2023. 12. 30. 08:36ㆍ유럽_Europe/안도라_Andora
I have travelled to Andorra twice to go skiing in the winter. The image of Andorra is that of a snow country located at the highest point in Europe, deep in the Pyrenees, covered with pure white snow. The sight of skiers descending at breakneck speeds in a cloud of snow along steep, blue-white cliffs was an intense thrill that felt like watching a 007 action movie right in front of my eyes. The skiing skills of Europeans, who have been skiing since they were babies and spend long winters living at ski resorts, are incomparable.
Andorra Ribeya, the highest point in Europe
The Principality of Andorra is located in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, and is the smallest country in Europe, with a population of about 80,000 people. The capital of Andorra is Andorra La Vella. Andorra, but Andorra Ribella is the city located at the highest point in Europe (1409m). The average altitude of the entire country reaches 2000m, so please be careful as you may suffer from altitude sickness. In Andorra, you can see rows of beautiful stone houses built of small stones. Perhaps this helps to survive the cold winter? The beautiful stone houses blending in with the snow give the place an exotic atmosphere.
Andorra selected as the best European tourist village
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on October 19, 2023 announced this year's 'Best Tourism Village Awards', with Andorra's 'Ordino' village taking first place. It became a hot topic when it was selected. A total of 53 villages were nominated, and in addition to Urdinu other nominees were Lerici in Italy, Tokaj in Hungary, and Morcote in Switzerland. UNWTO is said to have excluded representative tourist cities in Europe, such as Venice, Italy, and Athens, Greece, from this selection, as they are already oversaturated.
Ordino, the city of nature
Ordino is home to Tristaina Lakes, an area of outstanding natural beauty, Sorteny National Park, which is Andorra's largest natural park, Casamanya Mountain and Urdino Arcalis. It is a relaxed city that is very attractive to travellers who love nature, as well as having a ski resort (Arcalís).
Andorra, Principality of The Snow Queen
The Pyrenees are a mountain range in southwestern Europe and form the border between France and Spain. The Principality of Andorra sits deep in this range, entirely surrounded by mountains. To me, Andorra has always been a place of winter images and blue blizzards. In winter, Andorra is transformed into a fairytale snow country where 'The Snow Queen' works her magic, and the black dots running down the steep cliffs of the Pyrenees Mountains give the impression of a 007 action movie.
French border town
Andorra is one of the small European countries such as Monaco, the Vatican City State, San Marino, and Liechtenstein. It is divided into seven administrative districts, including the capital Andorra Liberia. If you ski all the way from Andorra, you will arrive at the French border village pictured below. I was confused because I couldn't see anyone on the streets and it seemed like an empty city, but I finally took a break with a warm coffee and a piece of cake at a cafe. I looked around the town and bought a sweatshirt as a souvenir at a clothing store run by a Frenchman. I had a hard time communicating with the French store owner because he couldn't speak English, but I bought some clothes based on his body language, and now they me laugh every time I see them.
Church of San Joan de Caseles
This is a Romanesque style church built in the 11th century. When you go inside, you can see the interior of the church is richly decorated with Prosco paintings. This old ‘San Joan de Ca Seles Church’ is a worthwhile addition to your Andorra city tour.
Snow country in the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees, where Andorra is located, are the mountains that the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed long ago when he marched to attack Rome. Expecting an attack from across the sea from the well-known naval force of the Carthaginians, Rome was taken by surprised and fell to the attack. Andorra is a mountainous country with over 65 peaks over 2500m and many canyons.
Ski at great prices in Europe's beautiful ski resorts
Andorra may be a small country, but it is a ski paradise. Many people visit this place every winter because they can enjoy skiing at a better prices than other ski resorts in Europe. I’ve returned to ski at Andorra twice. It is even possible to ski across the Pyrenees and into France. Of course, it is a long and arduous journey, but many people enjoy the adventure of skiing from one country into another.
Winter Wonderland Balnold
Balnold has the ski resort with the highest altitude, at 2625m. It has various pistes to choose from to suit your level, from beginner to advanced level skier.
