By Air.

Andorra is almost equidistant from Barcelona, Toulouse and Carcassonne airports, but coming via Toulouse or Carcassonne is less interesting if you need to use public transfer connections as opposed to driving yourself up in a hire car.

Although Girona appears on the map as much closer than either of the others, the travelling time is the same and the airport services are not so good as it is normally only a charter destination. However Ryan Air has just started scheduled services to Girona so perhaps public transport links will improve.

Easyjet has Barcelona as a leading destination. They offer services from London Gatwick LGW and London Luton LTN, their main hub. Iberia and British Airways also offer frequent services from London Heathrow LHR and LGW. Because their landing slots are often more convenient than the 'no-frills' airlines, it is worth checking for any special offers. Europa (part of Iberia) is also running a service on the Gatwick-Barcelona route, Go runs from Stansted.

Carcassonne (q.v.) is served by Ryan Air and Toulouse by Air France.

The 5 times daily Novatel transfer onward from BCN is efficient, but do try to time your flights in accordance with the operator's schedules as whiling away the time in the main concourse at Barcelona Airport is not one of life's finest experiences. We can arrange transfers for you to and from Barcelona or Toulouse Airports - Please click here to view current schedules and prices. To make the connection allow one hour clearance from the airport and a similar time for check-in when going back. The bus trip takes around 3.5 hours with a short stop en route. It is only via Barcelona and Toulouse that there is a choice of transfers. From any other airport, our advice is to hire a car and follow our 'By Car' instructions.

By road

If coming from France

From Toulouse.
Take the motorway ring road (either way) round the city and follow the A66 signs for Foix. The motorway/dual carriageway trunk route is now open right through to Tarascon-sur-Ariege, via the Foix by-pass tunnel. It avoids the congestion on the RN20 between Toulouse and Pamiers and reduces journey time between the two points to a leisurely 40 minutes. Stay on through to Ax-les-Thermes and then on up the mountain to Andorra.
PLEASE NOTE: The only filling stations open on the RN20 national road from dusk between Toulouse and Pas de la Casa (Andorra) are not attended and do not accept foreign credit cards or cash. If travelling at night make sure you have sufficient fuel to climb the 145 kms to Pas de la Casa or fill up before you leave Toulouse.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that, perversely, the mileage-to-destination indicators on this route are misleading. Where 'Andorra' is mentioned this means the capital not the country, a difference of nearly 30 kms.

Now page down to Entering Andorra from France

From Perpinyà (Perpignan).
{You can put your car on the train to Perpinyà (Perpignan) from various points in Europe}. Get on the motorway ring road and you will see the green signs to Andorra. The route is via Prades, Villefranche, Montlouis, Bourg Madame. At that point the decision is yours:

To get to the Pal-Arinsal, La Massana and Ordino valleys it is best to ignore the green signs to Andorra and follow the signs to Spain. Pass Puigcerdà on your right and carry on to La Seu d'Urgell and then turn right to Andorra. It's much quicker, by nearly an hour. When you arrive in the capital, Andorra la Vella, follow the signs to La Massana and bear left at the roundabout in the centre of the village and carry on to Arinsal where you will find our reception office on the main road on your right hand side. If you are going to the Pas de la Casa/Grau Roig and Soldeu/El Tarter resorts follow the green signs to Andorra from Bourg Madame. You can avoid the Puymorens pass by using the tunnel and paying the toll.

Entering Andorra from France
You can go via the frontier town of Pas de la Casa (only recommendable if you wish to shop in endless French-orientated supermarkets) but you must then go over the Envalira Pass, Andorra's highest road. You do get a splendid view from the top, but the pass can be extremely difficult at night during winter. Our recommendation is to pay the toll and use the (new, Dec 02) Envalira Tunnel which takes you under the pass and straight into Canillo parish, just above Soldeu. If you are staying at one of our apartments in the Soldeu/El Tarter resort, carry on to the town of Canillo. Our reception office is at the far end of the High Street on the left hand side. There is a car park available for your use whilst you get your onward directions.

From the Channel.
Now that the A20 motorway has opened up the direct route from Paris via Brive to Toulouse, you can chose to go via St Malo, Caen or Calais since they all offer roughly equal journey times (Allow 10 hours). Pick up the A20 south of Paris via the network of outer-ring motorways.

From Carcassone
The quickest route (if not the most bucolic) is not the one that looks shortest on the map. Back-track up the motorway to Toulouse and come off at the Bram intersection.

Follow the route to Mirepoix. The first few kilometres to Fanjeaux (worth a quick look, but park outside the centre or you will get stuck in the very narrow lanes) are on a standard country road. After that it is more of a fast trunk route. Stop in Mirepoix and you will be rewarded by seeing the stunning half-timbered mediaeval main square. From Mirepoix, take the road to Lavellanet. Go straight on into the centre of the town and ignore the turn to the right marked Foix as you enter the outskirts. From the centre roundabouts continue to follow the signs to Foix. At the N20 at Montgailhard turn right on the roundabout and follow the green signs to Andorra via Tarascon and Ax-les-Thermes. Now follow our directions in the 'Entering Andorra from France' section above.

The route via Limoux and Quillan over the mountains direct to Ax-les-Thermes is also pretty but not recommended if you are in a hurry.

If coming from Spain

From Bilbao ferry or Madrid
Take the motorway to Lerida (Lleida in Catalan) and then the road to La Seu d'Urgell. Then left to Andorra. Allow six hours. Now follow the instructions at the end of the 'From Barcelona' section.

