Casa de la Muntanya, the tourist office that explains the mountains

In Ordino, the tourist office isn’t a counter full of leaflets. It’s inside Casa de la Muntanya, a centre devoted to the mountains in Casa Ferino, a mountain-style building halfway along Carrer Major. To me it’s the best first stop in the parish, especially if you’re going walking.

Three floors to understand the mountains

It opened in June 2020, at the same time as the Ordino tourist office. On the first floor they’ll tell you about the parish and the country, and from there you move into the Discovery Zone, with touch screens and an interactive model of Andorra showing paths, peaks and valleys. A virtual reality area with Andorra’s mountain landscapes and a projection area round it off.

A mountain lab

Casa de la Muntanya is also a Mountain Living Lab, a space where businesses, government and research centres such as CENMA, the snow and mountain studies centre, develop systems to measure and monitor snow management. The Comú d’Ordino’s Tourism and Environment departments work here too.

It makes sense for it to be here. The whole valley has carried UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status since 2020, and this centre was created to share the idea of conserving the mountains while still making a living from them. The Sorteny valley is the best place to see that on the ground afterwards.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Casa de la Muntanya and pick one that fits your day.

Making the most of it

I’d go in on arriving in the village, get my bearings with the model and carry on along Carrer Major to Casa d’Areny-Plandolit and the parish church of Sant Corneli i Sant Cebrià. If you’re walking, they’ll help you choose among the routes I cover in hiking in Andorra.

Getting there

On weekdays an L6 bus leaves the capital for Ordino every half hour, and the L7 also comes in from La Massana. Casa Ferino is on Carrer Major, in the very centre, so you walk from the stop.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Andorra la Vella before you arrive rather than at the desk.

What’s close by

The Sorteny Valley Nature Park, protected since 1999 and covering more than 1,000 hectares, lies at the head of the valley above El Serrat, and its staffed refuge is about 30 minutes’ walk from the car park. In the village, the Miniature Museum opens Monday to Saturday.

Who it’s for

For families and anyone walking in the parish, it’s the best first stop. For anyone who already knows Ordino well or only wants to ski, it adds little beyond tourist information. Visit it early in your stay rather than on the last day, because what you learn at the model helps you choose routes for the rest of your stay. The first-floor office can also advise on routes across the parish, which is useful before heading up to Sorteny or the other valleys. In my view, the touch screens and the model hold children’s attention far better than any leaflet could, and that’s why I’d bring children here first.

If you still need a way in, check the best ticket deals to Andorra la Vella from where you are.