andorra-airport
If you’re planning a holiday in Andorra in the near future and you’re excited to stay at the Pal Arinsal resort, you’ll want to work out and plan exactly how to get to Pal Arinsal. Although you might think this would involve a trip to an Andorra airport, there isn’t actually any airport inside Andorra’s borders. That’s because the Pyrenean principality is a very small and mountainous country and there simply isn’t enough space for an airport.
So, how do you get to and from Andorra if there is no airport? That’s what we’ll outline and make clear in this blog post, as we explain what is the nearest airport to Andorra and how to navigate other options, such as travelling from the Barcelona airport to Andorra.
Does Andorra have its own airport?
First things first, Andorra does not have its own airport. There is no Andorra airport within the microstate’s borders, however there is a nearby airport called Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport. This is the closest airport to Andorra, located 18km away from the capital of Andorra la Vella as the crow flies, or 27km by car, which takes just half an hour.
Because of Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport’s name, it’s understandable that some people think this airport is located inside Andorra. However, that isn’t the case, and it is instead based by the town of La Seu d’Urgell, in the Spanish region of Catalonia.
What airport do you fly to for Andorra?
It is important to point out that Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport is a very small airport, and it mostly operates flights to and from other Spanish airports and little else. As such, Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport isn’t usually the airport you’d use to travel to Andorra, unless you are changing at another Spanish airport and then catching a transfer on to this nearest airport to Andorra. Even then, there really isn’t much traffic in to or out of Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport, so it’s much more likely that you’ll be travelling to the principality via a different airport.
So, what is the best travel to Andorra airport? Well, there are several airports close to the principality, such as the airports of: Lleida (150km away), Carcassonne (176km), Toulouse (195km), Barcelona (200km), Reus (240km) and Girona (260km).
The question of which of these airports is the best option for travel to Andorra will depend on where you’re coming from and the flight options available to you. In other words, it’s recommended that you check flights from your own local airport in your city to each of the airports mentioned above, and if there’s a good fit then you should know that you can easily reach Andorra via bus or car from any of those airports.
What is the easiest way to get to Andorra?
As mentioned above, the best Andorra airport option will depend on the flight routes from your local airport to Lleida, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Barcelona, Reus or Girona. But, it’s worth noting that the easiest way to go to Andorra for many travellers is via Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. That is the official name of the main airport in Barcelona and this is by far the busiest of all the airports mentioned above, with the airport welcoming approximately 50 million passengers per year. That means there is a good chance that your local airport will have an option to reach Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.
Another reason why Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport is a popular stop on the way to Andorra is the fact that there are so many Barcelona airport to Andorra connections. There are at least six daily Barcelona airport to Andorra bus transfers, and that number goes up even more during the Andorra ski season. Alternatively, there are bus transfers leaving from Barcelona city centre as well, in case you fancy stopping off in and exploring the capital of Catalonia during your trip. Whether leaving from Barcelona city centre or the airport, the bus journey to Andorra is both quick, at approximately three hours, and beautiful, as you’ll pass by some beautiful Pyrenean countryside along the way.
If you’re considering a train to Andorra, though, note that there is no long-distance train station within Andorra’s borders. For similar reasons to the lack of an Andorra airport, there simply isn’t the space for such a train station, while laying tracks through the mountains would also prove too complicated. Yet, there is a nearby train station called L’Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre, located in the south of France and measuring in at just 24km away from the capital of Andorra la Vella.
Renting and driving a car from Barcelona airport to Andorra is another feasible and popular option. Driving to Andorra is even quicker than taking the bus, as the drive between Barcelona and Andorra takes approximately two and a half hours if you’re not making any stops.
So, although there is no Andorra airport, at least not inside the microstate’s borders, it is still very easy to reach. There are several transport options to arrive in Andorra from any of the nearby airports of Lleida, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Barcelona, Reus and Girona. And, those options are really abundant when travelling via Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, whether by bus or by car. So, you can make it to Andorra without much travel stress, and enjoy this Pyrenean paradise.