From fresh powder to fine dining, here’s why Andorra should be your next winter getaway

23.10.2023 - 12:29 / nationalgeographic.com

Come winter, snow falls thick and fast on the craggy peaks and forested valleys of this micronation, drawing skiers and boarders to the slopes. With many resorts set at an altitude of around 2,000 metres, you’ll find some of Europe’s finest powder and freeriding terrain here. Along with its spa offerings, back-to-nature adventures and restaurants elevating slope-side food to gourmet levels, Andorra certainly gives the Alps a run for its money. Après-ski here means vermouths in backstreet wine bars and lounge terraces serving cocktails views of the peaks. Here are five reasons to make it your next winter break. 

Andorra’s snow record is exceptional, with much of the skiing and boarding happening above the magic 2,000-metre mark. The resort of Grandvalira has 188 miles of well-groomed, easy-to-navigate slopes, with arresting views of the ragged Pyrenees, plus, a single ski pass covers the lot. With Andorra hosting the FIS Speed Skiing World Cup, the snow has never been more appealing. Beginners and families gravitate towards Pal Arinsal, but if it’s heart-stopping black runs you crave, Soldeu is the go-to for extreme descents. At 2,080 metres, sky-high Pas de la Casa parties as hard as it skis. With pristine powder, Andorra excels with challenging off-piste and freeride terrain, too, especially in Ordino Arcalís, a stop on the Freeride World Tour. The Grandvalira app points out marked routes for off-piste and mountain skiing. Or for a brush with the white wilderness, go ski mountaineering.

If you want to rest up after skiing, Andorra has carved out a niche as one of Europe’s foremost mountain spa destinations. Most fabulous of the lot is the Caldea, a vast complex of pools, whirlpool baths and grotto-like Indo-Roman baths, where you relax in 34C thermal waters and gaze up at the peaks from a bubble bed. Float above the Gran Valira River in a panoramic lagoon and give your immune system a boost in Icelandic baths that run geyser hot and glacier cold. Many hotels offer slope-side relaxation, too, including Diamond Spa at Grand Plaza Hotel, with its hydrotherapy circuit, hot-stone beds and sauna, while Sport Wellness Mountain Spa, at Hermitage Mountain Residences, has mountain-facing hydrotherapy baths, hot tubs, saunas and luscious treatments.

It’s not all about the adrenaline rush. As lovely as the summits are, there’s much beauty to be found in snow-frosted forests, mountain valleys and icy lakes at lower elevations. Slip on snowshoes and relish the silence on marked trails twisting into the frozen wilds beyond the resorts of Ordino Arcalís, Grandvalira-Canillo and Pal Arinsal. All resorts rent out equipment so you can go it alone, or book a guided two-hour snowshoeing night walk at Grau Roig, padding