Andorra With Kids: Our Summer Weekend and Winter Sledding Trip

We live in Barcelona, and for years Andorra was “the place people drive to for skiing and cheap perfume”. Then Dumitru signed up for the Spartan Race there in June 2019, so we went with the boys, Damian (6) and Marc (3), and found a completely different Andorra: alpine lakes, cold rivers, pine forest and mountain air that’s freezing at 9am and burns your nose by noon.

We’d been once before, in winter, a few weeks before Christmas around 2016, to go sledding with a preschooler and a baby. So this page covers both seasons: what we did, what it took to get there, and what I’d tell another family.

Quick answers

• Is Andorra good with kids? Yes, especially in summer, when it’s walking, lakes and rivers with very little you need to pay for.
• How long? A weekend at least. It’s about 3 hours from Barcelona, and 4–5 hours with weekend traffic.
• Best easy wins: Engolasters lake, which you can drive almost to, and the first Pessons lakes from Grau Roig.
• Winter without skiing? Sledding works. Find a gentle slope, rent a sledge, and base yourselves in Encamp.
• Bring ID for everyone. There’s a customs border, because Andorra isn’t in the EU.

Andorra in summer with kids: our weekend

We went up in mid-June 2019, the weekend of the Spartan Race. Dumitru raced, and the boys and I had our own plan: lakes, a river, and as much running around in the mountains as a 3-year-old’s legs allow.

The weather was the surprise. Mornings were cold enough that we stayed in our jackets, and then by midday the sun at that altitude had all of us burnt. Pack layers and high-factor sun cream, even in June. Both, not one or the other.

Estany dels Pessons: alpine lakes from Grau Roig

The Pessons lakes start from the Grau Roig ski area car park, at around 2,100 m. In summer the ski slopes turn into meadows, and a trail climbs past a chain of glacial lakes into the biggest mountain cirque in Andorra. There’s a restaurant at the refuge by the lake.

The full circuit is about 9 km with 515 m of climbing, roughly 4½ hours. That’s a real hike, not a stroll with a 3-year-old. With small kids, the first lakes are the realistic target, and they’re the prettiest part anyway.

Tip: tell someone your route and go early. Mountain weather turns in the afternoon.

Engolasters: the easy lake

If Pessons is the effort, Engolasters is the reward with none of the work. It’s a lake at 1,616 m surrounded by pine forest, above Escaldes-Engordany, and you can drive almost all the way and walk the last bit. It’s the best option with a 3-year-old, or on a morning when nobody has the legs for a climb.

Playing in the river

The most-loved activity of the weekend cost nothing: the boys throwing stones and splashing in a mountain river. The water is ice-cold even in June, so bring a towel and dry socks.

Watching the Spartan Race

If you time a visit with a race weekend, it’s a free spectacle for kids: mud, walls, rope climbs, and their dad somewhere in the middle of it. The Spartan Race in Andorra is based in Encamp.

Andorra in winter with kids

We’ve also been in winter, a few weeks before Christmas, with a preschooler and a baby. Nobody skied: we went sledding and stayed in an apartment in Encamp. The full guide is here: Andorra in winter with kids (without skiing).

How to get from Barcelona to Andorra

It’s about 3 hours by car, or a direct bus from the airport or Sants. Routes, 2026 tolls, the toll-free road and winter tyre rules are in Barcelona to Andorra by car or bus.

No car? Compare car hire from Barcelona →

By bus

Direct buses run from Barcelona Airport (T1 and T2) and Sants station to Andorra la Vella in about 3 hours to 3¾ hours, with several departures a day, from about €31.50 one way. That’s fine for a city weekend. For lakes and hikes, you’ll want a car.

Practical tips for Andorra with kids

• Bring a passport or ID card for everyone, kids included. Andorra isn’t in the EU, and there’s a customs post on the way in and out.
• It’s the euro, and the official language is Catalan. Spanish and French are spoken everywhere.
• Layers, always. June mornings are cold, and the midday sun is strong.
• Book weekends early in ski season and on big event weekends like the Spartan Race.

Where to stay in Andorra with kids

From the hotel side, here’s how I’d choose: in summer, stay in Canillo or Soldeu, close to the Pessons trailhead at Grau Roig and an easy drive to Engolasters. In winter with small kids, take an apartment in Encamp, like we did, or a hotel with a pool, for the hours when it’s too cold to be outside. Our three picks are in the box at the top of this page.

Full route, times and parking: Estany dels Pessons hike with kids →

Would we go back?

Yes, and in summer first. Andorra with kids is a mountain weekend that costs almost nothing once you’re there. The lakes are free, and the river is free. It’s also the closest “real Alps” feeling you can get from Barcelona.

Planning a weekend? See family hotels in Canillo and Soldeu →

Andorra with kids: FAQ

Is Andorra good for a family holiday with kids?

Yes. In summer it’s alpine lakes, easy walks and rivers, most of them free. In winter there’s sledding as well as skiing. We’ve been with a baby, a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old.

How long does it take to drive from Barcelona to Andorra?

About 3 hours for roughly 200 km. On our winter weekend it took 4–5 hours because of traffic, so leave early.

Do you need a passport to go to Andorra from Spain?

Bring a passport or national ID card for everyone, including children. Andorra isn’t in the EU, and there’s a customs border.

Is the Estany dels Pessons hike suitable for kids?

The first lakes are, starting from the Grau Roig car park. The full circuit is about 9 km with 515 m of climbing, which is too much for small children.

What can you do in Andorra in winter with kids who don’t ski?

Go sledding on a gentle slope away from the ski runs. You can rent sledges locally. We stayed in an apartment in Encamp and spent a few hours in Andorra la Vella.