FINALLY – and international work trip! AND I had to be in Europe the week after Easter which means I had the perfect opportunity to add a few days prior to the trip (on my own dime) to explore.

I landed in Barcelona and immediately rented a car and drove north to Andorra. A little mentioned country on the border between France and Spain nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains. I think of this as Switzerland’s discounted little brother.

It was about a 3 hour drive – only because the speed limit is so slow! I was dying. I think I could have made it there in 2 hours if it weren’t for that.

I stayed in what I can only describe as a VERY small ski town. A few hotels, restaurants, and shops, but not really anything else. So if you’re looking a place to explore and roam around with lots of options of food and drinks, you’ll have to go to a bigger area.

I stayed at Marriott’s Euroski Mountain Resort and Spa (Of course I stayed at a Marriott — gotta get those points and nights!) It was in the Vall d’Incles area – about 20 minutes from the capital.

There were some wonderful opportunities for hiking or skiing depending on the time of year you go. I was there early April and the week prior everything was green, weather was 60+ degrees F. A few days before my arrival a foot or two of snow fell.

So — no hiking. But it was GORGEOUS and the weather was still in the 60s! Blue skis and it was perfection. But the hiking would be no joke for sure. I was able to make it to the point where the hiking started to get difficult (usually difficult, with snow, impassible) and I was at over 7,000 feet of elevation. So definitely some great high peaks there!

There were little ski slopes all over, hikes everywhere as well. If I lived in Europe this would definitely be a weekend getaway spot for me!

The capital city was a bit bigger and had lots of great cafes and restaurants. I was only there for 3 days in total but plenty of time to roam around, hike, relax, take in the views.