La Massana centre
First-timersThe valley floor town: the cable car, supermarkets, restaurants and the bus to everywhere.
La Massana city guide
Things To Do In La Massana
The western ski base and Andorra's best bike park, in a valley of Romanesque churches under the country's highest peak.
2
Hostels in the city
9.4
Average, from 285 reviews
2,942m
Coma Pedrosa, the country's summit
€45
A day pass at Pal-Arinsal
10min
From the capital by bus
The quieter side of Andorran skiing
La Massana sits ten minutes up the valley from the capital and is the gateway to Pal-Arinsal, the western half of the Vallnord ski area. It is smaller and less frantic than the Grandvalira side, which is why people who live in Andorra tend to ski here.
A cable car runs from the middle of town up to Pal, which means you can be on the slopes twenty minutes after breakfast without a car.
In summer the same lifts serve one of the best bike parks in Europe, which hosts World Cup downhill rounds, and the walking above Arinsal leads to Coma Pedrosa at 2,942 metres, the highest point in the country.
Two or three days for skiing or biking. The town itself is small and functional rather than pretty.
Where to stay
The town, or up the side valley at Arinsal where the ski-in accommodation is.
Arinsal
Ski-in and nightlifeUp the side valley: lifts from the village, the liveliest après-ski in Andorra and a young seasonal crowd.
Ordino
Quiet and prettyThe next valley east: Romanesque churches, a nature park and the most attractive village in the country.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 2 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in La Massana
In winter, ski Pal-Arinsal. The two sectors are linked by cable car, the terrain suits intermediates, and a day pass runs €45 to €55 — less than the Alps and with a season that usually holds from December to April.
In summer the same lifts open for the bike park, which is among the best in Europe and hosts World Cup downhill and cross-country rounds. Uplift passes and rental are both available in the village.
Coma Pedrosa, the country's highest peak at 2,942 metres, is climbed from Arinsal in about five hours return, with a refuge partway for anyone wanting to break it.
The Romanesque churches of the valley — Sant Climent de Pal, Sant Joan de Caselles nearby — are small, unrestored and free, and there are dozens across the country.
Free things
Free things to do in La Massana
The valley's walking is free and starts at the edge of the village, with waymarked routes from gentle riverside paths to the Coma Pedrosa ascent.
The Romanesque churches cost nothing and are usually open, including Sant Climent de Pal on the road up to the ski area.
The Sorteny nature park above Ordino is free to walk, with a refuge and wildflower meadows in June and July.
Watching the bike park from the base area in summer is free and more entertaining than it sounds.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in La Massana
Mountain Catalan food, and more of it than you need. Trinxat, escudella, grilled meats over a wood fire, and civet of wild boar in autumn.
A menú del dia at lunch is €14 to €20 and is the way to eat properly here. Dinner in a restaurant is €25 to €40.
Borda restaurants — converted stone barns with open fires — are the local format and are worth seeking out over anything on the main road.
In the ski season the mountain restaurants charge mountain prices; carrying a sandwich from the supermarket in the village saves €20 a day and is what the locals do.
Nightlife
Going out in La Massana
La Massana itself is quiet in the evening. Arinsal, up the side valley, is where the season workers and the young British and Irish crowd drink, and it has the liveliest après-ski in Andorra.
It runs hard from December to April and almost entirely stops the rest of the year.
A beer is €3 to €5 and spirits are cheap by Alpine standards, which is part of why the seasonal crowd chooses Andorra.
In summer there is very little — a couple of bars and an early night before the lifts open.
Getting around
Getting around La Massana
The national bus network is cheap and frequent: Andorra la Vella is ten to fifteen minutes away for about €2, and Arinsal is a short connection from the village.
The Pal cable car leaves from the middle of La Massana and puts you on the slopes in fifteen minutes, which removes the need for a car in winter.
Ski buses run between the villages and the lift bases through the season and are usually included with a pass or lift ticket.
For the bike park, uplift is by the same cable car and bikes go up on it.
Costs
What La Massana costs
Cheaper than the Alps for skiing and not cheap in absolute terms. Beds are €25 to €60 depending sharply on the season, a lunch menu is €14 to €20, and a beer is €3 to €5.
