Travel Eye on Arinsal (Andorra)

Write a review or view peoples experiences in Arinsal.	Hotels in Arinsal	Flights	Car Hire/Rental

Want to contribute to the writings of this travel guide? If so, Click here

Overview:

Arinsal is a little village of Catalan slate and gray stone, near the head of a narrow valley north of Andorra La Vella . It has seen rapid development in recent years, giving the place a building-site appearance. Stretching for over 1¼ mls along the main road, most of the action is clustered around Hotel Micolau in the centre and at the gondola, from where distances in the property reports are measured.

Locality:

Arinsal is situated in the NW corner of the principality (Andorra), 5 mls NW of Andorra la Vella. 142 mls S of Toulouse airport (France), 162 mls N of Barcelona airport (Spain).

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Visitors to Arinsal enjoy freestyle and slalom skiing, snowboarding (snow park with half-tube), ski-biking, tubing, ice-skating, children's snow playground, parascending, scenic helicopter flights along with a popular disco at St Gothard hotel and a few other 'apres-ski' options in the evening. Arinsal is particularly popular with families and younger couples seeking a more affordable option to mainstream European resorts. Arinsal boasts a variety of skiing, suitable for beginners and intermediates. Experts may find the region undemanding.

The village is set at 4,920 ft with the highest lifts: 8,530 ft. The ski season runs Dec to April with the NE-facing slopes of Pic Negre and Pic Alt de la Capa holding snow well. 18 mls of piste in immediate area comprising 3 green runs, 7 blue, 7 red and 4 black; 73 cannons provide artificial snow if needed. Ski-slopes are situated above the village, 4 mls away by steep mountain road; the ski-school is also here. Supervised kindergarten and nursery available for skiers with infants. The most direct route to the slopes is via the 1st-stage Cota chair-lift, ¼ ml from the village centre, which avoids a longer bus ride; this chair-lift is augmented by a fast, modern, more centrally situated gondola.