As some of you know, I’m on a mission to visit every country in the world—which means checking off some of the smaller European nations I’d previously skipped. After wrapping up my travels in Portugal, I boarded a night train from Lisbon to Madrid, then continued the next morning to Lleida, a small city in Spain near Barcelona. Lleida is the closest you can get to Andorra by train, and from there, I caught a bus straight to the tiny mountain nation.
Andorra la Vella is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains. Many Spanish and French tourists visit to take advantage of tax-free shopping, and the city is full of shopping streets selling everything from cosmetics to electronics. However, I wasn’t there to shop, and I quickly realized that aside from retail therapy, there isn’t much else to do—especially outside of ski season. In the winter, Andorra becomes a popular destination for skiing, but since I visited in October, the season hadn’t started yet. If you’re planning a winter visit, check out the post Androrra Ski Holiday by Travel Hacker Girl for tips and inspiration.
Andorra is not exactly a budget traveler’s paradise. I was lucky to find a hostel that didn’t break the bank—Barri Antic Hostel & Pub in Andorra la Vella. I paid €23 for a private room, which was a great deal compared to the sky-high prices at most hotels. If you’re looking for affordable accommodation, I’d definitely recommend it.
I had made it to Andorra—but how was I going to get out? There was only one bus to Toulouse, France, and the ticket cost €36. That felt like far too much for such a short trip, so I decided to try hitchhiking instead. My goal was to make it all the way to Nice, France, though I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off in just one day.
I started hitchhiking around 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning, hoping there would be plenty of French tourists heading home. I quickly realized that wasn’t the case—there was hardly any traffic at all.
Thankfully, hitchhiking in Andorra is pretty straightforward. You don’t need a map—there’s just one main road, and you simply have to stand on the side going toward France or Spain, depending on your direction.
Despite the lack of traffic, Andorrans turned out to be surprisingly helpful, and after getting three different rides, I finally made it to the French border.
That’s when things got tricky. Once I crossed into France, everything became more difficult—mainly because I don’t speak French. I had a few phrases saved on my phone, but my pronunciation was so bad that nobody could understand me.
Worse yet, the last person who picked me up dropped me a few kilometers from the border, so I had to walk quite a bit just to reach a better hitchhiking spot.
When I arrived at the edge of the village, I saw an older French man also trying to hitch a ride. He was juggling multiple plastic bags and clearly wasn’t thrilled to see me competing for space. To avoid tension, I kept walking.
Big mistake.
What I didn’t realize was that I’d have to walk over 3 kilometers along a dangerous mountain road—with fast-moving cars and almost zero visibility. Not ideal for a pedestrian with a backpack.
Eventually, I reached a better spot and didn’t have to wait long before a kind French couple picked me up. Despite the language barrier, I understood they were heading to a small village near Toulouse, so I decided to go with them and catch a train from there.
And here’s the twist: when I got out of the car, who did I see at the train station? The same older man from the border! Somehow, he’d gotten there before me. We both ended up taking the same train to Toulouse.
I made it to Toulouse just in time to catch a connecting train to Nice. I couldn’t believe it—I was actually going to make it all the way in one day!
I arrived in Nice just before midnight, but arriving at that hour during the low season turned out to be another challenge. Everything was closed, and I couldn’t find an open hostel. After walking around for nearly an hour, I was cold, tired, and seriously considering sleeping on the street.
Just when I was about to give up, I checked one final place—and to my relief, it was still open! I got a bed in a dorm room, and it turned out I was the only guest that night.
Have you ever hitchhiked and how did it go? Leave a comment below!
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9 comments
I’ve never hitchhiked before! Your adventures sound amazing though, and I love how fearless you are!
You should try it! It’s always a good adventure! 🙂
It’s easier to hitchhike as a woman. Take advantage of that. Traveling by hitchhiking is one of my principal ways of getting around but often I give up as in some parts of the world people are too fearful of hitchhikers. Female friends of mine who have hitched rides in those same places tell me they are picked up in minutes.
Hi Gabriela! Glad you got to check Andorra off your list – it’s a place I need to double back to one day! Hitchhiking always leads to great stories… even if it doesn’t always go 100% easily 🙂
Yes, Andorra was a beautiful place. Definitely worth checking out!
I have never hitchhiked before! Cudos for being so adventurous and please be safe!
Thanks, always trying to be safe! 🙂
Kudos on hiking out of the French side of the country! As a driver, that road is spectacular when the fog has rolled in, but… walking it in that weather, I can see how it could be a little sketchy.
All is well that ends well though! As you would have seen in Andorra, hitchhiking is very common here, especially in Winter.
Keep on freedom travelling Gabriela, and do return to Andorra again soon!
Make sure to hitchhike in Georgia, Armenia and the Republic of Arstakh. The people there are very open to it. I’ve gotten rides of up to five hours over in that region and had my hitchhiking hosts even go out of their way to show me churches and scenic points. Also nearby I’ve heard Iran is unusually good for hitchhiking (can’t do it there myself because I’m American) as well as Iraqi Kurdistan (didn’t think to try while I was there though I will say Kurdish hospitality (and love for America(ns)) is second to none).
And I argue that there isn’t much to do in Andorra. Andorra is famous for its hot springs and has some fantastic hiking. In October I would think the trails are not yet snowed over.