Guide to Soldeu, Andorra Ski Resorts

The sunny ski resort complex of Soldeu in northeastern Andorra spreads out around the villages of Soldeu, El-Tarter and rapidly expanding Canillo. The skiing is well suited for beginners and intermediates and there is plenty of off-slope skiing through woods and glades. Excellent snowmaking facilities ensure high quality, well groomed snow is virtually guaranteed. Traditional stone and wood buildings line the road through the area and no place is far from the lifts. The ski link to Grau Roig and Pas de la Casa has created the vast ski area of Grand Valira, with over 150km of piste. A highly rated English speaking ski school and good child facilities make this resort also very attractive for families.

Mountain Information Soldeu

	Resort Altitude	1800 m
	Top Lift	2560 m
	Lifts	32
	Total Runs	42
	Longest Run	8 km
	Advanced Runs	10
	Intermediate Runs	12
	Beginner	20
	Cross Country	7 km

Getting to Soldeu

The quickest and cheapest way to travel to Soldeu ski resort is to first find one of the many cheap flights to Toulouse, Perpignan or Barcelona airport. The nearest airports to the Soldeu El Tarter ski resort are at Perpignan, Toulouse, Barcelona and Girona.
From Toulouse Blagnac airport, a scheduled bus service can be used for transfers to the resort. Buses operated by Novatel also run to Soldeu from Barcelona El Prat Airport. The most convenient option is probably to hire a car from one of the airports, but snow chains will be needed.
The resort itself is only accessible by road as Andorra lacks a rail network. The nearest railway stations to Soldeu are as follows: By train, you can travel as far as L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre, a French town 20 miles away near the border. From here daily buses travel to Andorra La Vella, stopping at Soldeu and Canillo (35 mins.journey). Another option could be to take a train from Barcelona to Puigcerdà station in Spain, with buses travelling from there to Soldeu.

Accommodation in Soldeu

There are some good hotels and an abundance of cheaper basic self catering apartments, with a choice of around 1500 beds for accommodation in Soldeu and El Tarter. Cheap special offers are most likely found at the start and end of the season and in mid January. In Soldeu, Hotel Sport Village and Sport Hotel are good and popular with tour groups, Hotel Xalet Montana is new and modern, or check out Hotel Piolets and Hotel Himalaia, Hotel Naudi is traditional and family run, Austria Hotel is cheaper but further out. In El Tarter, popular choices are Hotel des Clos, Hotel Llop Gris, Hotel del Tarter and in Canillo the 4-star Hotel Ski Plaza or Hotel Bonavida. The nearby village of Procasa has luxury accommodation. There is even a campsite open all year round in Canillo.

Bars, restaurants and apres ski

The apres ski nightlife is busy and fuelled by the cheap duty free prices, although some say that the bars are not quite so cheap anymore. Expect a lot of late night noise from revellers. The wildest hotspots are the Aspen, Fat Albert's and the Piccadilly. For loud late nights there are the Pussycat and Capital disco.
As for food, Tex Mex in Soldeu serves huge meals, burgers and pizza's are cheap and plentiful. There are some good restaurants for the more discerning, such as Cort del Popaire, La Fontanella (good Italian fare), or Cantina dels Racons in Canillo.

Activities

The ski school is excellent, with over 70% of the friendly instructors speaking English. The capital Andorra La Vella is only half an hour away for excursions. Snowboarding is available on all pistes, and there is a park with a half-pipe. Other activities are duty free shopping, ice skating, snowmobiling, good value heli-skiing, and an indoor swimming pool in Canillo.