A week in Andorra, seven days to reach its mountain lakes

A week in Andorra sounds a lot for a country of 468 km², and it would be if you only came for villages and shops. Four days cover those. A week makes sense when you want to go up, because the best of the country lies above 2,000 m and each lake or high valley wants a day of its own. Here’s the plan I’d follow in summer, with the winter version at the end.

Two bases, and why

I’d split the week in two. The first three nights in Escaldes-Engordany, with the capital, Caldea and the Madriu entrance on foot and the south close by. The next four in Ordino, the calmest valley, with Tristaina, Sorteny and the Coll d’Ordino road over to Canillo. The tourist tax, €1 to €3 a head each night for over-15s depending on the hotel, stops after the seventh night, so a week is exactly the maximum.

Days 1 to 3, capital, Madriu and the south

Day one is arrival and the capital on foot, with the old quarter, Avinguda Meritxell and an afternoon at Caldea. Day two is the Madriu valley, which you walk into from Escaldes. With strong legs, the full route is 13.6 km and 1,180 m of climbing; otherwise, I’d walk up to the Fontverd hut and back down the same way, finishing the afternoon at Engolasters lake.

Day three goes to the south, which almost everyone skips. Santa Coloma with the Espai Columba, €7, the Arc Patrimonial walk to the Margineda bridge and, in the afternoon, Sant Julià de Lòria.

Days 4 and 5, the eastern lakes

On day four, as you change bases, I’d take in the Incles valley, closed to cars in summer and served by an electric train. From km 3 of its road, a 4.57 km path climbs 465 m to the Juclar lakes, the first of them, at 21 ha, the largest in the country. From there, over the Coll d’Ordino to your new base. The Juclar hut sits on the shore and serves meals in summer, so this is also the day to swap a hotel bed for a night in the mountains if you fancy it.

Day five is the Pessons lakes, starting from the Cubil, Grau Roig’s car park. The first lake is 1.5 km away; the long version climbs 707 m in just under 6 km to the col. In the afternoon, the Envalira pass at 2,408 m and a wander round Pas de la Casa.

What to save for the end of the week?

The two gentlest days. Day six is Ordino Arcalís, with the three Tristaina lakes on a 4.39 km circuit and, if you still have energy, the solar viewpoint at 2,701 m, whose access stays open until 1 November 2026. In the afternoon, the Casa d’Areny-Plandolit in the village, for €7.

Day seven, to say goodbye, the Comapedrosa park, with its 1.2 km interpretive trail from Arinsal, or the Sorteny botanical garden, with close to 300 species. If you fancy it, swap one hotel night for a staffed hut, Juclar or l’Illa, beside the two largest lakes in the country.

Before you head for the lakes

Five mountain days in a row call for a little planning. Andorra Turisme keeps the season for high routes to the summer, starting in the last days of June and closing with September, and the Andorran police stress early starts, checking the forecast for afternoon storms, carrying water, a windproof and a charged phone, and telling someone your route. For British walkers there’s one more point, since GOV.UK confirms the GHIC isn’t valid there; for a walking week, I’d buy travel insurance that includes mountain rescue. And pick up the free hut passport at any tourist office, which will keep you company all week.

The week in winter

With snow, the plan changes sport. Five ski days let you try all three resorts, two at Grandvalira, one at Pal Arinsal and one at Ordino Arcalís, plus a day of cross-country skiing at Naturland or snowshoeing, with the first or last day kept for the capital and Caldea. There’s snow open from 4-12-2026 to 4-4-2027, and day-pass prices move with demand, so for a week I’d compare them with the season pass. I go into it in skiing in Andorra. If you end up with fewer days, I trim this plan in the Andorra 4-day itinerary and the Andorra 3-day itinerary.