Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre, three floors in a granite building

At the upper end of Avinguda Carlemany, among the shop windows, there’s a granite building that breaks Escaldes’ shopping script. It’s the Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre, the CAEE, and to me it’s the best cultural hour you can spend in the parish when it’s raining or too cold for the mountains.

A building with a story of its own

Celestí Gusí, the Catalan architect who best embodies Andorra’s so-called granite architecture, built it between 1932 and 1934 on commission from the monks of Montserrat. It first housed the village school and the Hotel Valira car park, and later, refitted, became the Cine Valira, Andorra’s first cinema. Before going in, walk round the outside.

Viladomat, temporary shows and Romanesque in miniature

The first floor belongs to Josep Viladomat, a sculptor born in Manlleu in 1899 who died in Escaldes-Engordany in 1989 and often visited the parish. Alongside his marble and bronze there are plaster casts and sketches, so you can see how he worked. The second floor hosts temporary exhibitions that change every six or twelve months, with workshops for schools.

The third is the one I wouldn’t miss. It holds one of the most complete collections of Romanesque scale models in the country, and going up feels like suddenly flying over the main churches. It’s ideal before touring the Romanesque churches of Andorra, and children are hooked.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre and pick one that fits your day.

How to visit

Visits can be self-guided or guided with commentary in Catalan, Spanish, French and English, capacity is limited and the building is accessible. The centre is part of the PassMuseu, and current hours and prices are on museus.ad. It also features in my round-up of Andorra’s museums, and it’s a stroll from Caldea and the rest of Escaldes-Engordany. In the capital, another free gallery is the Government Exhibition Hall.

Getting there

The lines that stop in Escaldes, the L1 and the Bus Exprés, drop you a stroll from the building. By car, the avenue is pedestrianised, so leave it in a nearby car park; the one at Illa Carlemany has 600 spaces.

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 else to see in the parish

Nearby is Sant Pere Màrtir, a 20th-century parish church in Romanesque style, decorated outside with ceramics by Sergi Mas. By the river, Espai Caldes completes the art trail, and to round off the day, there’s the thermal water at Caldea.

Who it’s for

For anyone planning a Romanesque route, the models are an excellent introduction, and for anyone travelling with children, a short visit that keeps them entertained. For shoppers, it’s a breather. If you’ve already seen plenty of models or sculpture museums, check which temporary show is on the second floor first. I’d give it about an hour, unhurried. Being free of crowds, it’s also a calm option on busy shopping weekends. The building itself is worth a look from the street even if you don’t go in.

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