# Ordino 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. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/andorra/ordino · Revisado: 2026-11-13 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. ## How do you get to Ordino? 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. ## What does Arcalís offer in winter? 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. ## What is there in summer above El Serrat? 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. ## Which village should you sleep in? 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. ## Where to eat in the valley 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. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Pyrenees - Cerca: La Massana (a 2.0 km), Andorra la Vella and Escaldes (a 5.5 km), Grandvalira (a 11.3 km), Cerdanya (a 35.2 km · Spain) ## Qué hacer - **Skiing at Ordino Arcalís, at the head of the valley** (7 h · Families, beginners and freeriders · Dynamic-price lift pass; over-75s and children up to age 5, free): Ordino Arcalís is at the end of the CG-3 road, above El Serrat, in the northern corner of Andorra. It was founded in 1983 by the residents of the parish and is the smallest of the country's three resorts: 30.5 km, against the more than 63 of Pal Arinsal and the 215 of Grandvalira. What sets it apart lies off the slopes: four freeride zones. Kilometres, cable car and its own power station Visit Ordino gives it 30.5 km of slopes and 16 lifts, plus 3.4 km of marked freeride itineraries and about 120 unmarked routes. The resort counts 27 pistes and four freeride zones. The Tristaina cable car goes up from the base, at 1,940 metres, to the Coma d'Arcalís, at 2,200. Since 2016 the resort has produced all the energy it uses with a small hydroelectric plant. A lift pass you only see when you choose a day The 2026-27 season runs from 4 December to 4 April, with slopes open from 9:00 to 17:00 and ticket offices from 8:45 to 16:00. The adult, junior and child lift pass has dynamic pricing, which you only see when you choose the day on the website; online it is usually cheaper. What it does publish: over-75s and children up to age 5 do not pay, ages 65 to 69 pay €29.50 and ages 70 to 74, €25, always at the ticket office. If you do one run and the weather is bad, you can swap the lift pass for another day. The pass for two days or more is also valid at Pal Arinsal. There is a package of two hotel nights and one day's lift pass from €148.50 per person. Lessons and equipment at L'Hortell and Planells The resort's school offers private lessons from €115 for two hours for one person and group courses of three hours a day, for three to five days, from €147 for adults and €133 for children aged 6 to 11. The weekend one costs €98.50. A lift pass is required for everything. Equipment hire is in the L'Hortell and Planells buildings, card only, and also has snowshoes. The CG-3 and the 1,500 spaces From Ordino, along the CG-3, passing La Cortinada, Llorts and El Serrat. From 1 November to 15 May, winter equipment is compulsory. There are about 1,500 free spaces at the foot of the slopes, with chargers at Planells and L'Hortell, and a VIP car park at €12 a day. If you don't want to drive on snow, the free bus leaves Ordino at 8:30, 8:50, 9:30 and 10:30, and comes down from Arcalís at 15:00, 16:00, 16:30 and 17:00. - **Guided snowshoeing at Ordino Arcalís, two hours from La Coma** (2 h · Introductory · Desde 35 € per person): For non-skiers, the Ordino Arcalís resort runs a two-hour guided snowshoe excursion every day of the season. The pedestrian lift pass is in the price, and the meeting point is the La Coma sector, in the upper part of the ski area, at about 2,200 metres. What you get for the €35 For €35 per person: the guide, the snowshoes and the pedestrian lift pass for the way up and down. Insurance is added separately, if you want it. It departs at 10:30 from the La Coma sector, and the minimum age is 12. Book in the resort's online shop. Clothes for 2,200 metres Waterproof mountain boots, layers, gloves, a hat, sunglasses and sun cream: at that altitude the midday sun burns even when it is cold. A small rucksack with water. Afterwards, down in Ordino Go down to Ordino for lunch, at the Tòpic, and in the afternoon visit the Casa d'Areny-Plandolit, in the same village. - **The Estanys de Tristaina, three lakes above Arcalís** (3 h · 4.4 km · Families as far as the first lake · Moderate for the full loop · Free if you go independently): Three glacial lakes in a chain in a high-mountain cirque, above the Ordino Arcalís resort. It is an excursion that is easy to shorten: the first lake is forty minutes from the car park and Visit Andorra rates it as easy for children. Three lakes in four kilometres Visit Andorra describes it as circular, 4.39 km with 210 metres of ascent, about three hours at an easy pace, of moderate difficulty. It starts from the La Coma car park, at 2,220 metres, in the ski resort, and the highest point is the Estany de