
Skiing at Ordino Arcalís, at the head of the valley
Skiing and snowboarding · 30.5 km · 16 lifts · Freeride · 4 December to 4 April · Free parking
42.56° N · 1.53° E
The Ordino valley: skiing at Arcalís from 4 December to 4 April, the Tristaina lakes, the flowers of Sorteny, the Llorts mine and where to eat and sleep.
Part of Pyrenees
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.

Skiing and snowboarding · 30.5 km · 16 lifts · Freeride · 4 December to 4 April · Free parking

Snowshoeing · 2 h · Departure at 10:30 · From age 12 · Guide, snowshoes and pedestrian lift pass · €35

Circular route · 4.4 km · 210 m · 3 h · First lake at 40 min, easy with children · June to September · Free or with a guide at €55
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
December to March for skiing at Arcalís, which opens from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. Late June to September for the Tristaina lakes, the Mirador Solar and the flowers of Sorteny, best from late June to late July.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Ordino is 9 km from Andorra la Vella, according to the parish, along the CG-3, which follows the valley north through La Cortinada, Llorts and El Serrat to the Arcalís resort. With a car you sleep in one village and move to the others in minutes: the mine, Sorteny, the Tristaina lakes. The budget, per person and day, includes a shared hotel, lunch, dinner and an activity.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Ordino is a comfortable valley with children: short distances, walks that can be shortened and one-hour visits. In summer it has lakes, flowers and a mine; in winter, a small resort where children up to age 5 do not pay for a lift pass.






For a teenager, Ordino has two things that stay with you: four freeride zones at Arcalís and a 27-metre needle at 2,701 metres to watch the sunrise.
Ordino lets you walk with a dog on its trails and in its natural park, with one clear rule: always on a lead in public space, rural or urban, picking up after it and not entering private meadows. Fines go up to €360.



Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel

Why we like it: A four-star hotel in El Serrat, the village on the way up to Ordino Arcalís, with a spa for over-16s, free outdoor parking and rooms for up to four.

Why we like it: A four-star hotel in La Cortinada, with 50 outward-facing rooms, a spa and a restaurant; accepts dogs up to 10 kg and has a garage at €10 a day.

Why we like it: A family hotel in Ordino, more than 90 years old, with an outdoor pool, gardens, 24-hour reception and family rooms; accepts dogs and cats for €10 a night.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Ordino | Museum, shops and restaurants | Centre of the valley |
| La Cortinada and Llorts | Romanesque church, mine and Ruta del Ferro | 5–10 min |
| El Serrat | Climb to Arcalís and Sorteny | 15 min |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.

What to order: the Andorran foal or the chargrilled magret; with children, a thin-crust pizza to share

What to order: the escudella or the trinxat with rosta, and the oven-roasted shoulder of lamb

What to order: Carn d'Andorra veal from the grill and a homemade dessert
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
It leaves Ordino at 8:30, 8:50, 9:30 and 10:30 in season.
On cable-car days, the road to La Coma is restricted from 8:30 to 17:00.
That is when the botanical garden is in flower; parking costs €4 from 8:30 to 16:00.
Ordino is the parish in the north of Andorra. Its main village is 9 km from the capital, and from there the CG-3 road climbs the valley past La Cortinada, Llorts and El Serrat to the Arcalís ski resort. This is the Andorra of stone villages and meadows, with two seasons: the snow of Arcalís in winter and, in summer, the Tristaina lakes, the Sorteny park and the Romanesque churches.
From the Sant Julià de Lòria border, take the CG-1 to Andorra la Vella and the CG-3 northwards, passing through La Massana. The parish places Ordino 9 km from the capital. From 1 November to 15 May, winter equipment is compulsory on the climb to Arcalís. Carry your ID card or passport for customs.
Skiing at Ordino Arcalís: 30.5 km of slopes, 16 lifts and four freeride zones, from 4 December to 4 April. Parking is free, with about 1,500 spaces, and a free bus runs up from Ordino in the morning. The lift pass has dynamic pricing; from two days it is also valid at Pal Arinsal. Non-skiers have guided snowshoeing, two hours for €35 from age 12, and down in the village, the Casa d'Areny-Plandolit, with its hologram show.
The Estanys de Tristaina are a three-hour circuit round three glacial lakes above Arcalís, with the first one forty minutes away for anyone with children. Above, on the Peyreguils peak, the Mirador Solar, a 27-metre needle at 2,701, which you reach by cable car and chairlift or on foot at sunrise with a guide. On the other side of El Serrat, the Vall de Sorteny has a botanical garden with almost three hundred species and guided outings in July and August.
Further down, in Llorts, you enter an iron mine and walk the Ruta del Ferro among sculptures, and in La Cortinada the Romanesque church of Sant Martí, with 12th-century paintings, opens in July and August.
Ordino, La Cortinada or El Serrat depending on the plan. The Hotel Coma, in Ordino, is the family-run house with a pool and gardens that accepts dogs; the Mu & Spa, in La Cortinada, a four-star with a spa halfway to everything; the Niunit, in El Serrat, the closest to Arcalís and Sorteny, no animals.
Andorran cooking: escudella, trinxat with rosta, oven-roasted lamb, local beef with the Carn d'Andorra seal. In Ordino, the Tòpic, open every day and with gluten-free options, and Cal Ventura, in the Hotel Coma. Higher up, the Niunit restaurant. If you go up to Sorteny, the Borda de Sorteny refuge serves meals for most of the year.
Questions
The Casa d'Areny-Plandolit, Sant Martí de la Cortinada, the Llorts mine and, in summer, the Tristaina lakes and the Vall de Sorteny.
From 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.
9 km, according to the parish, along the CG-3.
Yes, always on a lead in the natural environment. The Hotel Coma and the Mu accept dogs.
Only from 1 July to 1 September, from 8:30 to 16:00: €4.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/andorra/ordino