Earlier this month, I went running in Andorra. Now, I use the term ‘running’ loosely - when in the mountains, the ascents are steep, and the descents aren’t fast and flowing like those around the Chamonix Valley. I spent a lot of my time power-hiking and cautiously jogging downhill, when I wasn’t scrambling. Nevertheless, if you like to move your body and want quick access to the mountains by foot, public transport or cable car, Andorra is a great option. I’ve put together this blog post with information about my trip (and photos - all on 35mm film!) to make it easier for anyone looking for an adventure.
There still isn’t much out there about traveling in Andorra, so hopefully this is helpful – take a look, start planning, or pin for later.
Itinerary
Wednesday: Manchester T3 to Barcelona T2.
Knowing which terminal you are arriving at is important, as you can book the DirectBus to pick you up from outside the terminal. The coach took around 3 hours and has Wi-Fi onboard – it’s a smooth journey and dropped me at the bus station in the centre of Andorra la Vella. From here you can take either the L5 or L6 bus up the hill to the hostel.
Many people base themselves in Andorra la Vella, which isn’t a particularly nice city really. I opted for La Massana instead, and I’m really glad I did. An alternative could be Encamp or Soldeu.
One of the great things about Andorra is the public transport. Before I left, I couldn’t find much information at all about how to get around, but there is a great bus system that gets you to almost everywhere you will want to go. The buses aren’t on Google Maps, you can use the moovit app to find bus times. Generally they run every 20-30 minutes.
Thursday: Llorts Shakeout (14k).
After getting in quite late on Wednesday, I wanted to start Thursday with an easy jog near the hostel, in order to get a feel for the place (and the altitude – La Massana is at about 1250m). I jogged up the road for about a mile towards Ordino, before getting onto the trail that leads up the valley. There’s plenty of signage around, and I had a quick glance at maps.me before I set off. It’s a simple trial that follow the river, slightly uphill on the way out. A lovely trail for shaking out.
In the afternoon I headed back down to the centre, and visited Caldea (link) to relax and soak in my first day. Caldea is a Thermoludic Spa that’s worth the visit – it costs around £40, and has a number of pools, jacuzzis, saunas, ice baths etc. If I was to visit again, I’d probably opt to go earlier in the morning for a quieter visit.
Friday: Refugi Comapedrosa (13k, 1100m vert).
My first day in the mountains. From outside the hostel, I jumped onto the L5 bus to Arinsal where I started the run to the hut. After heading through the tunnel, the trail quickly goes steep uphill, and it’s pretty relentless from then on – this became a common theme on my days in the mountains. The trail to the hut is fairly short, around 5k, and winds its way up into a beautiful valley. Here I found the Refugi Comapedrosa (2260m), nearby Estany de les Truites, with the mighty Comapedrosa mountain, the tallest in Andorra, standing proudly behind it.
Unfortunately, Friday was a pretty moody day – I started this hike in a brief weather window, but after having a flapjack in the hut, the wind started to get up again and the rain started to fall. So, instead of hiking to the top, I followed the shorter 13K route I’d found (link). I headed up to Coll del Port Vell, before descending via the Arinsal winter resort. Due to the ski infrastructure, the second half isn’t the prettiest, however it’s a runnable descent which was pleasant. Next time I’d like to make a loop up to the peak, as somebody I met on the trip said the climb is fun and views are great – here’s a link to that route (link).
Saturday: Refugi Juclar (14k, 650m vert).
After familiarising myself with the area around La Massana, I wanted to spend Saturday a little further afield. I took the bus down to the centre, then jumped on the L4 towards Soldeu (€5 return). This run starts relatively flat besides the river, then becomes quite steep a few kms from the shelter, which is situated near two beautiful lakes. This is quite a popular trek, but enjoyable nonetheless - at the hut you can get drinks, snacks or meals. I spent some time exploring near the lakes, before mostly good running on the descent. This was another really pleasant day out. You don’t really need a map for this one, just stay besides the river and follow the signs – however, one can be found on Komoot if necessary.
Sunday: Pool Day + Shakeout.
Knowing I had a bigger day tomorrow, I took it easy hanging out by the pool in La Massana – another plus for staying up there. There are probably other swimming pools around the country, but this one is only a few minutes walk and is fairly quiet. It’s called the Piscina Prat del Molí and costs €12 to enter for the day, or €9 if you enter after 3pm. I stocked on snacks from the Carrefour next the hostel, and spent most of the day swimming and reading Elena Ferrante. The pool does get a little busier in the afternoon, with what appeared to be a kids club, but despite that, it’s a good place to chill, with views of the mountains. In the evening I did a 5k shakout towards Ordino to check where my route started for the following day.
