Pas de la Casa, Soldeu or El Tarter: where to stay in Grandvalira
In Grandvalira, pick your village rather than your slope. All seven sectors of the resort are linked by pistes, so wherever you go up in the morning, you can ski the whole area. But the drive from Barcelona, the walk to the lift and how you spend your evenings all come down to the village. The resort plans to open the 2026-2027 season on 4 December 2026 and close on 4 April 2027.
The short version: Pas de la Casa for shopping and nightlife, Soldeu or El Tarter if you have children, Canillo for peace and quiet, and Encamp for a lift straight from the village and a short drive from Spain.
How Grandvalira is laid out
The resort has seven sectors: Encamp, Canillo, El Tarter, Soldeu, Peretol, Grau Roig and Pas de la Casa. Together that makes 215 km and 140 runs. The pistes are open from 9:00 to 17:00, so plan your last descent ahead, especially if your village is at the other end of the resort.
Picture a single road climbing through the whole of Andorra from Spain to France. The villages sit along it one after another. Coming from Andorra la Vella, Encamp is first, then further up the valley come Canillo, El Tarter and Soldeu. Pas de la Casa is already on the far side of the Envalira pass, right by the French border, so if you're coming from France, it's the first one you reach.
| village | altitude | to the slopes from the village | bus from Andorra la Vella |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encamp | 1,250 m | Funicamp to Solanelles | L2, every 11-15 min on weekdays |
| Canillo | 1,526 m | cable car from the centre | L3 and L4 |
| Soldeu | gondola base station 1,800 m | TC8 gondola | L3, every 20 min |
| Pas de la Casa | above 2,000 m | entry to the ski area from the French side | L4, every 30 min |
Pas de la Casa, where nobody goes to bed early
At over 2,000 metres, Pas de la Casa is the highest village in Andorra. People come here to shop, and in the evening for the music: the nightlife is the liveliest in the whole resort, and the crowd is noticeably younger than in the neighbouring villages. If you're ready for bed by ten, look at the other villages.
There are two ways up from Andorra la Vella. You can drive over the Port d'Envalira at 2,409 metres, but in winter those hairpins need strong nerves. Or you can go under the pass through the tunnel and come out by the Grau Roig sector. The toll is €8.10 for a car. Eight euros for under three kilometres under a mountain feels a bit much, but in a snowstorm it seems the most sensible money you'll spend all holiday. Without a car, the L4 bus runs from Andorra la Vella every 30 minutes.
Pas de la Casa has its own transfer from Barcelona, and the journey takes ~2 hr 42 min.
Soldeu and El Tarter for families with children
Soldeu is where families stay most often, and it is easy to see why: four- and five-star hotels stand right by the slopes. In the morning you won't have to march the children and their skis across the whole village to the lift. The gondola goes up from a station at 1,800 metres, and in the evening, once the children are tired, the adults can drop into the après-ski bars.
Next door in El Tarter, evenings are livelier. After skiing, people gather on the terrace of L'Abarset restaurant, children have the Bababoom Circus run, and the older and bolder head off to the snowpark.
Both villages are on the L3 bus line. It runs from Andorra la Vella via Canillo every 20 minutes, daily from 6:50 to 21:50. From Barcelona airport you can book a transfer straight to Soldeu.
Quiet Canillo
Canillo is quiet and unhurried. A cable car with eight-person cabins goes up to the slopes from the centre, and Andorra la Vella is about 20 minutes away by car. It's a good choice if a night's sleep matters more to you than dancing till dawn: anyone after clubs heads to Pas de la Casa anyway.
Encamp and its 6-kilometre cable car
Encamp is the closest village to Andorra la Vella and the lowest, at 1,250 metres. But the Funicamp starts right in the village: a 6 km cable car up to Solanelles at 2,500 metres. As for how long the ride takes, the resort can't seem to decide: one official page says 15 minutes, another says 25.
From the car parks in Encamp, the Funibus runs to the Funicamp every 20 minutes from 8:30 to 18:00, and the town council also runs its own free bus to the lift.
If you are travelling with children
Six sectors have ski kindergartens, but only three take children for the whole day: Canillo, Soldeu and El Tarter. If you plan to ski from first lift to last, stay in one of those.
Children's runs for skiers under 12 are free, and almost every sector has one: Yôkai in Soldeu, Bababoom Circus in El Tarter, Kids Forest in Grau Roig, Forest Pas in Pas de la Casa and Snow Forest in Encamp.
The free Ski Bus takes resort customers between sectors. Its timetable is not on the resort's website, so ask about it at your hotel or at the lift ticket office.
Getting there
It's about 200 km from Barcelona airport to Grandvalira and 195 km from Toulouse airport. We compare the two in our article on the closest airport to Andorra. Bringing your own gear? Have a look at our guide to ski transfers to Grandvalira. We carry skis and snowboards in Van and Bus class vehicles, so pick one of those when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Which Grandvalira village is closest to Spain?
Encamp: it is the first village on the road from Andorra la Vella, 30 km from La Seu d'Urgell. Pas de la Casa is the last on this road, beyond the Envalira pass.
Which Grandvalira sectors have a full-day ski kindergarten?
Canillo, Soldeu and El Tarter do. The other sectors have snow kindergartens too, but not for the full day.
Can I ski the whole of Grandvalira if I stay in Encamp?
Yes, you can. All the sectors are linked by pistes, and the Funicamp takes you up to the slopes from Encamp.
How do I get to Pas de la Casa from Andorra la Vella if the pass is snowed up?
Take the Envalira tunnel under the pass. The toll for a car is €8.10, and the tunnel comes out at Grau Roig, next to Pas de la Casa.
You can book in the Let's GO app or on the website: enter your pick-up and drop-off addresses and the price appears straight away, before you confirm.
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0