Andorra by Campervan: A Weekend Discovering Breathtaking Views

We’d decided to cross the Principality of Andorra by campervan for two reasons: to find some relief from the heat in the mountains, and to add a flag (number 17!) to the countries visited together with Sakè, our globetrotting kitten, and of course Olimpia, our rottweiler with a sweet face but a strong-willed character.

Our entry into Andorra wasn’t the smoothest, thanks to a wasp that gave us a nasty quarter of an hour and sent us on a hospital detour before the border. Looking back, that episode is actually pretty funny — if you want to see it, we captured it all in this video  .

Andorra: what to visit by campervan in a weekend

Andorra la Vella is the capital of Andorra, sitting at 1,023 m altitude and nicknamed the “Capital of the Pyrenees”. Although everywhere you’re told not to miss the Plaça del Poble and admire Saint Stephen’s Church from the outside, we much preferred reaching the nearby Plaça de la Rotonda, where you can admire the Noblesa del Temps, a surrealist bronze sculpture by Salvador Dalí overlooking the river, made up of angels and demons and a typical melting clock.

After the obligatory photo, we left all the city concrete behind to take refuge in the greenery of the surrounding mountains.

If you’d rather stay in Andorra la Vella town, you can visit the Casa de la Vall, home to the National Parliament, stroll along the Passeig del Rec del Solà trail, admire boutiques and jewellery shops on Meritxell Avenue, take a tour around the various shopping centres, head to the Caldea thermal complex (the largest, and according to many the most beautiful, in Europe), stop just half an hour from the city to reach nearby Meritxell and visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady, go all in on adrenaline at Naturlandia, an amusement park where you can spot wolves, bears, lynxes, deer, marmots and ibexes, or ride the world’s longest toboggan run, jump on the Xtreme Jumps and much more.

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As we mentioned, we instead escaped into the greenery and stayed two days in a free car park with four campervan spots, overlooking the valley, with plenty of nature walks nearby, a small climbing wall, a Tibetan bridge to cross back and forth suspended over the river, and a group of marmots as neighbours wishing us good morning and good night.

Where to stay overnight by campervan

Here are the four spots where we stayed overnight:

• The first spot we parked at, in Sant Julià de Lòria  , was the one by the shopping centre. It’s very close to the Spanish border and allows free water fill-up and waste disposal. A concrete lot, but better than nothing!

• In Andorra la Vella town we parked here  for free between 1pm and 3pm, reaching the city centre in a 10-minute walk.

• This was our favourite spot  for two days right in nature. You can go for walks and cool off in the river. The maximum stay allowed is 48 hours.

• This free car park  for campervans is very handy as a last stop before crossing into France, or right after leaving the country having visited Ariège. It’s located near a couple of ski resorts, where you’ll also find free wifi.

Important note

Andorra is famous for its status as a tax haven, which encourages duty-free trade. Remember to fill up on petrol or diesel in this Principality: in July 2023 we paid 1.2 euros per litre! If you enjoy cigarettes you’ll also find them here by the carton at great prices, along with liquor and chocolate (we paid 5 euros for 1 kg of dark chocolate — a real treat).