Andorra: Terra Catalana and spas in Salou

Andorra: Terra Catalana and spas in Salou is written by Jacob Gowland Jørgensen.

The Faroe Islands or Andorra?

The Pyrenees are starting to tower up in front of us. We drove from the famous southern French castle town of Carcassonne towards Andorra an hour ago, a little unaware of what to see.

Suddenly there is a big sign with "Andorra" on it, and we think that was probably the border. We plow past on the highway that is starting to go up as the temperature drops steadily from the southern French 34 degrees in June.

The road is getting smaller all the time, and there are quite a few cars on the road that now meander between lush green mountains with lots of sheep on. As the fog sets in at some point, I come to think of my trips to Faroe Islands.

It's an absurd thought when you've just walked around it French riviera in shorts and sun hat. But the soft green mountains with the valleys in between seem clearly more North Atlantic than southern European. Also when the fog lifts and we can see the beautiful landscape again.

Since in the end there are no other cars at all, we arrive at a border post. So that was not the limit we passed earlier. There is still no one who bothers to look at us or our French rental car, so we roll on and then see a strange sight.

A city of a kind in fierce colors like a shopping mall located in the middle of the mountains. Somewhere I knew that Andorra is known as a duty-free shopping center in the region, but that it should exactly look like "Fleggaard meets the Faroe Islands", I had not just seen coming. We rush into a tunnel and drive on towards the capital Andorra la Vella.

In one of the smallest countries in the world

We quickly reach our hotel on the outskirts of town. And it undeniably looks like a ski hotel! Andorra is one of the smallest countries in the world. And with its nearly 500 square kilometers and only 77.000 inhabitants, the distances are not very great.

Our hotel father tells us that because they are right in the butter hole in between France og Spain and has cooler temperatures than the neighbors, it floods in with tourists all year round.

In summer the tourists come to escape the heat, and in winter to ski. And the few towns - or should we call it settlements - that run along the roads in the valleys, could easily look like Switzerland. These are heavy brown houses with lots of boulders and dark wood.

Shopping and ice-hunting in Andorra

The next day we drive into the capital, which has a clear Central European character and where a new surprise awaits. Catalan is spoken! It turns out to be the national language, and the whole style is clearly different from the neighbors. There is peace and order and tons of shops. 

The nicest shop is “La Botiga Danesa”, which despite its name is not filled with open sandwiches and Bornholm clocks. But with lovely travel items like globes, model airplanes and world maps.

There are also some less likeable items for sale in town. In a duty-free country, of course, there are quite a few tobacco shops, but it is more those all-good-from-the-lowest-common-denominator shops where you can buy all kinds of combat knives, assault weapons, cartridges and other unsympathetic items. I actually think that is repulsive, but there must obviously be a market for that kind…

I get to spend several hours looking at cameras, and even though it's a little cheaper than at home, it's not that wildly cheap, so I drop it again.

The climate development has obviously also reached the mountains here, because the usual 22 degrees this summer has become 30 degrees. The locals grumble and go into hives at the cafes.

We are looking for a few good ice creams, but it has not reached the mountain country. Instead, we go to a restaurant and watch World Cup football while chewing our way through some excellent local food.

I can sense that we are clearly in the minority at the restaurant because we agree Argentina against France. But as you know, "Les Bleus" pulled out victoriously, so the Francophile locals and the many tourists had a good afternoon.

Here are some great holiday packages to Spain - press "select" to get the final price

… More shopping in Andorra

We decide that we want to go up and look at one of the few available nature attractions that are in the country. Apparently there has not been enough shopping in the previous holiday week, so it takes a really long time to get through the pedestrian zone. And eventually we drop it and drive back to the hotel.

We overtake a lot of cyclists, and Andorra clearly has a great fondness for the wheeled sport, because there are several signs with "Andorra, land of cyclists" and signs that show how to drive as a motorist in relation to the cyclists who come here due to the good and hilly roads. However, they do not exactly have bike paths, but the roads are quite wide, so it works very well.

The next morning we drive towards Spain, but it is significantly less easy than getting into the country. There are, in fact, bicycle races, and there is one that has been squashed, so that the entire urban area comes to a standstill while the ambulances are driving.

We look ahead and can see that there are many on the other side who want to enter the country. It's Sunday and the summer holidays have just started in Spain and the cars have obviously been packed for a trip in the mountains.

Here are some delicious hotels in Andorra - click on "see offer" to get the final price

From Andorra to Ferrari country in PortAventura

A few hours later we stop at the beach in Salou, which is south of Barcelona. We have been so lucky to win tickets to a large theme park, which includes Ferrariland with Europe's wildest slide.

Or slide is perhaps so little said, for it sounds like a Ferrari while accelerating vertically up to 110 meters. And it looks like a Ferrari when it reaches 180 km per hour in 5 seconds in a completely vertical fall!

It is deeply fascinating to look at, and interestingly, no one screams when they drive over the edge and vertically down. Not one, while I look at it. Maybe they're dying - or just think they are. But when it then flattens out again, they wake up and scream their lungs out.

Luckily there is a long queue, so I skip it. Instead, I get to try everything else in PortAventura, as the whole area is called. It's actually a lot of fun, because there's something for everyone. Especially those where you sail down artificial rivers and indoor 4D experiences in eg "The Temple of Fire", is a hit.

You have to remember to play so that you do not become too grown up, so we do.

Click here for car rental in the South of France - click on "see offer" to get the final price

The holiday continues

At night we stay in one of the park's beautiful hotels and sleep like small children after the day's experiences. The next day we start all over again with a drone of a breakfast buffet in the rumen.

On the third day we throw ourselves over the wetland's wet experiences. It's a lot of fun and we leave tired and happy. The destination is Montpellier, where we flew to with Norwegian, and where the rental car must be dropped off at the airport.

There are many on the way on summer vacation, so we get rid of the worst hordes and come home to blazing sun in Dannevang.

It was actually a pretty nice summer vacation.

Really good trip to one of the smallest countries in the world, Andorra!

See all articles and travel deals to France here