Get to know Andorra
The country of the Pyrenees
Andorra
An unforgettable stay awaits in Andorra. Nestled high in the Pyrenees Mountains on the French-Spanish border, the Principality is a nation rich in culture and abundant in natural beauty. The nation’s capital and largest city is Andorra la Vella which is home to 23.000 residents. Andorra has a rich and vibrant culture and given its location, the nation is multilingual with the spoken languages being Catalan (official language), French, Spanish and Portuguese. Andorra is the 16th smallest country in the world by land – it is roughly a 40km drive from one side of the country to the other – and the 11th smallest by population. The Andorran currency is the Euro. Find out more on Visitandorra, the official Andorra tourism website.
Ordino
Ordino, an extraordinary valley for living nature and the mountains in their purest form.
Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO since October 2020, Ordino is one of the parishes that has best managed to conserve and respect the natural environment. At an altitude of 1,300 m, in an area of 85 km², where 33% of the territory is forests and with a population of 5,000 inhabitants, the landscape is presented as a unique value. Undoubtedly, Ordino represents an example of the integration of contemporary society in the middle of nature with a division of the territory formed by eight towns: Ordino, Sornàs, Segudet, Ansalonga, La Cortinada, Arans, Llorts and El Serrat. In all of them, the traditions and customs of rural life coexist with state-of-the-art facilities, a sustainable public transport service and a quality tourist offering designed for the whole family.
The town of Ordino preserves two of the most important houses in Andorra that are part of the national heritage. The Casa Rossell, donated by illustrious figures such as Antoni Fiter i Rossell, author of the Manual Digest, which includes Andorran customs and usages, and the Casa Museu d’Areny-Plandolit. The museum offer is extensive and some of the artistic jewels that are preserved are the Romanesque paintings in the church of Sant Martí de la Cortinada.
The richness of our heritage comes largely from the steel industry which became the main economic engine of the parish and Andorra, until the mid-nineteenth century when it began to decline. The value of the industry has lasted over time in the form of cultural heritage with the Iron Route to the Pyrenees, a cross-border route that includes the Basque Country, Catalonia, Andorra and France, and which received the honorable mention from the Council of ‘Europe in 2004. The Llorts iron mine, which can be visited, together with those of Sedornet and Meners de Ransol, fed the forges of the parish at the time.
Natural landscapes are always present and gain strength when we enter the Sorteny Valley Natural Park, a natural area of unique interest from a scientific, historical and educational point of view, but also aesthetic, landscape and recreational. We find Lake Estanyó and such emblematic peaks as La Serrera or L’Estanyó, natural viewpoints and a guarded refuge where you can rest and eat a good dish of escudella or trinxat.
In winter and on a good layer of snow, it is easy to practice skiing, freeride or downhill skiing at the resort of Ordino-Arcalís, just 22 km from the capital and 2,000-2,600 m d ‘altitude. The resort has become the center of attraction and a tourist engine for the area in both winter and summer for its range of activities and scenic walks with the Tristaina cable car that facilitates access to the path of the lakes of Tristan.
Outdoor sports enthusiasts find this valley an ideal place for training and practicing multiple disciplines such as cycling all year round, with three mountain passes; trail running; climbing; canyoning, all snow sports and of course hiking and trekking.
You will find where to eat, where to sleep, and more information on all that the Ordino Valley has to offer on the website www.ordino.ad.