Elwood

<BR>My wife and are planning a trip of a lifetime next month to Andorra. We are planning about 17 days, and wonder if this is enough time to take in all the sights and culture of this country. This will be our first European trip wonder if there are any suggestions on what to do an see in Andorra. Any B & B's that you would suggest? Thanks for your help. Elwood

ilisa

My husband and I were in Andorra in June during our trip to Spain. While we are by no means experts on the country, it would appear that 17 days is way too much time to spend there. Since it is sandwiched in between France and Spain, you would be doing yourselves a great disservice if you don't visit those countries. It is only a four hour bus ride to Barcelona. Regarding activities, ski resorts and spas are popular. The town of Les Escaldes is popular for its spa. We spent our time in the neighboring capital, Andorra la Vella. While the landscape is absolutely breathtaking, we did not enjoy it. One of the primary attractions is the duty-free shopping. However, we did not see anything there that we could not get here in the US for much less money. We also found the people to be very rude. The primary languages are Catalan and French; Spanish is also spoken. I speak Spanish pretty well as well as some French. We were both very polite and conducted ourselves properly, however, this did not seem to help. Frankly, we were bored. Anyway, these were just our observations.

Covadonga

Are you sure you want to spend 17 days in Andorra? Specially when you say that this is your first European trip. Andorra is very, very small. Its main attractions are winter sports,the mountains and the spa during summer and duty free shopping. And really, as Ilisa says, nothing than you cannot get either in the States or in Europe. Itīs pretty, but a couple of days would be enough. They mainly speak Catalan, although they understand spanish and many of the shop attendants come from Spain. <BR>Of course, if the weather is fine, and September can be, the scenery is very pretty, but I wouldnīt spend more than a couple of days. Enough to see Meritxell, a couple of the valleys and do a bit hiking. <BR>And if I were Ilisa, I wouldnīt mind. Iīm sure you were polite, but itīs the same with spanish people.

Francine

How about some feedback on your trip. It would be most interesting to hear of your experiences.

Angel

We were in Andorra in June & fully agree that 17 days are far to many to spend there. There is much more "culture" and sights to be enjoyed in France & Spain.<BR>There are many good quality hotels in Andorra & lodging is fairly inexpensive.Certain products, such as famous brand perfumes can be purchased for maybe 30% lower than in the US.<BR>We spoke spanish & found the people we dealt with to be friendly.

Carolyn

We took several days to drive from Barcelona to the Dordogne area of France. Took a short jog in the road to see Andora. I can't remember the main city name (short memory!), but we never even stopped. The scenery was pretty but there were many people and we couldn't figure out the attraction without the snow. Frankly, we couldn't wait to get away from it. 17 days is a lot of time! We've spent 5 years in a row on a 15 day timeline and always try to see at least 2 areas of 2 countries so we don't get bored with the same thing. For example, last summer we flew to Paris for 3 days, flew to Strasbourg and picked up a car. Drove to Switzerland, then back up through Alsace, dropped the car back off, then back to Paris and home. The changes in cultures and scenery is amazing. Just don't do too much driving. The year we were in Barcelona, we flew into London, then flew to Carcassone, picked up a car and drove to Barcelona, then back up to Dordogne, then back to Carcassone, dropped off car and back to Paris. Anyway, food for thought! Enjoy your trip -- we are going to Amsterdam, Belgium and Scotland next summer!

mpprh

Hi<BR><BR>As its too early for skiing, 17 days is a long time in Andorra, unless you have family to visit there.<BR><BR>However, it is midway between Barcelona and Marseille and the Med coast will be much warmer in October than mountain/inland.<BR><BR>There is plenty to interest you in Barcelona, Costa Brava, Languedoc Rousillon, and Provence.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com