Grandvalira Ski
This is the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees, with seven interconnected ski areas within the Republic of Andorra. Grandvalira Ski Resort, located in Andorra, is 25 times larger than Korea's Yongpyeong Resort. When a snowstorm occurs, the sky, ground, buildings, and even the air all turn white. Only skiers wearing colourful ski suits are visible. This is why wearing colourful ski clothes is essential- if you wear a white ski suit you may become lost and the chances of being exposed to an accident increase.
Cliff sprint in an action spy movie
It was fun just to see skiers flying down the steep cliffs of the Pyrenees Mountains, something you usually only see in action spy movies. The highest point of the ski resort is at 2640m altitude, so altitude sickness was a concern, but I was so immersed in skiing that I didn't even realize I was in an alpine area. The lowest point is at 1710m. Considering that I suffered a lot from altitude sickness when I travelled to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, in 2019, I was very fortunate. There are 72 lifts and 136 slopes, so you can get an idea of the size of the ski resort.
Ordino Arcalis ski area
Since both trips were in winter, the impression I got of the country was as if the entire country was a ski resort. Although the Ordino Arcalis resort is one of the smaller resorts in Andorra, it is still more than four times larger than Yongpyeong Resort. Alkariz Ski Resort, which is the site of the Freeride World Tour finals every year, also has an off-piste, uncompressed snow course which is the highlight of the resort. It was acquired by the Grand Varara Ski Resort in 2018, and if you purchase a 4-day or more Grand Varara lift ticket, you can use both Grand Varara and Alcariz Ski Resort.
Ski lesson with a Spanish teacher
Although I am not good at skiing, I have been going to a ski resort in Gangwon-do, Korea for a long time for winter vacation, so I do have basic ski skills. However, even if you are an expert skier, it is very dangerous to ski alone in the rugged Pyrenees Mountains. This is because there is a very high chance of getting lost while wandering through the harsh and vast winter mountains. I signed up for a one-week ski lesson and travelled around the Pyrenees Mountains with an instructor, which was both exciting and scary. The small Spanish instructor was a very challenging person and even dragged me try a black run even though I refused at first. I had no choice and just had to go down the cliff first. The most scary experience is when a snow storm rolls in. Skiing in a situation where you can't see an inch ahead still gives me chills. You won't know until you try it that a snow storm hits your goggles and you can't see anything in front of you.
Why you shouldn't ski alone
I still regret deciding to ski alone in the afternoon, after taking ski lessons in the morning, on the last day of my trip to Andorra. I took a wrong turn and entered the black run, and ended up crying on an icy slope where it was difficult to even stand. After that experience I must have been traumatized and now I can't bring myself to even put on my ski clothes again.
Why you shouldn't ski alone
I still regret deciding to ski alone in the afternoon, after taking ski lessons in the morning, on the last day of my trip to Andorra. I took a wrong turn and entered the black run, and ended up crying on an icy slope where it was difficult to even stand. After that experience I must have been traumatized and now I can't bring myself to even put on my ski clothes again.
Ordino, Casa d'Ar Lane
I sometimes took the bus from the hotel to the ski resort, but mostly I just walked. This gave me the opportunity to enjoy thebeautiful natural scenery between the hotel and the ski resort. The small town of Ordino at the foot of Casa Milha Mountain has a small and exotic atmosphere. It looked quiet and peaceful, and the old churches, shops, and luxury hotels gave the town a more quaint feel.
Postal Museum
The Postal Museum, where you can see the growth and development of the postal service, is another fun attraction. The first ski delivery of mail in the United States and a collection of more than 50,000 Andorran stamps can be viewed here.
National Automobile Museum of Andorra
The National Automobile Museum, which has an exhibition of steam-powered machines, antique motorcycles, bicycles, and vintage cars, is located in Encamp Mar. Encamp Village is a beautiful village through which the Valira d'Orient River flows. Even the road to and from it is beautiful. The town is full of beautiful shops, cafes, and high-end restaurants, with a wonderful atmosphere as I walked through the alleys.
