The road east from the capital towards France runs through Encamp and Canillo, the two parishes that hold most of Andorra's high country. Both are cheaper bases than the ski villages and better placed for walking.
Encamp
Encamp's main asset is the Funicamp, a gondola that climbs from the town straight into the Grandvalira ski area in about a quarter of an hour. In winter this lets you stay in an ordinary town at ordinary prices and still be on the snow before the lifts at the resorts have filled up; in summer it opens the walking around Cortals and the Pessons.
In the town itself, the Museu Nacional de l'Automòbil holds a serious collection of veteran cars, motorcycles and bicycles, including a steam vehicle from 1885. Above Encamp, the Engolasters lake and its Romanesque church make an easy afternoon.
Meritxell
Between the two parishes stands the Sanctuary of Meritxell, dedicated to the patron saint of Andorra. The medieval original burnt down in 1972 and the Romanesque statue was lost with it; the replacement, designed by Ricardo Bofill, is a striking modern building that incorporates the ruins of the old church rather than clearing them. The eighth of September, Meritxell day, is the national holiday.
Canillo
Canillo has the country's finest Romanesque church, Sant Joan de Caselles, and the Palau de Gel, an ice rink and leisure complex that is genuinely useful on a wet day with children. A cable car climbs to the Roc del Quer, where a walkway juts out over a drop of several hundred metres — brief, but the view down the valley is the best roadside panorama in Andorra.
Vall d'Incles
Above Canillo opens the Vall d'Incles, a broad glacial valley that stays green all summer and is, for many people, the most beautiful corner of the country. Cars are restricted in high season and a shuttle bus runs from the valley mouth. From the top, paths climb to the Juclar lakes and over the ridge into France. In winter it is a straightforward and popular snowshoe route.
Where to base yourself
Both towns are ordinary places where people live, which is exactly their advantage: hotel prices run well below Soldeu or Pas de la Casa, restaurants are cheaper, and the bus and gondola connections put the slopes within easy reach. For a family week on the snow, or a summer of walking, they are the sensible choice — provided you accept that the evening entertainment is limited and most of it is in the resorts up the hill.
The road to France
Beyond Canillo the road climbs to Pas de la Casa and the Envalira pass, the highest paved road in the Pyrenees. Even without skis it is worth driving in summer for the view back down the valley.