Més Amunt, the top one, at 2,330 metres, where swimming is allowed in summer. If you are with small children, stay at the first one: forty minutes and easy. When and how to go up From late June to late September. On days when the Tristaina cable car runs, access on the resort road is restricted from 8:30 to 17:00: go up early or use the cable car, which in 2026 opened daily from 20 June to 13 September, from 8:30 to 17:00, and at weekends before and after. With a guide The resort runs the guided hike to the lakes for €55 per person, cable car included, for groups of six or more. Book at bookingpasgrau@grandvalira.com. Dogs on a lead The parish rules ask you to keep dogs on a lead at all times in the natural environment and to pick up their waste. - **Tristaina Mirador Solar, on the Peyreguils peak** (2 h · Everyone who goes up by chairlift · Sunrise with a guide for keen walkers · Summer lifts; guided sunrise from €55): At the top of the Peyreguils peak, at 2,701 metres, a 27-metre needle tilted at 42.55 degrees rises from a 25-metre sphere: this is the Tristaina Mirador Solar, opened in 2021 above the Ordino Arcalís resort. How to get up In summer, by lifts: the Tristaina cable car climbs from the base of the resort, and from the top the Creussans chairlift leaves you about fifteen minutes' walk from the viewpoint, a little over twenty minutes of lifts in total. In 2026 the chairlift ran daily from 6 June to 1 November, from 8:45 to 17:00, with the last ascent at 15:30; the cable car, daily from 20 June to 13 September and at weekends before and after. The resort does not publish the price of the pedestrian ticket: check it on its website when you choose the day. At sunrise, with a guide The resort runs a walk up to watch the sun rise: 5 km round trip and 471 metres of ascent, with a guide, head torch, the descent by chairlift and breakfast at the top. It costs €55 per person with a minimum of six, or €177 for two. In winter there is a snowshoe outing. To round it off Combine it with the Estanys de Tristaina, which start from the same resort, or go for lunch at the Hotel Niunit restaurant, in El Serrat. - **Vall de Sorteny Natural Park and its botanical garden** (2 h · Families · Flower lovers · Children from 6 on the guided outings · Free if you go independently; guided outings from €16.72 for adults): Sorteny is a natural park at the head of the Ordino valley that you visit for its flora: it has a botanical garden of almost three hundred species from the valley itself. You enter by a turn-off 1.4 km from El Serrat, on the Arcalís road, and from the car park everything is done on foot and without hurry. What to do The botanical garden, of about 800 m², is about twenty minutes' walk along the track: almost three hundred species of the park's flora, best from late June to late July, with some flowering still in August. For short walks there are three self-guided trails, the marten one, 500 m, the squirrel one, 600, and the Grau de la Llosa one, 400, and a 4 km loop for watching birds and butterflies. Higher up, the staffed refuge of the Borda de Sorteny serves meals for most of the year: +376 846 446. Guided outings in summer On Mondays and Wednesdays to the Grau de la Llosa viewpoint, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the Estany de l'Estanyó, with a stop at the refuge. They cost €16.72 for adults and €8.36 for ages 6 to 12, with parking included; they are not recommended under age 6. Book at the Ordino tourist office, on +376 878 173 or at ot@ordino.ad. Parking and rules The car park has about fifty spaces, free all year except from 1 July to 1 September, from 8:30 to 16:00, when it costs €4. The track that continues towards the Cap dels Graus is closed to cars from June to September from 8:30 to 18:00. Motorhomes may stay from 8:00 to 20:00, without overnighting. In Ordino dogs must always be on a lead in the natural environment, and you must pick up after them. Hut hours In summer 2026, from 26 May to 30 June from 10:00 to 16:00; in July and August from 8:30 to 16:30, and until 4 October from 10:00 to 16:00. In winter, from 5 December to 23 March, Wednesday to Sunday mornings. - **Casa d'Areny-Plandolit Museum, the house of the lords of Ordino** (1 h · Everyone · Under-10s free · Desde 7 € general admission): On Carrer Major in Ordino, the Casa d'Areny-Plandolit was the home of the Areny-Plandolit family and is now a museum of the Govern d'Andorra. You tour the house with an audio guide or a guide, and the visit includes a hologram show, "El Somni de Don Guillem". When the museum opens From January to May and from October to December, Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00. In June and September, Tuesday to Friday the same, Saturday until 20:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00. In July and August, on weekdays until 19:00. Closed on Mondays and on Sunday afternoons. The last hologram showing is one hour before closing. Price and visit The ticket costs €7, €3.50 reduced, and