Getting around Andorra without a car, or with one

Andorra is small but steep, and that shapes how you get about. Almost everything lines up along two valleys that meet at Andorra la Vella, and the roads and national buses follow them. Here’s what’s available, what it costs and what I’d choose depending on why you’ve come.

National buses, my first choice

Seven regular lines start from Andorra la Vella and reach every parish. The L1 links Escaldes with Sant Julià. Up the eastern road run the L2 (Encamp), L3 (Soldeu) and L4 (Pas de la Casa), and up the northern valley the L5 (Arinsal), L6 (Ordino and La Cortinada) and L7 (La Massana). On top of those there’s the Express between Escaldes and Sant Julià and the Night Bus.

Singles cost between €1.90 and €4.80 depending on the zone, and on the valley floor buses come every 12 to 20 minutes on weekdays. The tourist board sums it up well, the further out you go, the less often they run. Timetables, zones and passes are in Andorra buses, and the building most of them leave from, with left luggage and ski storage, is in Andorra la Vella bus station.

Is a car worth it in Andorra?

It depends on the trip. A package ski week with the lift outside the hotel, no. A weekend of shopping and Caldea in the capital, no again, because Andorra la Vella and Escaldes run into each other on foot and council parking costs €2 an hour. Hiking, lakes, dawn starts or skiing when the buses don’t run, yes.

That last point isn’t hypothetical. On the September 2026 timetable the L3 to Soldeu doesn’t run on Sundays and on weekdays only runs early morning and afternoon. If you’re in the capital and want to ski Soldeu on a Sunday, you’ll struggle without wheels. The rules of the road, snow chains and border queues are in driving to Andorra.

Cable cars and shuttles to the slopes

In winter the lifts become part of the transport network. From Encamp, the Funicamp reaches Grandvalira in about 25 minutes, and Encamp’s council runs a free Funibus linking the parish with the cable car. Grandvalira also runs a free Ski Bus between its sectors for customers.

In La Massana, Pal Arinsal has gondolas from the village and from Arinsal plus a free bus from La Massana, according to the tourist board, and Ordino Arcalís has free buses and parking along the CG-3.

Getting about with skis

In the ski season the trick is combining options. Laden with kit, the easiest set-up is a hotel at a lift base or beside a frequent stop such as those on the L4 towards Pas de la Casa. If you arrive by coach before your room is ready, the bus station has ski storage you can book online. Between Grandvalira’s sectors, the free Ski Bus saves you moving the car mid-day. At Pal Arinsal the gondolas leave from La Massana and Arinsal themselves, so a hotel in either village makes a car almost unnecessary for a ski week, and the L5 and L7 connect both with the capital for an evening out.

Taxis, e-bikes and walking

The tourist board describes taxis for local, intercity and international trips, with ranks in town centres, shopping areas and stations, and a daily shared taxi service to Barcelona. I haven’t found official taxi fares, so I’d agree the price before getting in.

For valley excursions it suggests electric bikes, which make a lot of sense in a country of hills. And for the towns, walking wins. The Shopping Mile, which runs for over 1.5 km from Avinguda Meritxell to Vivand, is partly pedestrianised and easy to cover on foot.

Getting home after a night out

The Night Bus has two guaranteed services every night of the year and runs fully on Fridays, Saturdays and holiday eves from 22:30 to 5:30. The BN1 links Andorra la Vella, Escaldes and Sant Julià with hourly departures from the bus station, the BN2 goes up to Canillo and the BN3 to Ordino and Arinsal. Given Andorra’s drink-driving penalties, it’s the sensible way back.

The sightseeing bus, on the other hand, didn’t run in summer 2026, according to the tourist board. For getting to Andorra in the first place, see how to get to Andorra.