A small country surrounded by Pyrenees mountains, part of it speaking French, another part Spanish. Not part of the Eurozone, but using the Euro as their main currency. Former tax heaven. It’s Andorra.
Andorra
It reminds me of Switzerland by its landscapes. Locals used to the flow of tourists and you’ll probably won’t have any communication problems by knowing English if you travel there. It may seem quite empty when visiting off ski season, however number of hotels suggests that it may be quite crowded and busy during the snowy time of a year, especially new ski tracks under construction suggested this being quite a popular ski resort. Apart from skiing in winter, you may also discover picturesque hiking routes in Summer and mountain roads to satisfy your driver’s soul.
Driving in the Pyrenees
Does it have any signs of former tax heaven? Yes, it does. While driving across Europe you may see fuel prices getting closer to €2 per litre, however, in Andorra, it’s around €1 per litre (I’ve paid €1.09/l for Shell V-Power diesel). That suggests you may ignore your car’s fuel appetite while enjoying flat-outs in the hill-climbs and do it again and again. Oh, and mind the brakes – they may start fading if used excessively down the mountain (mind for your own safety).
Roads are smooth here, few tunnels to get from one town to the other. If you need parking – the multi-floor garage is easily accessible in the centre of Andorra la Vella and is not expensive either. All you need to mind is a couple of speed cameras and zebra crossings down the hill. Locals drive fast, they’re used to curvy roads and like to push their cars to the limit. I discovered I was driving rather conservatively compared to local chap making all his four tyres of his old Audi squeak on the corners. “He knows his limits well” I thought.
Border control
When we were entering Andorra from the French side – it felt empty, and the border being completely sunk in the cloud high up in the mountains I didn’t think anyone even noticed we have crossed it. Climbing the serpentine road up was quite enjoyable and once on another side of the mountain pass, even the weather got sunny. If you ever travel to Andorra from the French side, have in mind that it is much more spectacular and fun to drive over the mountains rather than use the toll tunnel.
We were just passing by this country as an overnight location and did not really consider benefiting from some things being on the lower prices. Spanish border control officers have reminded us why many people come to Andorra – apparently for the lower-taxed goods. Officers were checking our trunk, asked how much cash are we carrying and got very surprised when I have shown my so-called wallet with plastic cards only claiming I carry almost zero cash when requested. I bet he still thought I was using this country for some kind of tax benefit, however, he had nothing to keep me any longer in the customs and let us continue our journey. Wow, I thought, I haven’t experienced such rather aggressive treatment at any border before. Perhaps the oddest experience before was leaving Ibiza when apart from passport I’ve been asked to show some other IDs or credit cards carrying my name.
Final word
Pyrenees and Andorra are both beautiful parts of the world and really seemed to be a good location to stop by for a night or two while going along Europe. I haven’t photographed much in Andorra, I was more admiring the views and driving this time. However, these few photos with GEO location tags are down below for you to explore. Enjoy!
