20 Interesting Facts about Andorra That Will Surprise You

Are you planning to visit Andorra and want to know more about this fascinating little mountain country before your trip? Or perhaps you’re just curious to learn some unusual and interesting facts about Andorra that most people don’t know? Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Andorra is one of the smallest countries in Europe located high in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. Yet despite its size, it’s also a country of contrasts, where old traditions meet a modern lifestyle built around tourism, duty free shopping and outdoor adventure.

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With stunning mountain landscapes and deep alleys, Andorra offers a great range of outdoor activities to its visitors in both winter and summer.

Snowboarding, alpine-skiing, cross-country-skiing, ski-mountaineering, dog sledding and snow-shoeing are popular activities in winter, while hiking, mountain biking, paragliding, trail running, horse riding and fishing are hugely popular during the summer months.

Beyond adventure, many tourists come to relax in nature or at the thermal Spa of Caldea and of course, many also visit for the tax-free shopping in Andorra.

In order to get to know the country in all its glory, we have compiled a list of 20 fun facts about Andorra that will not only surprise you but will also give you a deeper knowledge about the country itself.

Andorra is a landlocked country

Andorra has no coastline. The country is completely surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains and shares borders with only two other countries: Spain to the south and France to the north.

Andorra la Vella is the highest capital in Europe

Andorra la Vella is not only the capital city of Andorra, but at 1023 metres (3356 feet) is also the highest capital in Europe. Due to its elevation you have wonderful mountain views and a lovely cool climate all year round.

It’s a smallish city with a beautiful and well-preserved old town with narrow cobbled streets and historic buildings.

One of Europe’s highest countries

With an average elevation of around 1996 metres (6549 feet), Andorra is one of Europe’s highest countries. Its highest peak is Coma Pedrosa at 2942 meters (9652 feet) and even the lowest point is 840 meters (2756 feet) above sea level, which is higher than many other European towns.

Andorra is a co-principality

Andorra is the only co-principality in the world, meaning it has two heads of state who hold the title of ‘co-princes’. What makes it even more unusual is that the rules are not from Andorra itself but from the neighbouring countries. One is the Archbishop of Urgell (from Catalonia) and the other one is the President of the French Republic.

It has one of Europe’s oldest parliaments

The General Council of Andorra or Consell General d’Andorra was established in 1419 making it one of the oldest parliaments in Europe. It has 28 members who are elected every four years.

Catalan is the official language

Andorra is the only country in the world where Catalan is the sole official language. But while Catalan is official, most people are trilingual so Spanish and French are also widely spoken in the country.

However, all official documents and communications are conducted in Catalan.

Andorra is not part of the EU or Schengen

The country is not a member of the European Union nor the Schengen Area, even though it’s landlocked between France and Spain, which are both part of the EU and Schengen. As a result, there are official border checks at all crossings and passport and ID controls are very common. All EU citizens and Andorrans can just use their national ID cards, everyone else must use their original passport.

But despite border controls, Andorra has some bilateral agreements with the EU, allowing free movement of certain goods and limited services.

Private vehicles are often just waved through, at least while entering. It’s when leaving they might check for excessive duty-free goods. So go easy on the booze, perfumes and tobacco.

Euro is the official currency

Even though Andorra is not part of the European Union, it uses the Euro (€) as its official currency via a monetary agreement with the EU which came into effect in 2012. It allows Andorra to issue its own Euro coins which are valid throughout the whole Eurozone.

Before adopting the Euro, Andorra never had its own official currency. Instead, both the Spanish Peseta and French Franc were used as legal tender.

Andorra has its own mobile country code and 1 sole provider

Even though Andorra is small and landlocked between France and Spain, it’s fully independent in telecommunications. The country has its own international dialling code (+376) but only 1 local provider, Andorra Telecom, which has a government granted monopoly on all telco operations in Andorra.

