Places: Andorra La Vella, Principat d’Andorra

Andorra. Budget. Two words you probably will never hear in the same sentence. Andorra is a beautiful and tiny country tucked away in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. It is a country with no sales tax, making it a dream for both ardent shoppers and people wanting to hide their money from the government. Most people go to Andorra for the skiing but there are plenty of other things to see and do, especially if money is of a prime concern.

Getting To/From:

If you don’t have 3000 € for a helicopter ride into Andorra you can always take a bus. We took a bus from the Eastacio de Nord in Barcelona. We pre-booked tickets online through ALSA and they came to about 54 € per person with an open return. You can buy tickets at the station but it is cheaper if purchased in advance and with a return. You more than likely will not stop at the border when entering Andorra but you probably will upon re-entering Spain. Make sure to bring your passport just in case!

Budget Accommodation:

While many hotels in Andorra La Vella can cost upwards of 200 € per night or more, there is no shortage of cheaper accommodation options. Hotels.com or Booking.com are two great websites for searching for hotels, guest houses and even some higher-end hostels. You can filter your results for specific accommodation requirements and sort the results from low to high in price. I ended up finding a great deal on Hotel Siracusa on Hotels.com for only 30 € per night. The hotel was clean with recently-remodeled / painted rooms, had a nice location in walking distance to the main shopping street and our room was looking right over a beautiful roaring river.

Budget Dining:

You can definitely spend a day’s worth of earnings on one meal in Andorra but there are plenty of cheap options if you look in the right places. If you get off the main streets you will find small cafes and snack bars scattered through out the city. Restaurante Juventus offered one choice from the plates of the day + water or wine + dessert or coffee for 6 €. If you are staying in a hotel / apartment with a kitchen you can always cook your own meals – there are tons of supermarkets all over the city. If weather permits, go to the supermarket and buy a baguette, cheese, jamon serrano and a bottle of red wine and you have yourself a picnic meal for 2 for less than 10 €! It is also a good idea to stock up on snack foods if you are going to be in a car or on a bus for any length of time to avoid stopping at restaurants or paying for over-priced bus station food. Also, in Andorra the tap water is crisp and fresh so you can save a lot of money by not purchasing bottled water.

Transportation:

Andorra La Vella is tiny and I tend to walk everywhere so I walked around the entire city with no problems. Drivers were polite and almost always stopped at crosswalks to let us cross. It takes about an hour and a half to walk the entire length of the city. If it is too cold you can always catch a bus for just a few Euros.

Free Things to Do:

Everybody goes to Andorra to shop but if you don’t want to spend any money, window shopping can still be fun. There are loads of expensive jewelry stores, electronic shops and shops filled with everything under the sun, such as E.Leclerc.

The old town of Andorra is adorable and it is very enjoyable to just walk around and look at some of the old buildings and churches. Stop at a cafe / bar in the sun and have a beer while you are at it (though that might cost you a few Euros!)

Splurge:

The Caldea Spa, located at the heart of Andorra La Vella, is the largest mountain spa in Europe. If you want to splurge a little on your trip, the spa is a great way to relax and de-stress or heal sore legs after a day of skiing. Entrance to the Thermoludic area costs around 34 € for adults. If you want to save a little money, you can enter for the last 2 hours of the night at 9:30 P.M. or 10:00 P.M. for only 28 € per person. You then get a free locker and have access to a variety of thermal pools, jacuzzis, saunas and even a hammam. If you feel like taking your splurge even further you can get a 10-minute localized head, neck and back massage for only 15 €. If you want to save an extra 3 €, bring your own towel.

Sometimes it is nice to splurge on a meal, especially when in a place like Andorra! We ended up going to El Refugi Alpi, even though it had some pretty bad reviews on Trip Advisor, mostly relating to poor service and cold food. I really wanted a cheese fondue so we figured at least we knew the fondue wouldn’t be cold! The service was fine and the fondue was excellent. You also get free bread and olives as a starter so if you are really hungry you don’t need to buy any extra entrees. The cheapest bottle of wine was 15 € and we even ordered mojito sorbet for dessert so our bill set us back about 64 € – but hey, we probably will never be back in Andorra again!

*Fun Foodie Tip:

Most of the bars / restaurants served free olives that you cannot buy in a store. They were absolutely delicious! Unlike traditional olives, they were only partially pickled and sprinkled with sea salt and herbs. Be warned; they are addictive!