By: Bound2explore                                 January 24, 2018

 

Could you possibly visit three countries; Andorra, French and Spain in one day? If you live on North America Continent, it seems impossible to do that.  Since the continent is quite large and some states like Texas or California are bigger than some countries in Europe. But if you happen to live in Europe or visiting Europe, then you can easily do that. In fact you can totally enjoy one city in each country. If you are short on time and want to experience what Europe has to offer then this itinerary will be perfect for you. So how to visit Andorra, French and Spain in one day?

The easiest way is to start the trip from Barcelona, Spain. My original plan was to visit Andorra by doing a scenic road trip through the Pyrenees. Pyrenees is a range of mountains that form a natural border between Spain and French. Since it only takes 2 hours and 40 minutes travel time by car between Barcelona and Andorra, a day trip make a perfect sense. Then of course I found out that I can stretch the trip to other countries in the vicinity.

Here is my itinerary to Andorra, French and Spain in one day. At the break of the dawn, we drove to the village of Baga, Spain. Baga is a well preserved medieval village. When you stroll along its cobble stones road, town square and old medieval church you will feel like you have been transported to the medieval era. It seems the village has stood in time. Everything in this city looks very old. If you are into renaissance fair, then definitely make a stop at Baga.

Then we headed to Ax Les Thermes, France. Ax les Thermes is located in the heart of Pyrenees Mountain close to the Spanish border. A drive through Pyrenees Mountain is like a fairy tale come to live. You can see the scenery change from colorful autumn to all white snow covered mountain. Due to the altitude, winter come early in the Pyrenees.

Since Ax les Thermes is also close to Andorra, visiting this UNESCO world heritage listed town is a must on this road trip. This mountain town is well known for spa destination and sulphurous hot spring. But if you are not interested in paying for a spa. Then you can check out its free hot spring pool, Bassin des Ladres. You can soak your feet and chill at Bassin des Ladress. Bassin des Ladres or the Lepers’ pond were developed during medieval time to treat the soldiers returning from the crusade who were afflicted by leprosy. From here you can walk around the town, grab a lunch, and play with hot spring fountain that spray from the ground at the town square.

Our last stop is La Vella, Andorra. Andorra is a famous ski destination in Europe since it is situated strategically in the eastern Pyrenees Mountain and bordered by France in the north and Spain in the South. When we reached Andorra, the landscape is completely white covered by snow. The view from a look out point is simply amazing.

If skiing is not your thing, the next best thing you can do in Andorra is shopping. La Vella which is the largest city in Andorra offers many items you can shop and it is a duty free shopping. So you don’t have to pay tax. How nice! Other things you can do in Andorra are visiting a massive spa resort in Escaldes-Engordany and walking around the city of La Vella. You can spot Salvador Dali’s art work while exploring La Vella by foot.

We concluded our trip at night and drove back to Barcelona. So next time you visit Europe, take a road trip through the Pyrenees to Andorra, French and Spain in one day.