Grandvalira

The largest ski area in the Pyrenees, Grandvalira links Pas de la Casa, Soldeu, El Tarter, Canillo and Encamp across a single lift and piste network in Andorra; open above-treeline bowls at altitude, with more sheltered, tree-lined terrain lower down near the villages.

The signature Grandvalira day starts at Soldeu, runs across to Pas de la Casa with lunch at Grau Roig in the middle, and back. This is a full traverse of the network. The Avet at Soldeu is the area's standout run: steep enough to have hosted World Cup racing, but wide enough that a strong intermediate can get down it without drama.

Soldeu sits at the heart of the network, the most upmarket base, with ski-in hotels and one of Europe's best-regarded ski schools; it is also the natural launch point for the Avet and the Soldeu to Pas de la Casa traverse. El Tarter is Soldeu's quieter, more traditional neighbour: a genuine Pyrenean village feel, tree-lined blues good for warming up, and the area's largest snowpark for freestylers. Pas de la Casa sits in a windswept, high-altitude bowl right on the French border; Andorra's liveliest après-ski scene is found here alongside some of the area's most challenging open terrain. keeps a traditional Andorran-village character with its own gondola up to the slopes. is the best-value base in the network, reached by the Funicamp gondola in under 20 minutes.