and from then on at €0.1, which it is frankly very cheap.
In addition, there is also temporary bonuses such as a 30-day bonus for €100. And finally, there are also reduced price vouchers such as the Parc Fluvial, where for €30 per month you can park from 7 in the morning to 10 at night (a very good option for people who live in Spain but work in Andorra). .
Usually, in all parishes there are these types of alternatives. For example, in Escaldes-Engordany, they have the AD+ card, which offers a 60% discount on parking rates and 1 hour free. This card has a cost of €30 with an initial charge of €25. In a similar way works the Encamp e-park card, with a 50% discount and the first hour free, also including another 50% in parking in the blue zone.