Monday: Pic de Casamanya (26k, 1500m vert).
On the bus on my first evening, I saw Casamanya (2740m) looming over Ordino and knew I wanted to climb it. On Monday, I set off from the hostel early and jogged over to Ordino to start the ascent. From early on, I realised again, this route (link) wasn’t going to be particularly runnable, instead a good solid hike. As I worked through the forest, it felt like a build up to the main climb, occasionally catching glimpses of the peak through the trees. Once at the Coll, you can see the top, and then it’s just about powering up the last several hundred meters.
At the south peak, I had a short rest enjoying a sandwich, then made my way over towards the north peak before the scrambly descent. As per the route plan, the descent section of Casamanya to Coll d'Arenes is equipped with chains, but is manageable for even those who are inexperienced – just take it steady. The rest of the descent it ok, with runnable sections, but I did get frustrated when I kept loosing sight of the correct path. You can pretty much go whichever way you want down through the valley, but without being on the path it’s a bit rubbish underfoot. If I’d have known, I would’ve planned this as more of a hike, and not got too excited about a fast decent that wasn’t to be.
Tuesday: Telecabina d’Encamp.
Pretty tired after a bigger day yesterday, I started Tuesday looking for a decent coffee – the only downside to Andorra is the lack of good coffee. However, I eventually found what I was looking for in Andorra la Vella at Kofi, a nice coffeeshop in the city, that also serves a delightful bagel. From there, I took the L2 bus to Encamp, and then the cable car from into the mountains (€13.50) – this is one of the longest cable cars in Europe, taking around 15 minutes to get to the top. After a walk around, I had a beer at the restaurant and read my book for a while. The food looked appetising, and there seems to be a heaps of routes you could run in the area. If I was to go again, I’d probably do this route (link), exploring a string of 19 lakes in the mountains. After heading back to La Massana, I did another 6k easy shakeout in the evening, getting ready for tomorrow.
Wednesday: Track Workout (10k).
One of the reasons I came to Andorra in the first place was seeing this video (link) of Hayden Wilde and Sam Tanner ripping it on the track, with the mountains towering behind. Therefore, I needed to pay a visit myself. A bus to Andorra la Vella and a short walk gets you to the sports complex where its €3.15 to enter. There is a nice six lane track that can be used, but I think it’s only open in the mornings. Be aware that the infield is sometimes used by the football team, so I imagine the earlier you go the better. As the track is at over 1000m altitude, I chose to do a short 6 x 800m session off long recoveries, then 4 x 200 (200) to wake the legs up, followed be a chill afternoon back at the pool.
Thursday: Estanys de Tristiana (8k, 500m vert).
What makes Andorra so incredible is the accessibility, but I had heard getting to this trail was a bit of a pain without a car. The trail starts in Arcalis, and this is one of the few places that the buses don’t run to. However, being my last day, I made the decision to get as far as I could using public transport, and then run, hike or hitch to the trailhead. I started by jogging over to Ordino, taking a mini-bus to El Serrat (€0.20), and then I quickly managed to find a ride for the final 5kms to the starting point. This is another fairly busy trail, despite being tricky to get to, but rightly so. It’s a short, steep trail to three beautiful lakes, where I spent hours exploring and paddling – there are plenty of routes up the surrounding mountains too. Again, there is not much need for a map for this one, as it’s well-marked, just follow the yellow dot trail. After returning to the car-park, I managed to hitch a ride all the way back to my hostel, which was great, and gave me some time to go for a swim in the pool one last time. Andorra is one of the safest countries in the world, so I have no concerns suggesting that hitching a ride is a reasonable way of being able to visits these lakes.
Friday: Barcelona T2 to Manchester T3.
An early start meant getting a taxi from the hostel to the bus station - thankfully taxis run all night. A return DirectBus took me back to the airport for my flight home, with lots of time to reflect on an incredible week.
Additional Information
Flights: Although I flew into Barcelona, you can also get to Andorra by flying to Toulouse, Carcassone, Perpignan, Girona and Reus.
Transfers: I went with DirectBus which cost me €59 for a return trip, however I saw other bus companies also offering transfers so may be worth looking for alternatives..
Hostel: Font Hostel is a great place to stay. My room had it’s own ensuite, which I think they all do and would be great if traveling as a group and booking out the whole room. It also has a common room, where there is a fridge, kettle, microwave and storage space for food, along with free tea and coffee. It was €218.59 for 9 night in a 6-bed dorm.
Restaurants: I didn’t eat out much on this trip, but a few places in La Massana that I did try or others recommended are Pizzeria Restaurant Angelo, Restaurant Versió Original, La Minjadora and Hostal Palanques.