From Barcelona
As you come out of Barcelona Airport, follow signs to Lleida (Lerida) on the B22. After about half a mile you will come to a three-directional split. Take the A2. You will then be on the 'Cinturó Litoral '.After a further 10 kms approximately the carriageways split into the AP 2 (autopista) and the A2 (autovia). Follow the centre lane over the bridge marked A2 to Lleida. If you miss the fork and find yourself still on the motorway, do not panic. Come off at the Martorell exit and rejoin the A2 a little further up. Unfortunately you will have to pay a small toll, because you will have used a bit of the motorway.

Once you are safely on the A2 you can now relax. You will pass Ca'n Amat, Esparreguera (in front of the magnificent Montserrat, Catalonia's emblematic sacred mountain with a splendid cathedral hidden away at the top) the Túnel del Bruc and eventually Igualada. Carry on until you see exit signs for Ponts / Andorra C1412/C1412a and come off there. Take the second exit on the roundabout marked Ponts/Andorra. After you pass Copons on your left, you have about five miles of good secondary road (but with more than a few serious bumps and dips and not-so-kosher cambering, so watch out when overtaking) and thereafter another 25 miles or so of fast, straight uncrowded secondary road to Ponts, passing Torà and Biosca.

If you are looking to stop at this point the most recommendable place is the Hostal Jaumet at Torà. This is a very old established inn, with typically Catalan food, good menus and a somewhat intimidating lady-owner who takes the orders.

Ponts (where you turn right to the C14 to La Seu d'Urgell) is the traditional midway stop. There are plenty of hostelries here, notably: El Xalet (on the left as you come into the town) which has moderately-priced menus and is well talked of; the modern cafeteria directly opposite the main junction which is a standard roadhouse, and on the left as you are going out of the town the old Restaurant Cadí which is an excellent-value trucker's stop.

Once through Ponts you have an excellent, fast secondary road over the hills to Oliana, about 15 miles away. The Can Valls roadhouse on the right (about 4 miles) is good enough but most experienced travellers will want to stop at the new Cal Petit, just before you enter Oliana. (You will have just passed the old Cal Petit down in the dip, on the right). Apart from a stunningly comprehensive menu of typically Catalan dishes, there are always at least five other dishes of the day - which the waiters tend to rattle off at speed unless you slow them down - and the prices are modest. Connoisseurs will appreciate the excellent, comprehensive wine list, but if you order a glass of house wine they will plonk the bottle down and let you help yourself. You will be charged (roughly) according to what you drink at the rate of about 4€ the bottle. The other feature of this famous place is that the walls are lined with trophies. 84 to be precise, we were assured on our last visit with two small children. The son of the house is the Catalan trials-bike champion and one of his motorbikes is in the separate hotel reception. On the way back, you might care to stop at the Quaker State filling station just past the turning to Cardona and Solsona. The Pans and Company sandwich franchise is run by the same family and they have set up a motorcycle museum at the side.

Back on the road to La Seu, you are now getting into the high uplands with magnificent, blue-brown slabs of mountain rising sheer from the valley. You are skirting the Oliana reservoir which continues for about 5 miles. Please take extra care. This stretch of the C14 is notoriously accident-prone but stunningly pretty. At Coll de Nargó, just before you enter the narrow gorge of the river Segre, you will see various roadside sellers of honey, bottled fruit and other country produce such as rovellons (yellow fleshy wood-mushrooms) in the autumn, but it is true to say that you find much better prices in the shops in Organyà, the next town, especially on market day every Sunday. In that town, old-established Cal Jesus is often recommended to us as a dependable restaurant. Finally you go through the new Montant de Tost tunnel after which the valley widens out as you begin the approach to La Seu d'Urgell.

You might now be anxious to press on the last 10kms to Andorra. That could be a mistake. Firstly, you will see the Hotel del Castell on your right hand side. Apart from the beautifully-landscaped old castle ruins - with the regulation incredible view over the town to the Cadí mountains range - you have here one of Spain's finest restaurants, with wine list and service to match. You shouldn't miss a visit to the mediaeval town centre either. The cathedral is the oldest in Spain and in the precincts you will also see the Prince-Bishop's palace and the part of the same building which is international territory, representing his residence as Co-Prince of a foreign State: Andorra. If you go down the wide steps at the end of the Old High Street (àntic carrer major ) you will be in the Parc del Segre which was created for the canoe and kayak disciplines of the 1992 Olympic Games. The park is now open to the public for training and associated leisure activities.

The border is 10kms from La Seu. Go through Sant Julià and on through to Andorra la Vella, the capital. It is not easy to get lost if you stick to the main road. If you are coming to stay in the Pal, Arinsal, La Massana and Ordino areas, follow the signs to La Massana. In the centre of the town bear left at the roundabout to Arinsal. Drive up through Erts into Arinsal and you will find our reception office on the right hand side, in the widest part of the long main road.

If you are staying in the Soldeu/El Tarter areas, follow the signs to Encamp and then Canillo. Immediately on entering the town you will see our reception office on the right hand side.

From Girona/Costa Brava
Do not attempt the route via Olot and Ripoll unless you have plenty of time. It takes at least three hours over winding mountain roads and is not for the impatient. Use the C25 cross-Catalonia trunk route and come off at Manresa where the signs indicate Puigcerdà/Andorra/Túnel del Cadí. The route goes via Berga and the 5km Cadí Tunnel. The toll is not cheap at 8€ each way but you can get a small discount if you pay with cash - not by credit card - and ask for a return ticket. Follow signs to La Seu d'Urgell and Andorra. Now follow our directions at the end of the 'From Barcelona' section

Bon viatge!