From Barcelona: 3 Countries in One Day — Spain, France & Andorra
Description
Cross three international borders in one unforgettable day. This is the original Barcelona day trip - Spain, France, and Andorra - and we've just made it even better. Start in the medieval village of Bagà, nestled in the Pyrenean foothills. Cross into France for a stop at one of the most extraordinary supermarkets you'll ever visit, a mountain Carrefour with ski gondolas hanging from the ceiling and shelves stacked with French wines, cheeses, and butters. Then continue to La Tour de Querol, a quiet French village where your guide tells the story of the border that divided Catalonia in two. From there, we climb to 2,408 metres over the Port d'Envalira, the highest paved road in the Pyrenees, before descending into Andorra la Vella with two full hours to explore, shop, and eat. You don’t just visit Andorra, you cross the entire country, entering from France and exiting into Spain in one unforgettable afternoon. The route includes spectacular mountain scenery throughout the day too.
Tour Options
Itinerary
7:00am. Meet your guide at the Explore Catalunya office, directly opposite the Palau de la Música. Your guide presents the day on a map so you know exactly where you're headed.
8.00am - The first leg of the journey takes you past the dramatic scenery of Montserrat. This iconic mountain stands out dramatically against the skyline as we head to France and Andorra.
8.45am - Arrive in this beautifully preserved medieval village at the gateway to the Pyrenees. Guided walk through cobbled streets and the ancient square. Time for coffee and a pastry before continuing north through the Tunnel del Cadí into France.
10.25am Carrefour de UR, France (20–25 min). A mountain supermarket unlike any other — ski gondolas, a bear at the entrance, a piano, tractors, and some of the finest French produce you'll find outside Paris. Your guide will have already told you what to look for. Time is short — don't miss the bus.
11.00am La Tour de Querol, France — (35 min). A quiet French village with a remarkable story. This is Catalunya Nord — the part of Catalonia that became France in 1659 following the Treaty of the Pyrenees. Your guide brings it to life.
11.35am - We take the mountain road, not the tunnel. Climbing to the highest paved road (2,408 metres) in the Pyrenees, the views open up across the high alpine landscape before Andorra appears far below. We cross the border into Andorra. Now is the time to get that unique Andorra Passport Stamp.
1.00pm - Join your guide for a short walking tour of the historic centre. Two full hours to explore at your own pace — tax-free shopping, lunch, or simply wandering. Meet at at 3:00pm sharp. This will be our last stop of the day, but you will have enough time to do a little bit of duty free shopping, grab a quick bargain or walk around its old stone streets and houses. At about 3:45pm, we will return to the bus and head back to Barcelona via a different route. This drive takes you through dramatic gorges, past verdant farming land, and alongside lakes and rivers, before the landscape levels out and the lush tones of green of the fields and the shining grey of the mountain rocks are replaced by the dusty orange and brown hues of this arid landscape. You will stop enroute for a chance to stretch your legs and quench your thirst, before arriving back in town at about 7:30pm
6.00pm-6.30pm. Return to central Barcelona. Guide offers dinner recommendations.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel. You MUST confirm and obtain any visa requirements prior to border crossing. All visa requirements are the sole responsibility of the traveler.
