Andorra is a tiny country in Europe most people would not have heard about. It is situated south of France and shares borders with France and Spain. It can easily be covered as a day trip from Barcelona and that is what we did on our European adventure in April of 2025.

With less than 1 lakh people, Andorra’s economy is built on tourism, duty free shopping and low taxes. There are guided day tour packages from Barcelona available on websites like Viator and GetYourGuide but the best and most economical way to explore would be to rent a car in Barcelona, especially if you are 3 or more people. The drive takes about 3 hours and takes you through multiple long tunnels and beautiful landscape making it a pleasant journey. There are 2 or 3 routes that takes you to Andorra from Barcelona. We took the C-16 road (toll road) for the onward journey which saved us half an hour. But the tolls were sizable and we felt wasn’t worth the money. So while coming back, we took the non toll road and it was quite good too, we would recommend to avoid the toll road.

One of the things you will notice in Andorra is the high number of 4 and 5 star hotels for a small country or area. These are often available for cheaper rates during non ski season and so, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to come and stay here for a day before going back go Barcelona. As you enter the country, you will see huge number of duty free shops leading up to the town center where people throng for cheaper deals on latest electronics etc. But be mindful of how much you take back as there are police checks on your way back and make sure to stay within your allowed limits.

As a place, there wasn’t much to do in the town. We parked our car in one of the parking garages close to the center and walked around for a couple of hours exploring the various streets, high end shops for perfume, clothing etc. We visited a couple of points of interest such as Casa de la Vall & Church of Sant Esteve. We also did some customary souvenir shopping before heading back to Barcelona in the evening. There are also multiple trails and walks if you are into that and love nature.

All in all, we didn’t expect much from this country and our visit was mostly to just tick off another country. Do not expect much from Andorra and you won’t be disappointed.