Andorra had long been on my list of places to discover, so when a trip to Ibiza came about, I thought — why not continue the adventure?
The plan was simple: hop over to Barcelona and then make my way into the mountains to finally experience Andorra for myself.
Tiny yet fascinating, Andorra is actually the sixth-smallest country in Europe, covering just 468 square kilometres. What makes it even more intriguing is that it has no airport or railway system, meaning the only way in is by road.
So Lulu and I took the bus from Barcelona, a journey of around three hours winding through increasingly dramatic scenery toward the Pyrenees. We travelled with Andbus, who were incredibly punctual — something I always appreciate when travelling. Dogs need to travel in a carrier bag on the bus, and Lulu, as always, took the journey completely in stride.
By the time we arrived, it already felt like we had entered a completely different world.
We stayed at the beautiful Andorra Park Hotel in the capital, Andorra la Vella, surrounded by mountains in every direction. Built in 1957, it was the first five-star hotel in Andorra and still retains its elegant Alpine character today. I loved how it balanced traditional mountain charm with contemporary luxury, stylish interiors, peaceful surroundings, and incredible views in every direction.
One detail I particularly loved was that from the hotel we could access the main streets of Andorra la Vella simply by taking an elevator down from the property, which was incredibly convenient while still feeling wonderfully tucked away above the town.
As anyone travelling internationally with dogs knows, there are always practicalities to organise too. We needed to arrange Lulu’s deworming treatment before travelling home, so we visited a local vet in Andorra during the trip.
Thankfully, everything had already been seamlessly arranged by Paws on Trains, who helped plan the entire journey. From the bus bookings and hotel reservations to even organising the vet appointment, everything was taken care of, which made travelling with Lulu feel easy and stress-free.
And honestly, that’s exactly how discovering somewhere new should feel.
