Europe's highest capital has no airport or trains and fits into London 121 times

From London to Lisbon, many of Europe's capital cities are sprawling metropolises, crammed full of stunning architecture and thousands of people.
But one is a little different to the others. Nestled in the Pyrenees mountains lies Andorra la Vella, the capital city of Andorra, which sits between France and Spain.
The stats are remarkable: at 1,023m above sea level it's Europe's highest capital — and it's also one of the smallest. It's covers an area of just 5 sq miles, which means the city could fit into London roughly 121 times (London covers an area of roughly 607 sq miles).
There is no airport and not a single train station in the entire country, let alone in Andorra la Vella itself, but that doesn't stop tourists from flocking to the city, famed for it's duty free shopping and one of the largest spa complexes in Europe.
Lonely Planet said there was a 'sprinkle of charm' to be found here, while on Reddit, visitors have given the place mixed reviews.
Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here.
Some say Andorra La Vella feels 'odd', with the downtown area 'like a big mall', however, the scenery has been described as 'beautiful', with the city an ideal base to explore hiking and cycling trails in the mountains.
With no airport or railways, you'll have to get a little creative with your journey, flying into France or Spain, and travelling into Andorra from there.
In France, the nearest train station is Andorre-l'Hospitalet, just seven miles away from the Andorran border. The station is easy to get to from bigger French cities, namely Toulouse. A one-way train in May (Friday 31) from Toulouse takes 2 hours, 20 minutes, and costs €27.20.
Lleida Pirineus is the closest Spanish train station to Andorra, served by high-speed trains from Madrid and Barcelona. A one-way train from Madrid on the same date takes 2 hours, 8 minutes, and costs €75.75.
You can then get a taxi from these train stations into the city centre.
Taking a coach from Barcelona Sants Coach Station directly to Andorra La Vella is also a popular choice for travellers. A one-way Flixbus coach, also on Friday 31 May, takes three hours and costs just £27.41.
As such a small city, Andorra Le Vella can be seen in a day, which makes it a great excursion from larger cities in France or Spain.
It is perhaps most famous for its shopping scene. While tax reforms back the 2010s mean it's not the 'haven' it once was, it still has one of the lowest VATs in Europe, and is a hub for huge department stores and duty-free shopping, where you can get luxury goods, like perfumes and liquor, for cheaper prices.
The main street, Avinguda Meritxell, is the start of the so-called Shopping Mile, which is partially pedestrianised, meaning you can easily shop 'til you drop. One visitor said the place was like 'airport duty-free on steroids'.
The other main attraction in the city is the Caldea spa, the largest thermal spa in southern Europe. It was designed back in 1987, using the hot springs that naturally flow in the region.
There's indoor saunas, hammams and various types of baths, as well as an outdoor lagoon, where you can relax in the shadow of the stunning mountain views. The basic package for three hours access starts from €30.50.
For those looking to soak in some charming architecture, the city's Old Town is worth a visit. There's a pre-Romanesque church that dates back to the 9th century, as well as a Casa de la Vall, a stone mansion built in 1580 for a wealthy family, which also once served as the home for Andorra's parliament.
Casa de la Vall is currently closed for works, but the General Council area can still be visited for free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm.
Finally, Andorra La Vella is a great spot to base yourself if you're heading into the mountains for some adventure.
Visit Andorra's website recommends a whole host of routes, suitable for different ages and skill levels, throughout the entire year.
The best time to head to Andorra La Vella, of course depends on what you're after weather-wise.
High up in the mountains, winters in the city are cold, with average highs of just 8C in January and February. Visitors can also expect snow, with an average annual snowfall in the country of 228cm. More Trending
Summers are short, but warmer, with temperatures in July and August peaking at 24C.
If you're a foodie, you might want to visit the capital over Christmastime, and try Andorra's national dish, Escudella, typically served at this time of year.
The Andorra Tourism Board describes it as 'a Catalan stew made from seasonal vegetables, meats and local sausages'. The best place to try them is in a traditional 'borda', old store houses that have been turned into eateries.
La Borda Estevet is a popular choice in Andorra La Vella, with one reviewer on TripAdvisor saying 'the restaurant is a smash' and giving it a 'ten to everything'. The escudella here is €16.
Here at Metro, we love bringing our readers unusual and hidden-gem alternatives to more popular European city breaks.
For those who love Paris, why not try Tromsø, often dubbed 'Paris of the North'. Don't be fooled by its extreme location — the largest city in northern Norway is surprisingly refined, with plenty to see beyond the Northern Lights.
If you enjoy holidaying in Portugal, but want to venture beyond Lisbon and Porto, head to Bragga, the lesser-visited 'Rome of Portugal', which was once a mainstay of the Roman empire. From ornate architecture to ancient buildings and a thriving culinary scene, the city has everything that Rome does, without the crowds.
And if it's a historical break you're after, Europe's oldest city is in Bulgaria, and dates back to a staggering 6,000 BC.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: Unspoiled 'Turkish Maldives' is a paradise island just 40 minutes from the mainland
MORE: Forget the Med — I swapped the sun for a spectacular Scandinavian train ride
MORE: 'Quiet' UK beach with 'crystal clear waters' named country's best coastal hidden gem

