Andorra

The Church of Sant Esteve, in Andorra la Vella, has Romanesque elements from the 12th century; it was restored in 1940.

The Long Road to Andorra

Best-known for its duty-free shopping, the tiny co-principality has a rich history

By Tim Johnson

When i landed in barcelona, Spain, the whole plan was just a vague idea—a notion, something fluttering in the back of my mind without an actual framework. Soon, I was behind the wheel of a small Volkswagen SUV and headed for the Pyrenees mountains.

While I’ve been to almost every country in Europe, Andorra had always eluded me. This microstate (Europe’s sixth smallest country, with less than 200 square miles of territory) has a population of about 80,000 people and is tucked into the mountains between Spain and France. They’ve enjoyed independence since A.D. 1287, its population settled into a narrow, Y-shaped valley backed on all sides by sharp cliffs and soaring summits.

It’s all relatively difficult to get to—the train doesn’t run there, and this tiny country isn’t an easy stop on the way to anywhere else. You might visit Monaco during a trip across the Cote d’Azur

1287

The year that Andorra became independent. This co-principality is led by the president of France and the bishop of Urgell.

and San Marino on a trip down the Italian coast. To get to Andorra? You have to really want to go there.

And I did. Having visited all of the other European microstates, I had talked about visiting Andorra for a long time, including just a couple of weeks prior with a friend from Barcelona.

“You should do it!” she said. “It’s not too long to drive—about three hours. We used to go there for the weekend all the time.”

I slowly freed myself from heavy traffic in Barcelona. As I climbed higher and higher, my GPS took me off the expressway on a scattered route, rolling through tiny villages and, at one point, down a one-lane road almost completely overgrown on both sides by heavy vegetation. As I made one disheartening turn after another across an arid, nondescript landscape, it started to feel as though I would never get there.

But soon, the scenery started to change. The mountains rose up ahead. While often overshadowed by the Alps and their glamorous ski resorts, the Pyrenees have a beauty all their own, running more than 300 miles and reaching altitudes of

more than 11,000 feet. Proceeding, at one point they formed a wall in front of me, the road just curving into a cleft with the highway proceeding through tunnel after tunnel, many of them stretching for miles.

It felt as though the Volkswagen was transporting me into another world—a hidden kingdom. Approaching the border, traffic slowed as the highway narrowed to a single lane. A simple sign with blocky black letters on a white background announced my arrival with a single word: ANDORRA. No splashy signs, just a plain demarcation of an invisible line. I had made it.

Border agents looked at each car as it passed, but didn’t stop anyone. Soon, I was making wrong turns in Andorra la Vella (literally: “Andorra the town”), Europe’s highest capital, sitting at 3,356 feet, as well as one of its smallest, with a population of just 22,000 people. The streets were narrow, and the whole town was sandwiched between the mountains. At one point, I drove down a back lane and reached a dead end, having to carefully K-turn myself out of a tight situation.

After parking, I walked along a series of elevated walkways thrust up above the gridwork of streets below and found Casa de la Vall. A handsome stone structure built as a manor house in the 1500s, it served as the home of Andorra’s Parliament from 1702 until it moved into a modern, glassy building next door in 2011.

It felt like the Volkswagen was transporting me into a hidden kingdom.

FRANCE

SPAIN

ANDORRA

Located between France and Spain, Andorra is Europe’s sixth-smallest country.

Andorra is known as a skiing destination with something for every level, from beginner to expert. Over 186 miles of trails await.

Inside, two guides at the front counter explained to me that they had finished their last English tour of the day. But they were happy to chat about their tiny country, which has become a popular spa and ski destination. They explained that Andorra is the world’s only co-principality, with leadership shared between a Catalonian bishop and the presi-

Andorra’s parliament

was created in 1419, making it one of the oldest in Europe. dent of France. It’s also the only state where Catalonian is the only official language.

“Our leaders have been smart, to maintain our independence for all these centuries,” one guide said, noting that neither Napoleon to the north nor Francisco Franco to the south was able to take that independence away.

Relenting, the other guide offered a whirlwind tour, taking me upstairs and showing me the handsome wood chamber that had hosted parliamentary deliberations for centuries, as well as the Cabinet of Seven Keys, which held important government documents and could only be opened when all seven regions of the country were present.

The final stop on the tour was an old stone kitchen. Before the road came through—a relatively recent development— parliamentarians would actually live together here when meetings were in session, cooking, eating, and sleeping right on site.

It was just an afternoon visit, and I had plans back in Barcelona. Reluctantly, I rolled the Volkswagen back down the highway, as the skies darkened quickly. My last microstate and it was a bit of a micro-visit. But I would be back. To ski and spa and maybe work a little on my Catalonian here, high in the Pyrenees.

If You Go When to Go:

Summers are pleasant and warm in Andorra, with high-altitude temperatures hovering in the 70s. Winter draws skiers from all across Europe.

Getting There and

Around: While the country has a small airport, most travelers will reach Andorra by road, either in a rental car or by bus, with regular departures from Barcelona. At a moderate speed, the drive takes a little under three hours, or longer by bus. Shop: Andorra has long been a magnet for duty-free shoppers seeking luxury goods.

Tim Johnson is based in Toronto. He has visited 140 countries across all seven continents.