Andorra in autumn, colour, fairs and the first snow

Autumn is the season Andorra keeps for people in no hurry. The summer crowds leave, the woods change colour, the parishes fill October with fairs and, at the end, snow returns to the peaks. Here’s what each month is like, what’s on the 2026 calendar and where I’d go.

From high mountains to first snow

Down in the valley the normal mean slides from 15.2°C (59°F) in September to 11.4°C (53°F) in October and 6.3°C (43°F) in November, based on meteo.ad’s figures. That’s the steepest fall of the year, almost nine degrees in three months. The tourist board also notes that autumn, like summer, brings the most rain, and that the peaks usually turn white around November.

That makes three different autumns. September is still summer in the mountains, with routes above 1,700 metres recommended until the end of the month. October is the month of woods and fairs. November is a changeover month, with Caldea, shopping and eyes on the ski season. The first of the three has its own guide, Andorra in September.

Autumn colour

Andorra’s autumn has its own look. In the Sorteny valley in Ordino the woods turn colour above El Serrat, and at the Cortals of Encamp the meadows dry out around the old stone bordas, which families used to occupy through the warmer months. For me they’re the two most photogenic places of the season, and Sorteny is covered in Sorteny valley. On the plate, it’s mushroom season, which the tourist board lists among mountain cooking’s staples, with ceps, saffron milk caps and fairy ring mushrooms.

The 2026 calendar

September starts with the national holiday, the most important date in the Andorran calendar. The 8th, Meritxell Day, is one of the four dates a year when you won’t find a shop open. It has its own page, Andorra national day.

October 2026 is busy. The Andorra Trail is dated 9 to 11 October, starting and finishing in Escaldes-Engordany. The Fira d’Andorra, held over the weekend of 23 to 25 October in the capital’s main park, is one of the places where Grandvalira sells season passes. More cultural dates that month are gathered in Andorra events. The Mercat de la Vall market bows out until May on the first Saturday of October, and the tourist board’s food calendar places La Massana Fogons and the livestock fairs of the capital and Canillo in October, and Ordino’s food show in November, alongside the food event the tourist board calls Andorra a Taula.

Walking in autumn, with two warnings

October is good for mid-level walks, with time left before the snow. In 2026 the Madriu valley’s activity programme runs until 10 October, the Ordino zip-line park until late November and the fishing season until mid-November. Route ideas are in hiking in Andorra.

The two warnings are common sense. First, light, as days shorten and the Andorran police advise getting back before dark or carrying a head torch. Second, hunting. The Madriu’s rules ask walkers from September to February to stay on the paths and wear visible clothing, and I’d apply the same rule in any valley.

What closes and what opens

Autumn closes things in stages. The Pal Arinsal Bike Park’s autumn 2026 weekends run from 19 September to 12 October. On 1 November both the Llorts mine and the Tristaina solar viewpoint shut for the season. Naturland keeps its lower area, with the Tobotronc, open at weekends from mid-October to 22 November 2026, and starts its cross-country ski season on 28 November. The alpine resorts wait until 4 December.

From 1 November, chains or winter tyres are compulsory again, until 15 May.

My autumn

Given the choice, the second half of September, with the lakes still walkable and the crowds gone. For October, a weekend with a walk in Sorteny or the Cortals, an evening at Caldea and the Fira if it fits. For November, I’d treat it as the run-up to winter, a quiet month for Caldea, shopping and the first snowy walks, and a good moment to lock in a ski week or a season pass while the early prices still apply, covered in Andorra in winter. Whatever the month, pack a proper travel insurance policy, as a GHIC is no use in Andorra. Each month also has its own guide with its listings, Andorra in October and Andorra in November.