What can you do on your stay in Andorra? Visit La Margineda archaeological site!
Andorra is a country with a rich cultural and historical heritage: it has more than 15 splendid Romanesque churches from the 11th and 12th centuries, and it is the site of the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley, listed as a World Heritage Cultural Landscape by UNESCO in 2004. What’s more, this historical heritage has been expanded with a new proposal: La Margineda archaeological site.
An activity for the whole family in Andorra
A visit to La Margineda archaeological site at Santa Coloma, in the municipality of Andorra la Vella, is an activity for people of all ages, including children, making it an excellent spot for people who wish to enjoy their stay with their family.
Discovering Andorra’s archaeological heritage
Since 2007, Molines Patrimonis has financed a dozen excavation campaigns at La Margineda Oakwood, allowing one of the most important medieval sites in the Principality and one of the foremost in the whole southern Pyrenees area to be uncovered. The digs were carried out on land belonging to the Cardelús-Maestre family, who are the owners of the Molines Patrimonis company. The most recent campaigns, as from 2010, have had the collaboration of the Government of Andorra in the form of subsidies addressed to restoring and conserving the cultural heritage.
Together with La Margineda Cave, Juverri, the Rock of Enclar and Camp Vermell, La Margineda Oakwood is a key to the knowledge of Andorra’s history. This archaeological complex comprises an area of over 4,000 m2, of which 1,500 m2 have been excavated to date.
In the course of the excavations, thousands of objects from the Middle Ages have been discovered, most of them made of ceramic, iron and bronze, revealing the life of our ancestors. All these finds have obliged us to reconsider some essential aspects of the medieval history of Andorra.
In the summer of 2012, La Margineda archaeological site opened its gates to the public, offering a "journey to the heart of Andorra’s history".
Book your visit in advance!
La Margineda archaeological site offers during July and August guided tours by prior appointment. You can book a tour at the Tourist Office of Andorra la Vella or by telephone (+376) 750 100 or e-mail.
To make your reservation, you are also welcome to contact Molines Patrimonis by telephone (+376) 805 950 or e-mail.
In winter, only school groups.
Adults 5€: from 12 to 65 years
Reduced rate 3€: over 65 years and Carnet Jove youth card
Free admission: under 12 years and ICOM card
A wide range of activities for your enjoyment
You can enjoy a large number of sports activities in Andorra throughout the year. Our country is proud to be the home of one of Europe’s largest ski resorts as well as many other attractive sports complexes and a thermal-recreational centre that is unique on our continent, plus many other facilities.
Sport in Andorra: activities all year around!
Fun in the snow
In the summer and the winter alike, Andorra is a great place for sports activities. It is particularly well known, however, for its outstanding ski resorts, which feature facilities and amenities of the highest quality. Specifically, our country has three ski resorts of international renown: Grandvalira, Vallnord and La Rabassa.
La Rabassa is a resort that is especially devoted to Nordic skiing but snowshoeing and sleighing, among other activities, can be enjoyed here as well. This resort is also known by the name of Naturlandia, as an adventure park where a broad range of exciting activities are available throughout the year.
Grandvalira and Vallnord are among the foremost ski resorts in Europe. For its part, Grandvalira hosted the finals of the Women’s FIS Skiing World Cup in 2012 at the Àliga Slope, which is located in the Soldeu-El Tarter sector.
Subsequently, this resort was chosen in 2016 to be the site of a competition of the Women’s FIS Skiing World Cup. In March and April of 2018, Grandvalira hosted competitions of the Total Fight Masters of Freestyle and of the FIS Speed Skiing World Cup, and in 2019 organized the finals of the Alpine Skiing World Cup at the Àliga and Avet slopes.
The Vallnord resort is also known for its sports activities and competitions in the summer, such as the MTB World Cup.
MTB and cycling in Andorra
Mountain biking is another very popular activity in Andorra. The Vallnord station hosted on different occasions, MTB World Cup events, organized by the International Cycling Union (UCI), in the Bike Park and Wood Park, respectively.
Andorra has a long cycling tradition, hosting legendary races such as the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, which feature the Andorran ports in important stages. In fact, the Principality is fast becoming a leading destination for cycle tourism and the place of residence for many professional cyclists. Other cycling events that take place in our country are the Gran Fondo, and La Purito Andorra, a bike ride that brings together more than 2,000 participants from 14 different countries.
If instead of organized activities and events what interests you is the magnificent nature to be enjoyed in the Principality, you can follow clearly signposted tracks and trails to discover some extraordinary landscapes.
Hikes in Andorra: an indispensable activity
If you like hiking, visit Andorra in the summer and you can walk up to the country’s tallest peaks. Ninety per cent of the Principality is covered by forests containing wonderful trails that allow you to see wide variety of interesting local flora and fauna.
At the tourist offices in Andorra you can buy the hiking guide entitled Andorra’s Trails (6€), which gives full information including details of difficulty and height difference for more than 60 hikes. Andorra has three natural parks: the Sorteny Valley, the Comapedrosa Valleys and the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley (listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site).
Relaxation activities and sports complexes in Andorra
In Andorra you can choose between relaxing at the Caldea thermal-recreational centre, doing sport at any of the country’s excellent sports facilities, or enjoying a day at Naturlandia adventure park with your family, your partner or all on your own!
What can you do in Andorra when you want to relax? Visit Caldea!
Caldea is a thermal-recreational centre that is unique in all Europe and the continent’s largest spa. Its floor space of over 6,000 m2 contains, among other amenities and facilities, indoor and outdoor lakes, Jacuzzis, saunas, Indo-Roman baths, cascades, a special area for children (Likids), a restaurant, a gym and much more. If you want to relax, don’t miss Caldea!
For athletic people: Andorra’s sports centres
Andorra possesses top-quality sports infrastructures like the Serradells sports centres in Andorra la Vella and the sports and sociocultural complex in Encamp. These two centres offer the following amenities, among others:
- a multi-sports hall
- an Olympic swimming pool
- recreational pools
- a muscle-building room
- squash courts
- tennis courts
- a relaxation area (sauna, spa)
For the enjoyment of nature: Naturlandia adventure park
This adventure park located at La Rabassa Nordic ski resort is a nature-centred facility offering a wide range of activities like archery, quad tracks, adventure circuits, a zip line, a giant toboggan run (the Tobotronc), snowmobiling, mushing and more. Naturlandia, in the municipality of Sant Julià de Lòria, has everything needed to ensure that people of all ages will have lots of fun in contact with nature!