Good to know: Andorra is also not part of the EU’s ‘Roam Like at Home’ policy meaning EU mobile users often face high roaming charges when travelling in or near the country. Be warned, you could still be ~20km from the Andorra border in France or Spain, yet your phone may pick up Andorra cell network and connect to it. So when in that region, be sure to set your phone to stay on either a French or Spanish network, until you enter Andorra.

So, to avoid extra roaming costs in Andorra, turn your home provider off and either make use of local wifi, which is widely available and for free, or purchase a travel eSIM that offers low price local data plans for travellers to Andorra.

Many restaurants only have their menus available online via QR code stuck on the table, so you will need internet for that. However, the restaurants appreciate this which is why they offer wifi for free.

Andorra does not have its own airport or train station

Because of its location high up in the Pyrenees mountains, Andorra does not have its own airport. The nearest airports are either in the south of France; Toulouse-Blagnac, Perpignan, Carcassonne or north of Spain; Girona, Barcelona or Reus.

It’s also not possible to travel into Andorra by train as it does not have a train station nor railway network. The nearest train station is in France, called L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre, which is 11 kilometres from the Pas de la Casa border crossing. From the station, you can take a rental car or bus to get to your destination in Andorra.

Andorra does not require a visa for entry

The Principality of Andorra does not issue visas and has no visa requirements for its visitors.

However, because the country is landlocked and only accessible via its neighbouring countries, Spain and France, travellers must comply with the entry requirements of these neighbouring countries, in other words, with the Schengen area.

Depending on your travel plans, you may need a double or multiple-entry Schengen visa to enter Andorra and to then continue your journey elsewhere in the Schengen area, lest you get stuck in Andorra.

Tobacco production is important

Only about 2% of Andorra’s land is arable and roughly 8% of the total farmland is used for tobacco cultivation. In the 19th century tobacco was a major agricultural product. It was a key source of income for local farmers, who exported it to Spain and France.

Currently, tobacco production is in sharp decline mostly due to the shift towards tourism and trade and competition from imported tobacco.

Andorra has no army

Andorra does not have its own army, armed forces nor Ministry of Defence. Instead, they rely on treaties signed with Spain and France for defence.

Andorra is a tax-free shopping destination

One of Andorra’s main tourist attractions is its tax-free shopping. Products like electronics, tobacco, perfumes and liquor are significantly cheaper than in neighbouring countries attracting visitors from all over.

However, don’t expect to go to Andorra and be able to fill up your car with lots of goodies as there are very strict regulations as to what you can bring into Spain or France from Andorra.

It’s advisable to consult the official customs websites of the country you are planning to continue travelling in. Even though France and Spain are both Schengen and EU, their import rules may differ.

Life expectancy is high

Thanks to its clean mountain air, excellent healthcare, healthy gastronomy and active outdoor lifestyle, Andorra has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, averaging around 84 years.

Andorra’s national symbols

The national symbols of Andorra reflect its natural beauty and mountainous terrain:

• National animals: Pyrenean Chamois (Isard). It’s a type of goat antelope with the mountains as its natural habitat.
• National flower: Grandalla (Narcissus poeticus). This flower is native to the Pyrenees.
• National bird: Bearded vulture or lammergeier

Andorra has more cars than people

Andorra has roughly 98200 registered vehicles for a population of around 81000, meaning there are more vehicles than residents. It ranks among the highest in the world for cars per capita after San Marino, Guernsey, Gibraltar and Jersey.

It’s a major ski destination

Andorra is famous for its ski resorts in the Pyrenees Mountains. The country has over 300 km of ski slopes, divided over four ski resorts making it a major tourist attraction in the winter.

Andorra receives far more tourists than residents

Andorra receives over 10 million visitors every year, highly exceeding its population of around 81000. Tourism is therefore a major driver of the country’s economy and daily life.

9% of Andorra’s total land areas is a Unesco World Heritage Site

The Madriu-Peratifa-Claror Valley is a glacial valley in the south eastern part of Andorra and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The glacial landscapes with cliffs, open pastures and steep wooded valleys cover an area of 4247 ha, which is 9% of the total area of Andorra. It’s an unusually large area for a Unesco protected site for such a small country.