Pick your Andorra ski resort by level, group and dates

In 1956 the first rope tow at Pas de la Casa ran on a lorry's engine. Today skiing in Andorra means three resorts on one pass, more than 200 slopes and one choice that shapes the whole week: which valley you wake up in. Grandvalira's seven linked areas suit a group that wants new runs every day. Pal Arinsal keeps families close to the cable car in La Massana. Ordino Arcalís, in the parish of Ordino, is where strong skiers go looking for steep, north facing snow.

Beginners and families do best at Pal Arinsal or Grandvalira's quieter areas, mixed groups at Grandvalira, and strong skiers and freeriders at Ordino Arcalís. All three sit under one name, so the pass is the easy part.

Grandvalira Resorts Andorra joins the country's three Alpine ski resorts under one Andorra Pass: Grandvalira with 215 km of pistes, Pal Arinsal with 63 km and Ordino Arcalís with 30.5 km, 308 km in all. Grandvalira, the largest ski area in the Pyrenees, links seven areas by piste and lift, so it suits mixed groups who want different runs each day and a beginners' area close by. Pal Arinsal, in the parish of La Massana, suits families, with a supervised children's garden, green runs for first timers and black runs for experts, reached by cable car from the town centre. Ordino Arcalís faces north, which gives it some of the best snow in Andorra, and its steep pistes and freeride terrain draw strong skiers. The multi-day Andorra Pass, valid for two days or more, covers all three resorts and their lifts, while the Nord Pass covers only Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalís.

Snow cover is the next question. Grandvalira can make snow across 66% of its skiable area, Ordino Arcalís runs 101 snow cannons, and the group says it can guarantee snow on more than 60% of its ski areas, helped by Andorra's many sunny winter days. Our page for ski in Andorra keeps the resorts and theKlub's chosen ski hotels together.

Grandvalira's seven areas are linked on the mountain, and each has its own way up from the valley and its own ski school, so choose the one that suits your group and ski the rest from there.

Mixed groups settle well in Soldeu and El Tarter, where steep World Cup slopes and children's circuits sit side by side. Families after calm learning slopes look at Canillo, freestyle riders follow the snowparks at El Tarter, Grau Roig and Peretol, and friends who want a night out pick Pas de la Casa.

First timers have it easy here. Most areas have a green zone, a very easy run with little gradient, and Grandvalira counts 24 green slopes in all. Beginners' group lessons last 3 hours with skiers of the same level. The beginners' pass covers the cable car of the area you visit and some lifts in the beginners' area, but no lift to harder slopes, so switch to a day pass once blue runs (the next step up) feel right.

For a base on the snow, theKlub's ski hotels in Soldeu are Serras Andorra, rated 9.8 out of 10 by its guests, and Sport Hotel Village. In Canillo there are Hotel Roc Meler and Hotel Font d'Argent Canillo, and Grau Roig Andorra Boutique Hotel & Spa sits in Grau Roig itself, beside the freeride zones. For runs, lessons and weeks in one valley, our guide to skiing Soldeu goes deeper.

Yes. Pal Arinsal suits families best, with gentle green runs, a supervised children's garden and a cable car straight from La Massana, about 6 km from the capital. Its 63 km of pistes run between 1,550 and 2,560 m over two areas, Pal and Arinsal, linked by cable car.

Getting up is simple. A cable car leaves the centre of La Massana for the foot of the Pal slopes, and another leaves Arinsal village for the Arinsal side. A free bus links the resort with La Massana, each area has free parking, and drivers take the CG-4 road to Pal or the CG-5 to Arinsal.

Children start in the Children's Garden in Pal, a large area where specialised instructors teach them, then move on to the fun cross circuits, with curves and obstacles. At the end of the day the Après Kids party in the Caubella area gives them their own music and activities. Stronger skiers are not short changed: Pal Arinsal has black runs, slalom tracks, a snowpark and ski mountaineering routes. Lunch at Coll de la Botella means rice dishes, stone roasted meats and local produce; on the Arinsal side, El Pla de la Cot and El Terroir sit at the foot of the slopes.

