Travellers usefull tips

Things to know about Andorra

Capital: Andorra la Vella

Religion: Catholicism

Language: Catalan. Most of the population speak north-western dialect of Catalan. Spanish and French are widely used, Portuguese is less popular.

Climate is mountain subtropical. The country is located in the highlands, that’s why it has snowy winters and cool summers. In the south, the climate is continental with dry summers. The average temperature of July is +20°C, in January −2°C. Country precipitations are 400-500mm per year. In mountain areas, in summer, the temperature ranges between +5 and +10°C; in winter – up to −15°C with precipitations of 500-700mm.

Currency: Euro. One euro = 100 cents. International sign is €. Circulated banknotes are in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros, and coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 euro cents.

Means of payment: cash – American dollars and euros. Across the country, goods and services are paid by credit cards. A wide range of cards are acceptable, including Visa, Mastercard and traveller’s cheques.

Currency exchange: Banks are usually open from 9:00am till 04:30pm – 05:00pm (they have a break from 12:00am to 02:00pm). You can also convert money at special exchange offices. You’re advised to convert a huge amount of money, because commission is fixed. In Andorra, commission of one way currency exchange is approx. 0.2% of the transaction.

Telephone communication: Country code – 376. You’d better call from a public phone box, than from a hotel room. Using the public phone box, you’ll pay by a special phone card (its value is €3-6), you can buy it at tobacco kiosks or post offices. There is reduced charge on weekends.
Mobile communication is expensive. It operates in GSM 900. Services are provided by STA (Mobiland). You can buy a sim-card only at company offices. Its price is €60 and the money go to your phone account.

Calls to Andorra from other countries: 8 – 10 – 376 (code of Andorra) – dialling code – phone number.

Calls from Andorra to other countries: 0 – 0 – country code – dialling code – phone number.

Useful phone numbers in Andorra:
Police – 110
Ambulance – 116
Fire Department – 118
Ski Rescue Service – 112
Telephone information (national / international) – 111/119
Information desk – 157
Central Tourist Service – 820-214
Information about exchange rates – 22-000, 822-003 (24-hours)

Time zone: UTC +1
Daylight Saving Time – UTC +2
Daylight saving time is the last Sunday of March at 2:00am (one hour ahead).
The transition to winter time is the last Sunday of October at 3:00am (one hour back).

Customs
You can bring into country duty-free:
- 1kg of coffee, up to 200gr of tea and 500gr of pastry;
- up to 75gr of perfume and 375ml of cologne;
- 1,5 l of alcohol beverage, which is more than 22%; or 3 l of fortified wine, less than 22%; up to 5 l of table wine;
- up to 300 cigarettes, 150 thin cigarettes, or 75 thick cigars, or 400 grams of tobacco.
You can import other goods up to the total value of €504 per an adult and €259 per a child. If you bring jewellery under the weight of 500gr (for personal use), it’s free of charge. Jewellery exceeding the total weight of 500gr must be declared.

Shopping
Andorra is a free economic zone, so its prices are about 20-30% lower than in France or Italy, for instance. On weekdays, shops work from 9:30am to 8:00pm, with a break from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. During weekends, they finish earlier. Department stores and supermarkets work without breaks. Seasonal sales are in spring and autumn. Auto sales are very popular in Andorra. They allow buying a car for a reasonable price.

Transport
a) Public transport
1. Taxi
In the city centre, taxi costs about €5, from the centre to ski lifts – about €15-25. In the evening, you should expect an extra charge. If you are in the highlands, you can order a taxi from a hotel or a restaurant. Be ready to wait on your taxi about 1-1.5 hour during rush hours, when ski lifts are closed.
2. There is no subway or railway system in Andorra.

b) Long-distance transport
1. Every city has [regular buses]. They run from Andorra la Vella in three directions:
1) The longest rout connects Andorra la Vella, Encamp, Escaldes, Soldeu, El Tarter and Pas de la Casa.
2) Andorra la Vella – Vallnord – La Massana.
3) Andorra la Vella – Sant Julià de Lòria.
A ticket for a regular bus costs about €4, depending on distance. It’s prohibited to get on a bus while wearing ski or snowboard boots. It isn’t accepted to stand inside a bus.
Ski-buses run every 15-20 minutes from the ski lifts to the nearest towns and back. Fare is about €2.
Routes:
• La Massana – Erts – Arinsal – Pal – La Massana;
• Ordino – El Serrat – Ordino – Arcalis – El Sarat – Ordino;
• Canillo – Soldeu – Canillo.
2. There are no [airports] in the country.

Car rental: To rent a car you must be at least 23 years old, have a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit card and an international driving license.

Traffic rules:
- Andorra doesn’t provide payment for using roads for foreign vehicles.
- Legal speed limits, which may be varied by signs, for vehicles under 3.5 ton are 40 km/h – in the city; from 60 to 90 km/h – out of the country (side roads);
- Allowable level of alcohol in blood is 0.5% per mille,
- Talking on a cell phone while driving is forbidden, but you are allowed to use a hands-free system;
- In Andorra, policemen can impose a fine on the spot or a violator can pay it in a bank.
- Penalty for exceeding maximum speed limit starts from €30; driving under the influence of alcohol – about €4500, unfixed seat belts – about €300.
- Your vehicle must have spare bulbs, a warning triangle and a reflective vest.

Hotels: In Andorra, every hotel has from 1 to 5 stars, which are approved by the Ministry of Tourism. Speaking about meals, 90% of the hotels with 3 or 4 stars have a buffet for breakfast and dinner. Hotels can be divided into 3 categories:
- Hotels located in the capital cities (Andorra la Vella and Escaldes), from there you can easily get to any ski resort. Besides, there are many shops and entertainment centers there.
- Hotels in small towns and villages – located in 10-15 minutes from ski resorts. They have reasonable prices.
- Hotels at the foot of mountains – the most expensive and popular due to their close location to the ski lifts.

Tipping: service is usually included in the bill. You’re advised to tip porters and waiters (about 10% of the total).

Electricity: mains voltage – 127-220V and frequency – 50 Hz. Hotels have sockets of European standard.

National holidays:
8 September – Meritxell Day, the main national holiday dedicated to the patron saint of Andorra;
1 January – New Year (work day);
6 January – Epiphany;
14 March – Constitution Day;
Easter;
Easter Monday;
1 May – Labour Day;
24 June – St John's Day (patron saint of Andorra);
1 January – New Year (work day);
1 November – All Saints Day;
4 November – St Charles' Day;
8 December – Immaculate Conception Day;
24-26 December – Christmas.

Visa: To come to Andorra you must have a Schengen visa or a national visa of Spain or France. However, Andorra isn’t a part of the Schengen Agreement. Without a special visa, you can legally stay in the country for 3 months.

You should know:
- Postal services are free in Andorra, and they are controlled by Spain and France. Today, Correos y Telégrafos of Spain and La Poste of France are near each other. Spanish mailboxes are red, and French – yellow.
- Andorra is one of the safest countries in the world. It doesn’t have any prison. Lawyer is a forbidden profession in the country.
- Andorra has a great number of internet cafes.
- The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is a glacial valley in the southeast of Andorra. The valley has an area of 42.47 km². It’s 9% of the country.
- The country has a strict morality, which is based on the catholic canons. Without hesitation, local police will expel any foreigner violating local laws, in spite of his economic status.