under-10s do not pay. There is an audio guide in five languages; the guided visit adds €1.50 and must be booked beforehand on +376 839 760 or at reservesmuseus@govern.ad, with no online booking. The building is not adapted for people with reduced mobility. On Carrer Major You are in the centre of Ordino: the tourist office is on the same Carrer Major, and the Tòpic a few numbers along. - **Llorts iron mine and the Ruta del Ferro** (2 h · 4.2 km · Families · Easy route · Desde 3.75 € mine ticket for ages 6 to 12; adult, €6.75): Llorts, between La Cortinada and El Serrat, had an iron mine that can now be visited inside, along a short stretch of tunnel. Beside it starts the Ruta del Ferro, an easy path, mostly downhill, with open-air sculptures. The mine The walk along the tunnel is thirty metres. In 2026 it opened from 16 June, from 9:30 to 17:30, with the last entry at 17:00; it closed on Sundays and Mondays except in July and August, when it opened daily, and in October at weekends only, until 1 November. The ticket costs €6.75 for adults, €3.75 for ages 6 to 12 and nothing up to 5. Book online or at the Ordino tourist office, on +376 878 173. The Ruta del Ferro It is 4.24 km and about an hour, easy, with GR waymarks and 101 metres of net descent. Along the way you come across six sculptures by artists such as Khimoune, Brusse and Sato, and the Font de Ferro, the iron spring. With a dog, on a lead, as throughout the parish's natural environment. How to fit it in In the morning, the mine and the route; nearby, in La Cortinada, the church of Sant Martí de la Cortinada, open in July and August, and for lunch or a bed, the Hotel Mu, in La Cortinada. - **Sant Martí de la Cortinada and its Romanesque paintings** (20 min · Everyone · Free): Sant Martí is the church of La Cortinada, the stone village halfway between Ordino and El Serrat. It is Romanesque, from the 12th century, extended in the 17th and 18th centuries, and inside it keeps wall paintings from the late 12th century attributed to the so-called Master of La Cortinada. When you can visit It is only open from 1 July to 31 August, and then entry is free. Visit Ordino does not publish daily hours or guided visits: if you want to be sure, ask at the Ordino tourist office before you go. The rest of the year you see it from outside. With the Llorts mine It is close to the Llorts mine and the Ruta del Ferro and next to the Hotel Mu. If you like Romanesque churches with paintings, in Andorra la Vella you have the Espai Columba, open all year. ## Dónde comer - **Restaurant Tòpic** (Restaurant, Ordino, €€). Qué pedir: the Andorran foal or the chargrilled magret; with children, a thin-crust pizza to share - **Restaurant Cal Ventura** (Restaurant, Ordino, €€€). Qué pedir: the escudella or the trinxat with rosta, and the oven-roasted shoulder of lamb - **Hotel Niunit restaurant** (Restaurant, El Serrat, €€€). Qué pedir: Carn d'Andorra veal from the grill and a homemade dessert ## By car: The Ordino valley by car, from village to village 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. Presupuesto orientativo: 100–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel & Spa Niunit** (Spa hotel): On the way up to Arcalís The Niunit is a four-star in El Serrat, the village where the road to the Ordino Arcalís resort and the turn-off to the Sorteny park begin. It is the base for anyone who wants to be high up the valley: in winter, close to the slopes; in summer, close to the Tristaina lakes and the Sorteny outings. Rooms and spa Doubles, attic rooms, singles, triples, a triple with a terrace and quadruples for families. The spa is open from 15:00 to 21:00 and is for over-16s; the website does not publish its price. Buffet breakfast, café bar, wifi and its own restaurant. The only published rate is the Spa & Relax offer, from €210. Car, hours and animals Free outdoor parking and paid covered garage. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out before 12:00. Animals are not accepted. - **Hotel Mu & Spa** (Spa hotel): In the middle of the valley The Mu is in La Cortinada, halfway between Ordino and El Serrat. It is a four-star of 50 rooms, all outward-facing with mountain views, with a spa with sauna, jacuzzi and hammam and a restaurant serving breakfasts and dinners. If you are going skiing The hotel has agreements with Ordino Arcalís: instructors, sunrise skiing sessions and private parking next to the slopes for its guests. Ask what each season includes when you book. Small dogs and a narrow garage It accepts dogs up to 10 kg, always on a lead and never alone in the room, with a supplement that the website does not quantify. The garage costs €10 a day and is not suitable for very large cars. Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 11:00; if you book direct, late check-out is free. - **Hotel Coma** (Hotel): A longstanding Ordino house The Coma is the hotel of an Ordino family who have run it for more than ninety years, on Carrer del Camp de la Tanada, a step from the centre. It has double, triple and family rooms and a suite, 24-hour reception and, in the same building, the Cal Ventura restaurant. What it has outside An outdoor pool, free for guests, gardens, tennis and multi-sport courts and a minigolf, so children have something to do without leaving the hotel. Guests have special access to the Centre Esportiu d'Ordino, with an indoor pool, gym and spa. With a dog and a car It accepts dogs and cats for €10 a night each. They enter through the garage and its lift, cannot be in the ground-floor common areas and can be on the terrace while you eat or have a drink; they are not left alone in the room except while you eat at the hotel. The covered garage costs €10 a night and there is a charger for electric cars. Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. ### Servicios - **Free Ordino – Arcalís bus**: In ski season, a free bus from Ordino to the resort at 8:30, 8:50, 9:30 and 10:30; return at 15:00, 16:00, 16:30 and 17:00 ## As a family: Ordino with children, from the easy lake to the mine 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. ### What works best The first Tristaina lake, 40 easy minutes from the La Coma car park The short trails at Sorteny, 400 to 600 m, and the botanical garden The Llorts mine, €3.75 for ages 6 to 12, and the Ruta del Ferro with sculptures The Casa d'Areny-Plandolit and its hologram show, free for under-10s Children's ski courses for ages 6 to 11 at Arcalís, from €133 ### Where to sleep Hotel Coma, with a pool, gardens and minigolf Hotel Mu & Spa, with quadruple rooms ### Where to eat Tòpic, with thin-crust pizzas and dishes to share ### Keep in mind The guided outings at Sorteny are not recommended under age 6 The Niunit spa is from age 16 The Casa d'Areny-Plandolit is not adapted for people with reduced mobility ### Qué hacer as a family - Skiing at Ordino Arcalís, at the head of the valley - The Estanys de Tristaina, three lakes above Arcalís - Tristaina Mirador Solar, on the Peyreguils peak - Vall de Sorteny Natural Park and its botanical garden - Casa d'Areny-Plandolit Museum, the house of the lords of Ordino - Llorts iron mine and the Ruta del Ferro ## With teenagers: Ordino for teenagers, freeride and sunrise at 2,700 m 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. ### What works best The guided sunrise at the Tristaina Mirador Solar, with breakfast at the top, €55 The full loop of the Tristaina lakes, with a swim in the Més Amunt one in summer Guided snowshoeing at Arcalís from age 12, €35 Slopes and freeride at Arcalís, with group lessons for juniors from €147 ### Where to sleep Hotel Mu & Spa, in La Cortinada, halfway to everything ### Where to eat Tòpic, local meats and pizzas ### Keep in mind Off-piste, always with a guide, transceiver, shovel and probe The adult and junior courses are from age 12 ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Skiing at Ordino Arcalís, at the head of the valley - Guided snowshoeing at Ordino Arcalís, two hours from La Coma - The Estanys de Tristaina, three lakes above Arcalís - Tristaina Mirador Solar, on the Peyreguils peak ## With a dog: Ordino with a dog, always on a lead 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. ### Walks The Ruta del Ferro, an easy 4.2 km from the Llorts mine The trails and botanical garden at Sorteny The Tristaina lakes, from the La Coma car park ### Where to sleep Hotel Coma, dogs and cats at €10 a night Hotel Mu & Spa, dogs up to 10 kg with a supplement ### Keep in mind The Hotel Niunit does not accept animals At the Coma the dog enters through the garage and cannot be in the ground-floor common areas Do not enter private meadows: the same rule forbids it ### Qué hacer with a dog - The Estanys de Tristaina, three lakes above Arcalís - Vall de Sorteny Natural Park and its botanical garden - Llorts iron mine and the Ruta del Ferro ### Dónde dormir with a dog - Hotel Mu & Spa: Up to 10 kg, with a supplement; never alone in the room - Hotel Coma: €10 per night; enters through the garage, may be on the terrace ## Consejos ### Take the free bus up to Arcalís It leaves Ordino at 8:30, 8:50, 9:30 and 10:30 in season. ### Start early in summer for Tristaina On cable-car days, the road to La Coma is restricted from 8:30 to 17:00. ### Go to Sorteny in July That is when the botanical garden is in flower; parking costs €4 from 8:30 to 16:00. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### What is there to see in Ordino, Andorra? The Casa d'Areny-Plandolit, Sant Martí de la Cortinada, the Llorts mine and, in summer, the Tristaina lakes and the Vall de Sorteny. ### When does Ordino Arcalís open in 2026-27? From 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. ### How far is Ordino from Andorra la Vella? 9 km, according to the parish, along the CG-3. ### Can you go with a dog? Yes, always on a lead in the natural environment. The Hotel Coma and the Mu accept dogs. ### Do you have to pay to park at Sorteny? Only from 1 July to 1 September, from 8:30 to 16:00: €4.