Overview
- Visit three countries in one day: France, Andorra and Spain
- Tour the medieval Spanish village of Baga
- Wander the Medieval streets of Ax Les Thermes
- Experience the healing waters from one of the many spas
- Take in the magnificent views from a high mountain pass
- Enjoy a short walk in a typical Andorran valley
- Small-group tour with a maximum of 20 people provides an intimate experience with your guide
From $152.01 USD
Lowest Price GuaranteeAs this sleepy villages comes to life, you can get a fresh pastry or sandwich in the local bakery and a coffee in one of the many typical cafes, before rejoining your guide who will give you a short walking tour of the village before leaving you some free time to explore alone.
From Baga, head deeper into the countryside as you ride toward the French border. Your next stop is the charming and beautiful ancient spa town of Ax Les Thermes. Your guide will recommend some of the best natural fountains to visit and those best suitable for soaking your feet in. You'll then have free to enjoy the healing waters and browse the local artisan shops where you can buy local cheeses and cured meats.
After an hour of wandering around this typical French village, its time to choose from one of the many local restaurants for a traditional French lunch. After a memorable French experience, you will meet back at the bus to head toward Andorra.
Your route takes you through the beautiful Pyrenees Alps to Andorra la Vella, the capital of the small but stunning country of Andorra.
On your way, cross the Pas de la Casa, an amazing high-mountain pass with some stunning photo opportunities. As you descend into Andorra you will stop off at a typical mountain valley where you will get a glimpse of how Andorra used to be. Tiny stone huts dot the mountainside, a Roman church stands guard as it has done for centuries. There will be a chance for you to enjoy a brief hike to get away from it all.
From here, head down the valleys into Andorra de la Vella. This will be your last stop of the day, but you'll have enough time to do a little bit of duty-free shopping.
At about 4pm, you will return to the bus and head back to Barcelona via a different route. This drive takes you though dramatic gorges, past verdant farmland, and alongside lakes and rivers.
You will stop en route for a chance to stretch your legs and quench your thirst before arriving back in town at about 7.30pm.
Reviews
Viator Traveler's Reviews
This tour was very good. The scenery was great.
There is a lot of driving 600 kilometers or 375 miles. However, it was set up where you are not sitting on the bus for more than 1.5 hours.
This is a big picture like tour, in that you do not spend a lot of time in each city. Between 1 and 1.5 hours is spent at each city.
The guide we gave did not give much information and did not say a much during the tour. If the guide was better I would have rated my experience five stars.
We were able to get the maximum enjoyment and information on this unique trip largely due to the great knowledge and wonderful sense of humor of our guide, Feliciano. He was able to describe the history and background of each of the towns we visited, point us to additional places of interest, etc. in each town visited and keep all of us anxious to learn more! A fabulous, exciting day !!!
This tour was a great option from Barcelona since I really wanted to make a visit to Andorra. The stop in Baga was a great opportunity to see a cute small Catalonian town as compared to the big city of Barcelona. The stop at Ax-les-Thermes was excellent for contrasting the French village with the one on the other side of the mountains....and to enjoy a lunch and stroll through the town. The stop in Andorra gave plenty of time to check out the shops, stroll through the old town, and enjoy the scenery. (Of course, much more time could've been spent in Andorra, but as a quick overview, it was great.) The tour guide Xavi was absolutely fantastic! He was knowledgeable, funny, open to questions, and genuinely wanted to make sure we all enjoyed our time. I was really impressed that during the drive back to Barcelona, he went around and asked everyone if they had any questions for things to do during the rest of their time in the area. Also, if you think this tour is a little on the expensive side, not only will I say it's worth it for the activities, but with the touring maxing out at 20 people, the cost is undersandable and very worthwhile. The small tour size makes for a better experience. Finally, on the way back, the stop for a beverage which the tour company paid for was also a nice feature. I seriously can't say enough positive about this experience.
This is a small group tour so I booked this online several months prior. We found the tour office Explore Catalunya thru google map about 10-15 min. walk from La Rambla. The office opened at 6:55 AM, checked our tickets, then Nicolas our guide gave us a brief summary of the day, and by 7:10 AM, we were on our way. This was a long tour so we brought our rain gear, hat, water, and food that didn't crush nor spoil. It was summer, but it was cold in the bus so I was lucky I had my jacket on.
Our tour van climbed the Pyrenees mountains as we marveled at the beautiful sights and winding roads. Baga was our first pit stop, then had lunch at Ax Les Thermes France. While the bus was rolling and in all our stops, our guide gave us information about the place. The highest peak we went to was 2450 meters I think or 8038 feet. Some of the mountains were covered by clouds. Occasionally, we drove thru foggy roads. Our driver was experienced, thank goodness.
At the border, those who wanted an Andorra stamp in their passports gave their passports to our guide. Andorra is a shoppers' paradise for those who relish designer goods. There was one main street where most of the shops were. Noted that people took their dogs with them, yet there was not a single turd to be seen. The streets were clean.
We reached Plaza Catalunya at 7:30 PM where we were dropped off. I recommend this tour for its sights and Kodak moments.