A day is €60 to €100 in ski season, less in summer.
The pass is the main cost at €45 to €55 a day, with rental at €20 to €35. Summer bike park uplift is €25 to €40 a day.
Buying food in the supermarket in the village rather than on the mountain is the single biggest saving available.
Safety
Staying safe in La Massana
Crime is effectively nonexistent. The mountains are the whole safety picture.
Andorra is outside the EU, so EHIC and GHIC cards do not cover you, and mountain rescue is charged for. Travel insurance with winter sports or mountain cover is necessary rather than advisable, and it needs to cover off-piste if you intend to ski it.
Avalanche risk is real above the marked runs and the forecast is published daily through the season.
In summer, Coma Pedrosa is a five-hour mountain day above 2,900 metres with fast-changing weather, and the refuge partway is worth using if conditions turn. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from La Massana
The whole country is within an hour, and two of these are in the next valley.
Ordino and Sorteny
The prettiest parish in Andorra: a Romanesque church, a manor house museum and a nature park with a refuge.
Andorra la Vella and Caldea
The capital, the old quarter and the thermal spa, as an easy afternoon.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The two seasons, and a World Cup bike round in between.
December to April
Ski season
Pal-Arinsal
Lifts usually open early December and run to mid-April, with the best snow in February.
Summer
Mountain Bike World Cup
Pal-Arinsal bike park
World Cup downhill and cross-country rounds on the slopes above the village.
June to September
Bike park season
Pal-Arinsal
Lift-served downhill riding, among the best in Europe.
August
Festa Major
La Massana
The village festival, with concerts, giants and a communal meal.
June and July
Sorteny wildflowers
Ordino
The nature park in the next valley at its best.
Hostels
Where to stay in La Massana
A seasonal scene split between the village and Arinsal up the side valley, where the ski-in beds are. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
Two seasons and a gap between them. December to April for snow, June to September for bikes and walking.
Jan
Peak ski season. Cold, bright and busy at weekends
Feb
Best snow of the year. Book well ahead
Mar
Spring skiing, longer days and lower prices
Apr
Season ending mid-month. Slush and bargains
May
Closed. Lifts off, trails still snowbound
Jun
Bike park and walking open. Wildflowers at Sorteny
Jul
Peak summer. Every lift and trail running
Aug
Busiest, with French and Spanish holidays
Sep
The best month. Clear, warm and empty
Oct
Lifts closing. Autumn colour in the valley
Nov
Closed. Waiting for snow
Dec
Season opens, usually early in the month
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs in the village at 1,240m. The ski area tops out above 2,500m and is considerably colder, with snow on the high trails into June.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros, in season.
The doing line assumes a ski pass and rental in winter. Summer is roughly half, and the walking is free.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
La Massana travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Pal-Arinsal or Grandvalira?
Grandvalira is bigger and busier; Pal-Arinsal is smaller, quieter and where Andorrans ski. For intermediates the difference is marginal and Pal-Arinsal is easier to reach without a car, with a cable car from the middle of La Massana.
How much is a ski day?
A day pass is €45 to €55 and rental €20 to €35, which is meaningfully cheaper than the Alps. Add a bed at €25 to €60 depending on the week and a day comes to €60 to €100.
Is there anything here in summer?
One of the best bike parks in Europe, with World Cup rounds, plus walking from the village and Coma Pedrosa, the country's highest peak, five hours return from Arinsal. September is the best month of the year here.
Do I need a car?
No. The cable car to Pal leaves from the middle of town, the national buses cost about €2 to anywhere in the country, and ski buses run between the villages in season.
Where is the nightlife?
Arinsal, up the side valley, which has the liveliest après-ski in Andorra and a large seasonal worker crowd. La Massana itself is quiet in the evening.
Does my EHIC work here?
No. Andorra is not in the EU, so EHIC and GHIC cards do not cover you, and mountain rescue is charged for. Get insurance with winter sports and mountain cover.
When does the season run?
Usually early December to mid-April for skiing, with February the best snow, and June to September for the bike park and walking. May and November are shut.
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