Miniature Museum
Personally, I like visiting miniature museums. In particular, European miniatures are small but so elaborate that they are almost better than the real thing. It is said that these miniatures were created by Ukrainian artist Nikolai Siadristi. It was made so small that it should be viewed through a magnifying glass or microscope. He used materials such as gold, platinum, wood, and paper, and it is recognized for its excellent artistic value due to its sophistication.
The language of Andora
Andorra is a small country located between southwestern France and northeastern Spain. Therefore, most signs in this country are given in four different languages: Andorran, French, Spanish, and English. The native Andorran language spoken here is Catalan, but everyone you will meet in Andorra speaks English fluently, so you won't have any difficulty communicating during your trip.
Shopping Paradise
Andorra is famous for shopping and has even been called a shopping paradise. The reason why many Europeans go to Andorra for shopping is because the entire country is a duty-free zone, so they can buy medical products, alcohol, cosmetics, etc. at around half the usual price. I went to the store at night after the ski resort closed, but I didn't buy anything because they didn't have the products I was looking for in stock, but I did notice that brand name cosmetics were very cheap.
Witch of Andorra
The old stone houses in Andorra look like those of the fairytale 'Witch of Andorra', who was introduced in a Japanese cartoon by Takeshi Nogami.
What to eat in Andorra
In Andorra, I didn't particularly look for local food. We had booked a hotel that included breakfast and dinner, and the meal menu was varied. Since the purpose of both trips was skiing, we had both breakfast and dinner at the hotel and lunch at the ski resort. Lunch and coffee at the ski resort after morning skiing were always delicious. Drinking local beer during an afternoon break with the snowy mountains in the background was refreshing.
Is there a world without pickpockets?
I don't know if there is anyone who has never been pickpocketed while travelling around the world. I had heard of many cases of pickpocketing around me, so I was always careful when travelling abroad, but while travelling in Australia, my entire handbag was pickpocketed and I lost my passport, cash, and credit cards. It was a devastating blow. One of the people I went with bought ski goggles at a store near the ski resort, left them unpackaged next to the chair he was sitting on, and changed his ski boots, but in the blink of an eye, the goggles were gone.
Road to the Republic of Andorra
Andorra does not have very good transportation. The entire country is located within the highlands of the Pyrenees Mountains, so no airport or train station can be built. There are only a few bus routes for city transportation, so you will likely have to take a taxi or rent a car. We rented a car locally on our first trip, and on our second trip, we walked between the hotel and the ski resort and took the bus only when going out of town. Fortunately, if you are travelling to Andorra during the winter ski season, there is a ski bus that connects the ski resort base to the village and is free. Not only ski tourists but also local residents can use it for free.
Direct bus between Andorra and Barcelona
There is a direct bus route that runs between Andorra and Barcelona. When going to Andorra the best option is usually to take a plane to Barcelona, then take the direct bus to Andorra. It will cross the border in about 3 hours, and arrive at Andorra's national bus station (Estació nacional d'autobusos). When using this international bus, you must present your passport and it operates approximately 5 times a day. If travelling from Madrid instead, take the Ave high-speed train to Erida Station in about 2 hours, and from there you can take an intercity bus to Andorra.
By car from Toulège Airport, France
There is no full size airport in Andorra, but I've heard that for the very rich it is possible to fly in small plane from Barcelona. During the ski season from November to April, there are many ski tourists from Spain and France, so it is said that it takes more than 3 hours by car.
I recommend flying to Barcelona and taking a direct bus into Andorra. I was surprised at how strict the vehicle inspection was before entering Andorra. If the entry process is this thorough, there seems to be no room for refugees or illegal immigrants. Maybe that's why the city overall is very clean and I didn't see any vagrants on the streets.
Accommodation
Grandvalira: Univers Hotel in Andorra
This hotel provides most services, including hotel + skiing, ski pass purchase, and ski lesson application. We were all satisfied with the information and services optimized for ski travellers, so we stayed at the same hotel on our second ski trip. Breakfast was good, and dinner was also served in a variety of ways depending on the day of the week, so you wouldn't get bored with the same menu.
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