Andorra la Vella y Escaldes, the capital, its thermal baths and a World Heritage valley on foot.

Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany are in practice a single city, split by the River Valira, at the bottom of the valley where the country's roads meet. It is the part of Andorra that works in any month: shops on Avinguda Meritxell and Carlemany, Caldea for a rainy afternoon, the old town with the Casa de la Vall and, for anyone who wants the mountains without taking the car, the Madriu valley, which starts on foot from Escaldes.

How do you get to the capital?

Via La Seu d'Urgell and the Sant Julià de Lòria customs post: the Comú gives 185 km from Lleida and 208 from Barcelona. From Lleida you go up the C-14, through Ponts and Organyà; from Barcelona, by the same C-14 or by the C-16, the Cadí tunnel and the Cerdanya. Carry your ID card or passport: there is a check. Without a car, several bus companies link the city with Barcelona, its airport and Lleida; Caldea lists Andorra Direct Bus, Alsa, Novatel, Autocars Nadal and Andbus.

Once there, leave the car. The Comú manages 21 public car parks with more than 4,500 spaces, and the Centre Històric one gives the first half hour free.

What to see in a day

In the morning, the Barri Antic: the Casa de la Vall, the 16th-century manor house that was the seat of parliament until 2011, and the church of Sant Esteve, with free entry. Then, to the south, Santa Coloma and the Espai Columba, where a six-minute projection restores the 12th-century Romanesque paintings to the walls. In the afternoon, Caldea: three hours of thermal lagoons with the Classic ticket, from age 5.

The Govern museums close on Mondays and on Sunday afternoons. If you arrive on a Monday, do Caldea and the walk.

And the mountains?

Without leaving the city. The Rec del Solà is an almost flat walk of nearly six kilometres beside an irrigation channel, halfway up the hillside, which can be done all year. The Madriu valley, a World Heritage site, climbs from Escaldes along cobbled paths, past bordes and mountain huts: the full route is 13.6 km and 1,180 metres, for fit walkers, but the first stretch, as far as Entremesaigües, is already worth the morning. From late June to September is when it is free of snow.

If you are staying more days, Ordino and La Massana are a few minutes along the northern road, and Grandvalira climbs from Encamp.

A hotel with parking or next to Caldea?

To arrive by car and not think about parking, the Andorra Park Hotel, five stars with gardens and more than a hundred spaces, or the Hotel Cérvol, three stars on Avinguda Santa Coloma, with paid parking and a buffet dinner. If the plan is the water, the Termes Carlemany has thermal water throughout the building and is a short walk from Caldea.

Where to eat in the capital

Mountain and market cooking: canelons, kid, mountain rice dishes, chargrilled meats. The Celler d'en Toni has been cooking in the centre since 1964, and La Pérgola, the bistro at the Andorra Park, prepares steak tartare at the table. Check the menu: in Andorra prices may or may not include the IGI, the 4.5% tax.