- Please bring a towel if you plan to use the spa water in Ax Les Thermes
- This tour operates in English only
Reviews(4,249)
We enjoyed our tour to Andorra. Our driver was very good along the windy or long roads to get there. Our Tour Guide Stephen said that he normally serves as a driver, but he was an adequate guide for the various stops we made to get to the little enclave that is Andorra. My son had always dreamed of going to Andorra after reading about it and seeing pictures of the Great Pyrenees Mountains. We visited Andorra during the summer, but it would be very cool to experience it in the Winter or early Spring when there would still be skiing and snow in the mountains. Late Spring would also be fun to see the various waterfalls that were more like a trickle during the summer. Our Tour consisted of about 30 people and we rode in a larger bus. My family of 4 included my wife and I, our 14-year old son, and our 11-year old daughter. Of course, getting to Andorra entails a lot of driving, but they do a nice job of breaking up the drive along the way. Our first stop was in Baga, which was a nicely preserved medieval village. We walked the cobblestone streets and stopped for coffee and a pastry. This was important because we had a 6:45am meeting time for the tour, and my family was not able to eat breakfast at our hotel since everything was still closed until 7am. Our next stop after Baga was at a unique Carrefour in the town of Ur, France. This offered another chance to grab more food and a drink for the ride. Our last official stop in a town before getting to Andorra was at La Tour de Querol, where you could use the restroom, visit a nice chapel located near our stop and see the beautiful countryside of Catalunya Nord. Lastly, we stopped at a couple nice lookouts on Pas de la Casa before we descended down to Andorra la Vella. We had a little over two full hours to explore Andorra la Vella. We opted to visit the old city center so we could experience the town's history. We also ate lunch in that area. For whatever reason, our guide seemed to want to point us to visiting the downtown shopping district. We were surprised to learn that Andorra was such a commercial city, with major international retailers having taken over the city by storm. We expected to find more mom and pop type of shops, but there was no such thing. Commerce and commercialism is rampant even in Andorra. Coming from Los Angeles, we tried to focus on the history and quaintness of the old city center. Anyways, we left Andorra and got our unique Andorran passport stamp at the border with Spain on our way back to Barcelona. The drive home is otherwise essentially direct. The tour details mentioned stopping at the Arco di Triomf, but that was not offered for our tour. We decided to go after we got off the bus anyways, and it was located nearby our tour stopping point and good to see. In summary, if you are willing to dedicate a full day to be able to experience 3 different countries from Barcelona, including the charming country of Andorra, this is a worthwhile trip. However, if I were ever to visit Andorra again, I would want snow in the mountains and the ability to ski the slopes as a part of my visit.
Our guide was amazing and so passionate about the history of Spain and Andorra. The countryside was gorgeous. It was a perfect getaway from Barcelona
This was a great way to see Andorra for the first time. Our guide Steve was a wealth of knowledge and a joy to spend the day with. Tour exactly as detailed in its description.
Very worthwhile day. Guides Mateo and Katya were excellent, could not have asked for better guides.
I really hate being negative but I was shocked by how high this tour is rated and wanted to post an honest review to counterbalance things for anyone considering this experience. To start I’ll say that I do think we got very unlucky with our guide. She was not great and I do think that if we’d had a better storyteller or a more engaging personality it would have helped A LOT. Our guide barely talked on the bus (other than to the driver) and it’s a very very long drive so it was so sooo much dead time filled with beautiful scenery (at times) but nothing of substance, which made the whole thing pretty boring. But even a better guide can’t fix the fact that this itinerary is simply not a very compelling one. The stops you make on the way to Andorra were just filler - points to stop and use the bathroom as nothing (literally nothing) is open. And since you can’t eat or drink on the bus you also have to cram any snacks in during this time. Then you get less than 2 hours in Andorra. During this time you need to eat lunch so that takes up a good portion of the visit. Andorra is cute but where the tour stops is literally a mall. So, you eat, maybe visit a different Zara than the ones they have in Barcelona, and then drive back 3 hours without a word from the guide the whole time. Was it the worst tour I’ve ever taken? No. Was it worth it to see a new country that’s otherwise hard to reach? Also no. Just wanted to give some real perspective here and let you make the decision for yourself!
Hi, Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed review. I'm genuinely sorry the day wasn't what you were hoping for. It does sound as though a large part of your disappointment was with the guiding. Our aim is always to make the journey itself part of the experience by sharing information about the places we pass through, as well as the destinations we visit. While many of the guests travelling with Berta that same day praised her knowledge and commentary, it's clear that you felt the experience fell short, and I respect that everyone experiences a tour differently. As for the itinerary, this is inevitably a long day. Visiting Spain, France and Andorra in a single trip means spending several hours on the road. For many people, that's exactly what they're looking for, as it gives them the chance to visit places they wouldn't otherwise reach without hiring a car. The village stops are included because we think they add to the day, rather than simply serving as comfort breaks, although I appreciate they didn't have the same appeal for you. I'm sorry you left feeling the tour wasn't good value. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, and we'll certainly take your comments into account. Kind regards, Robert
A fantastic experience! The tour was well organized and our guide Pablo was excellent. The bus ride was comfortable with some amazing views along the way. Andorra was a great experience and I would highly recommend this tour.
This was a perfect day trip from Barcelona. We were able to visit 2 small towns and then spent time in Andorra. Our tour guide, Pablo, was very entertaining. He was the perfect host, spending time with each group, taking pictures, and of course sharing his knowledge about each stop. He even made a playlist for the group!
Baga was great. More time in Andorra with a guided tour of its historical sites would have made the tour a 5.
Very good experience... recommended if you don't have many days and want to see as much as you can.
We had a wonderful experience. Our tour guide Alex was amazing! He was funny, entertaining snd knowledgeable!Thank you!