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Telegraph

an hour ago

• Telegraph

Destination weddings have never been more popular – here's how to navigate them

How do you feel about going on holiday to a glamorous sunshine destination? Happy? Now, how do you feel about the prospect if I tell you the holiday is not in a destination or on a date of your choosing and that you will have to spend three days of your getaway in a sweaty suit or heels making small talk with a dull uncle you've never met? Oh, and it will cost you about £1,000 for the privilege. Cancelled during Covid, and scaled back in the early years of the cost-of-living crisis, destination weddings are now back with a bang. According to Google Trends, the search term 'destination wedding' is more popular than at any time since 2016, and research published in May by financial company American Express finds that 40 per cent of British wedding guests are heading overseas to weddings they are attending in 2025. But as inflation pushes costs up – according to 2024 research from Aviva, guests now spend an average of £978 a head attending an overseas wedding – and as destination wedding schedules sometimes sprawl over a week of 'bonding' activities, photo ops and Prosecco toasts, not everyone is happy about some couples' sun-kissed connubial dreams. A series of recent spats on social media capture the mood of the moment. 'For the love of God stop having destination weddings!!!!' ran one explosive viral post on the Reddit r/weddings posted by a mother of the bride. 'They cost a small fortune and PTO [personal time off] is so limited these days, And ESPECIALLY no kids destination weddings. No one wants to go. Just stop.' In another case in February, a bride-to-be went viral after complaining that only nine guests out of 150 invitees had RSVPd to her glamorous destination wedding in Thailand, and upon switching the locale to Hawaii, only seven people confirmed they would be in attendance. One best man shared his personal tale of wedding-induced financial woe. 'One of my best friends is getting married in Costa Rica next July and I'm honoured to have been asked to be a groomsman. I like him and his fiancée very much, and I'm genuinely excited to share this big moment with them. But the invitations just went out and the resort they have chosen is $1,200 [£890] per night for a couple!' Tina Reading, editor of Beautiful Weddings UK, explained that even expensive destination weddings can be an 'attractive proposition' for couples as they are typically half the cost of a similar bash at home. 'Yet for guests, these lavish invites can feel like a double-edged sword: on one hand, they promise an unforgettable trip; on the other, they can quietly hijack your annual holiday budget.' The real costs of nuptials abroad Cost is a thorny issue for many destination wedding guests. Gemma Watts, 31, a hairdresser from south London, told Travel that for Britons like her at 'peak first wedding age' (from around age 27 to 35), the costs of friends' bashes can quickly stack up. 'I've been invited to three pricey weddings this summer, one of them in Dordogne and one in Ibiza,' she says. 'I'm trying to save up with my boyfriend for a house deposit so it's all coming at the worst possible time as we can barely afford a weekend on a campsite right now.' Tough-talking financial advisor Dave Ramsey advises anyone without a healthy bank balance to think twice about booking that ticket to Zanzibar. 'A destination wedding is an excuse for a vacation,' he said. 'It can be a wonderful thing – for people who have money. But when broke people go to a destination wedding, you know what you call that? More debt. I can promise you, 25 years from now, there's about a 90 per cent chance that you'll have zero relationship with these people.' Even celebrity couples are thinking twice about the exorbitant cost of overseas dos. Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, 37, tied the knot with husband Ercan Ramadan last September at a destination wedding in Puglia. Pattison, who wore four wedding dresses and had 13 bridesmaids on her big day, said she was shocked that her 'dream day' cost 'the same price as a house'. 'I knew weddings were big business, and it's not my first rodeo, but everything's just got more and more expensive,' she told a wedding magazine, noting that she scaled back her bash at 16th-century Castello Monaci in Salento, which features a swim up bar and 'fairytale' suites, cancelling some thousand pound flower installations. The RSVP question For all of the out-of-pocket and annual leave costs, one in two Britons are willing to sign up for destination wedding dos. A June 2025 survey by holiday company Holiday Extras revealed that 46 per cent would be willing to travel 'anywhere in the world' to attend a loved one's wedding, however only two per cent, according to the same report, are happy to travel overseas for a hen or stag do. Tina Reading said, on a bright note, it's acceptable for guests to weigh up the location, their relationship with the couple and their own priorities before saying yes to a lavish destination bash. 