Andorra

Due mainly to the mountainous nature of Andorra, there is only one road entering Andorra from France, and only one widely-used road entering Andorra from Spain. Almost all entry into the country happens at one of these two points.

Shopping

Andorra la Vella is a tax haven and thus typical duty free shopping goods, such as perfumes, cigarettes and alcohol, are popular purchases. On any given day the capital will have lots of people from Spain and France who've driven up for a shopping trip.

By bus

If you have a few days in Andorra, then you can easily visit most of the main villages by the local bus service operated by Cooperativa Interurbana Andorrana, S.A. There is a journey planner called Mou-te (iOS, Android). Tickets can also be bought directly in the app. However, there is about 30% discount on return tickets, which can only be purchased at the driver (in cash). The app supports single tickets and passes only.

Andorra is the only country in the world that has Catalan as its sole official language. Street signs are in Catalan, and it doesn't hurt to learn a few words. But almost everyone speaks Spanish as well, and French and Portuguese are widely spoken too. If you plan to visit there, it would be advisable to have at least some basic skills in Spanish, since English is spoken very little, most of the time at hotels. Bus/taxi drivers, shop employees or other service personnel will hardly understand if…

There is not much threat from other people in Andorra, but keep safe on mountains. Don't go too high without knowing what you are doing. See Altitude sickness for more. Drivers are warned to avoid crossing back into France if the Spanish side of the Pyrenees has enjoyed beautiful warm sunshine all day and the road temperatures drop considerably towards the evening – there is danger of black ice from ice melt. The weather in the French Pyrenees is frequently vastly different than that of Andorra and the Spanish Pyrenees. Stay overnight if necessary, as cold morning temperatures are more apparen…

The main hospital in Andorra is the Meritxell (pronounced merichai) Hospital (+376 871 000). Tap water is drinkable, though if you're coming from far away it's possible the local microbes and minerals may upset your stomach at first. As in many places, bottled water is safest.

Cellular service

Andorra's telecom providers are not part of the EU roaming zone so turn off your cell phone if you want to avoid hefty roaming charges, unless your plan allows you to roam in Andorra. If you wish to purchase a local SIM for use during your time in Andorra, Andorra Telecom sells SIMs for €15 with €15 credit preloaded. This is enough to purchase 1.5 GB of data.

Andorra is not part of Spain or France, and people could be offended if you say that it is.