Stay in La Massana at Hotel Màgic Ski by Nexta or in Arinsal at Yomo Patagonia. Pal Arinsal rents equipment on site; bring your own boots if they are fitted to your feet. Our full guide to skiing Arinsal and Pal picks the runs and the best weeks.

Strong skiers head to Ordino Arcalís for its north facing slopes, which hold some of the best snow in Andorra, and for freeride terrain that brings the Freeride World Tour, the sport's leading competition, to the resort. The resort runs between 1,940 and 2,625 m in the parish of Ordino.

The pistes are compact, 30.5 km served by 16 lifts: 8 green, 6 blue, 11 red and 2 black runs. Off piste is the draw: freeride, skiing ungroomed snow away from the marked pistes, has 21 areas and 120 routes graded in three levels of difficulty, sheltered from the wind, plus the resort's own Freeride School. Our guide to skiing Ordino Arcalís shows where to ride it. Off piste skiing stays each skier's own responsibility: carry the safety kit, know how to use it and respect the FIS rules.

Beginners have a place here too. Ordino Arcalís has the longest green slope in the Pyrenees, the Kids Forest circuit for children and a boardercross area. Lunch at La Coma means grilled meats, and Refugi les Portelles is the highest restaurant in Andorra. Reach it by car on the CG-3 road or by bus; its car parks hold 1,500 vehicles. Hotel Coma in Ordino is theKlub's ski hotel in the valley.

Fly to Barcelona El Prat, 200 km from Grandvalira, or Toulouse Blagnac, 195 km away, and finish by coach or car: both have direct coaches to Andorra. La Seu d'Urgell airport, 27 km away, is the closest; Lleida-Alguaire (150 km), Carcassonne (176 km), Reus (240 km) and Girona-Costa Brava (260 km) are the other options.

Coaches cover the last stretch. From Barcelona, Directbus stops at Sants station and the airport, AndBus at the airport only and ALSA at Estació del Nord. From Toulouse, Andbybus stops at Matabiau station and the airport. By train, the AVE high speed line runs from Madrid to Lleida, where Hife, AndBus and ALSA coaches continue to Andorra; from France, Hife runs daily coaches from the stations at L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre and La Tour de Carol.

Drivers from Spain come up through La Seu d'Urgell, 30 km from Encamp. From France, the N-22 crosses the border at Pas de la Casa, or the Envalira tunnel brings you out near Grau Roig. The Andorra Traffic Agency, which reports on the country's roads, gives road conditions at mobilitat.ad. Once you are there, Grandvalira runs a free ski bus between its areas for all its skiers, and Encamp's free bus links the whole parish with the Funicamp.

Andorra la Vella makes a good base for a group that wants to ski more than one resort: Encamp's Funicamp is the closest Grandvalira lift, and Pal Arinsal is about 6 km away. theKlub's ski hotels in the capital include Andorra Park Hotel and Yomo Centric.

January to March is the best time to ski in Andorra. January brings cold, dry snow and quieter pistes once the Three Kings holiday crowds clear. February has the deepest, most dependable base, but school holidays overlap and the queues grow; its first week falls before most half term crowds arrive. March suits skiers who want long, sunny days on a deep base, with crowds easing once the school holidays pass. Spring snow freezes overnight and softens through the day, so lower, sunny runs can turn slushy by afternoon.

The edges of the season are a gamble. Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalís run between December and April, depending on the snow. Early December is quieter, but cover can be patchy and some lower runs may not open, and crowds rise sharply between Christmas and New Year. April has the emptiest slopes, though the season usually winds down early in the month: ski high ground, early in the day.

The table shows ten years of Open-Meteo readings (2016 to 2025) at Andorra's centre point: average daily highs and lows, and the days with 1 mm or more of rain or snow. It is valley weather, not a snow report, so check the resorts' live piste conditions before you travel.

Andorra rewards a little planning. Pick the valley that suits the newest skier in your group, buy the pass that reaches where the strongest wants to go, and stay where the first lift is a short walk or a free bus away. For your next winter, our ski holidays with theKlub page is a good place to start. Start with your dates: check them against the school holidays, then book your Andorra Pass for the days you will ski.