'There's a growing awareness that saying 'no' doesn't mean you don't care,' she said. 'Couples understand polite declines these days, particularly if guests are honest about financial or logistical limits.' The dos and don'ts of destination weddings Do: RSVP Promptly Destination weddings require complex planning and headcounts for travel, accommodation and meals. Be a good guest and RSVP within a couple of weeks of receipt of the invitation. If you are going to turn the invitation down, it's best to be prompt, concise and kind. Don't: Treat the marrying couple like a concierge Be self-sufficient. Take care of your own logistics unless explicitly offered help (with flight and room bookings, transfers, etc). Do: Book early Secure your travel and accommodation well in advance, especially if the couple has reserved room blocks or suggested travel windows. Can't afford the accommodation that's been blocked? Make plans well in advance to stay nearby, especially if you are keen to make the most of all-inclusive flight and accommodation packages (which often shaves hundreds off the cost). Don't: Ignore the itinerary There's nothing worse than guests who go rogue and ignore the marrying couple's schedule to do their own thing. Stick to the couple's schedule (welcome dinner, group excursions, ceremony timing), show up on time and be present. If you have an issue with any of the activities, ask if you can opt out as soon as you see the schedule. Do: Pack thoughtfully Bring appropriate outfits for each event bearing in mind the climate and any cultural sensitivities, along with essentials for the location (sun cream, mosquito spray, adapter, etc). You don't want to be the guest with the luminous sunburnt face in the wedding snaps. Don't: Invite a plus-one without asking Only bring a guest, or a plus-one, if they are specifically invited. Don't assume (or hide your lover in the bouganvillea bushes). Do: Bring a small gift Even if travel is costly, it's customary to send a small, less expensive gift to a marrying couple, unless the couple has clearly stated 'no gifts'. To cut down on baggage, you can plan to send a gift to them directly when they get back to the UK, or you can offer to contribute towards a set cost on their big day. Don't: Complain about costs If the destination is beyond your budget, it's okay to decline. But don't attend and then guilt the couple about the impact to your wallet, or grumble to other guests. Do: Contribute to the 'group vibe' Yes, it can be wearing to have to perform the conga through the coconut palms with Fred the bore, but that's the whole point of weddings: be sociable, inclusive and avoid clinging to cliques – doubly important with destinations where solo travellers might know few of the attendees. Don't: Post on social media before the couple They might not have sold rights to Hello mag for a cool million, but this is the no-no of the 2020s. Wait for the newlyweds to share online before uploading your photos, especially of the ceremony itself. How to turn a destination wedding invite into a holiday you actually want to take Getting that gilt-edged invitation can be a mixed blessing. Yes, you're flattered to be included but no, you didn't exactly dream of spending your annual leave on a clifftop in Santorini with the bride's uni mates. But if you think of the wedding as an 'anchor' and not the whole show, you can turn the trip into a getaway that works for you. If you are invited to a destination wedding and say you'll attend, says Reading, make the most of it. 'Share accommodation, extend your stay for a proper holiday and look for flight deals early,' she advises. 'With a bit of planning, it can be both a celebration and a smart use of your travel time.' Start by looking at the wedding location creatively. According to American Express, France is the most popular destination for destination nuptials (26 per cent of overseas weddings), followed by Spain, the USA, Italy and Canada. If the wedding is in Cancun but you're not a resort person, tack on a few days in Mérida or Tulum. Friends getting married in Mallorca? Spend a few nights in Palma's old town, then head to the Tramuntana mountains for hiking and slow travel, or fly on to Seville for flamenco, food and Moorish architecture. Heading to a Lake Como affair? Swing through Milan for galleries and aperitivo culture before the Prosecco frenzy begins. Bali wedding? Add a few days in Ubud or hop to Komodo. You can also consider changing hotels. It's rare you are obliged to bunk down in the official guest block if you'd rather have an adults-only boutique or a quiet Airbnb nearby; just be clear and polite about this in your RSVP. Also, consider stopovers and 'mini detours'. Look for layovers in major airport hubs such as Amsterdam, Singapore or Istanbul to explore a city that excites you. Heading to Tuscany, for example? Detour via Rome or the Amalfi Coast. Websites like Opodo and offer multi-city flight search options. Most importantly, always extend the trip. Weddings are short and intense. Adding a few decompressing days can turn a social chore into a holiday of a lifetime.

