Andorra High Mountains

Welcome to Andorra, the country of the Pyrenees. An independent state with an area of 468 km2 and more than a thousand years of history in the southeast of Europe, between Spain and France.

Known internationally for its ski resorts, shops with very low taxes and its modern hotel and service infrastructures, each year the country receives nearly 8 million visitors.

Andorra is also a paradise for nature lovers: 90% of the country is forest.

Geographical location:  Andorra is in the heart of the Pyrenees, between Spain and France.

Administrative organisation:

The country is structured into seven administrative and territorial divisions known as “parishes”, which by order of protocol are: Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany. The body managing each parish is the "Comú".

Political system:

Andorra is a state of democratic and social law. In 1993 it entered the United Nations and its constitution was approved by referendum.

The only country in the world with two heads of state: the Episcopal co-prince (the Bishop of La Seu d’Urgell, in Spain), and the French co-prince (the president of the French Republic). The Principality holds parliamentary elections every four years.

The climate:

Andorra has a high mountain climate: with cold temperatures in the winter and mild in the summer. The atmosphere is dry. Next to the Mediterranean, so most days of the year are sunny.

Language :

Andorra’s official language is Catalan. However, Spanish, French and Portuguese are commonly used. English is also spoken in all establishments related to tourism.

Currency :

The official currency in Andorra is the euro (€). Andorra will mint Euros for the first time in 2014.

Religion

Andorra is a lay state. The Constitution supports freedom of religion and cult. However, most of the population is Catholic.

Andorra in figures

Population: 78,000 inhabitants | Annual visitors: 8.000.000 | Hotel establishments: 315 | Hotel places: more than 39,000 | Ski slopes: 300 km of marked slopes | Shops and trades: more than 1,000 shops and 7 large shopping centres | Days of the year when the trades close: 4

Documentation for entry

Andorra has excellent relationships with its European neighbours. Although it does not belong to the Schengen territory, it does have agreements for travellers with Spain and France.

Andorra does not require any entry visa, but any person required to have a visa for the Schengen territory to enter Spain or France must be sure that their visa allows multi-entry if they want to travel to Andorra.

Pets

In order to enter the Principality, pets must meet the following requirements:

- Identification by microchip or tattoo

- Rabies vaccine in force

- Passport for pets

Citizen security

Andorra is one of the safest countries in the world, there is no begging, very little delinquency and the country has an efficient police service.

Medical and health assistance

Andorra has a complete health network covering needs throughout the whole territory with the "Servei Andorrà d'Atenció Sanitària" (SAAS), and there are agreements with the public health systems in Spain, France and Portugal. Find out in your country before you travel.

The Hospital de Nostra Senyora de Meritxell is the one that centralizes all of the services while the Health Centres are the medical centres in the different parishes.

Andorra also has an extensive network of pharmacies with long opening hours to attend the public.

Road assistance

If you need help on the road and your policy does not cover this, there are private services to help you.

Each parish has a traffic and road assistance service.

Trade opening hours

Andorra has more than 1,000 commercial establishments open all year, apart from four days:

The rest of the year, the trade opening hours are usually:

- from 9 to 20 h from Sunday to Thursday

- and from 9 to 21 h on Fridays and Saturdays, extending to 22 h at times of great tourist affluence such as the “Pont del Pilar” October 12, All Saints, “la Purísima” December 8, Christmas, the Epiphany and Easter week, etc.

Telecommunications

Andorra Telecom is the only telecommunications operator in the country. On the level of rates, Andorra is not considered a country of the European Union, so you must consult the rates with your company before using your mobile phone in the Principality.If your mobile is a 3G device (smartphone), remember to turn off data roaming before you enter Andorra to avoid updates and electronic mails automatically downloading and increasing your bill.And don’t worry that you will be disconnected from your friends... there are many public points with free Wi-Fi where you can connect to the Internet comfortably and at no cost.

Post

Andorra does not have its own postal service: the country indistinctly uses the services of the French La Poste and the Spanish Correos, and there are offices in most towns. Both institutions issue Andorran stamps.

And Welcome to Andorra