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

US Cuba has only one McDonald's - and it's different from every other Maccies

There is only one McDonald's in the whole of Cuba and it is placed in Guantanamo Bay - though none of the local people can take a trip to it for a Big Mac McDonald's golden arches are a global phenomenon, but one of the most bizarre locations for this fast-food giant is in Cuba – and it's not frequented by Cubans craving a Big Mac. Nestled in Guantanamo Bay, where the US still exerts territorial control, this particular McDonald's opened its doors in 1986. Strikingly different from other outlets, this McDonald's sits adjacent to the notorious detention camp, serving only the base's personnel. ‌ With some of the world's most dangerous alleged terrorists just a stone's throw away, it's probably the last place you'd expect to see a Maccies. ‌ Despite the welcoming presence of a sizeable Ronald McDonald and the tropical backdrop of palm trees, the restaurant is also encircled by barbed wire. McDonald's has stated that they have no intentions of expanding their presence in Cuba, suggesting this might be the only branch for many years to come. Philip Johnson of New York University has referred to it as a "site of comfort and nostalgia" for those stationed at the base. A 2002 newsletter remarked: "McDonald's: the name alone is synonymous with the fast food industry, and the legendary tastes of the various delights served here are all seasoned with years of tradition." The internet's been abuzz over a TikTok influencer's claim that Guantanamo Bay harbours the best McDonald's branch, with Coast Guard member Sarah dishing the details to her followers: "Rumor has it that the McDonald's in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is the best, so I am in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — and we are going to try the McDonald's." Sarah raved about the wings being "fire" and a "ten out of ten," while asserting the crispy chicken sandwich was "so much better than in the United States." ‌ Dating back to 1889, when the US helped dismiss the Spanish, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base remains a slice of America in Cuba, intriguingly existing beyond both Cuban and certain American laws, as noted by elEconomista. Despite Cuba's socialist stance, which typically shuns capitalist icons like McDonald's, Guantanamo Bay also plays host to other American fast-food giants such as Subway, KFC, Taco Bell, and even houses a Starbucks coffee shop, complete with a Pizza Hut Express. ‌ Seemingly paradoxical, profits from these capitalist enterprises are ploughed into welfare activities, boosting morale among US service personnel and their relatives stationed there. A significant chapter in the history of Guantanamo Bay dates back to 1903, when a treaty saw Cuba leasing it to America, with the US acknowledging Cuba's national sovereignty in return. However, in the present day, the stunning Caribbean nation disputes the legitimacy of this treaty, viewing it as an occupied territory. ‌ Despite this disagreement, American personnel continue to be stationed there, and notably, numerous suspected terrorists were detained there post-9/11 due to the absence of laws permitting their imprisonment without trial.

Scottish Sun

3 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

One of the world's most beautiful train stations that looks like ‘Gotham City' is home to weirdly-beautiful Burger King

And we round up the UK's most beautiful train stations ON TRACK One of the world's most beautiful train stations that looks like 'Gotham City' is home to weirdly-beautiful Burger King Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ONE of the world's most beautiful stations has been described as looking like something from a comic book. Helsinki Central Train Station in Finland has been named one of the most stunning train stations by both Lonely Planet and BBC. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Helsinki Central Train Station has been named one of the world's most beautiful Credit: Alamy 5 Some have said it looks like Batman's Gotham City Credit: Alamy It dates back as far as the 1860s which is when the railway tracks were first laid, although the main building opened in 1919. The Art Nouveau station also has a huge glass roof inside that was added in 2001. The main features outside are the two statues, called the Lyhdynkantajat (Lantern Bearers) on either side of the entrance, as well as the huge clock tower. One tourist wrote online: "The central station wouldn't look out of place in Gotham City with the characters built into either side of the main entrance." Another agreed: "One of the most Impressive buildings in Helsinki. To me looks Like from Gotham city in the Batman movies." Around 240,000 people use the station per day, as it is used as a transport hub for both commuters and long-haul travellers. Yet only half of those people are actually using the station for transport purposes, with the other half visiting it as a tourist attraction. It is so popular, it is is actually the most visited building in all of Finland. Along with 19 platforms, there are 15 cafes and restaurants including everything from juice bars and sandwich delis to fancier wine bars and beer stops. And the station is currently undergoing a huge renovation with improvements to the platform waiting area. Huge new train station to open in world's most popular city 5 The two statues outside are a famous feature Credit: Alamy As well as the addition of more seating, digital displays and automatic doors, a new brewery, restaurant and food court are also being added. Passengers are warned of temporary restrictions because of this until spring 2026. The Burger King in Helsinki's Central Station is even praised for being on of the most beautiful in the world. Tourists enter through a glass archway and are met by a huge chandelier hanging outside. 5 Inside are more than 15cafes, bars and restaurants Credit: Alamy One Youtuber said: "Absolutely the fanciest Burger King in the world, it's got to be." Visit in the winter months as you will also post a huge outdoor ice skating rink outside the station as well. Here's what it is like to go on a European train holiday, including a stop at the train station. For other beautiful train stations, Schafbergbahn Station in St. Wolfgang, Austria was named the most beautiful by architecture and design award Prix Versailles. Milan's main train station as well as Liege-Guillemins railway station in Belgium have also been praised. And we've rounded up the prettiest ones in the UK. 5 The train station renovations are set to be complete by 2026 Credit: Alamy