I got up early as I had booked the 9:15 AM bus to Andorra from Barcelona. I got ready for the day and had breakfast at Airhostel BCN for EUR 5.
I walked to Cèntric and took the metro to Zona Universitària. The coordinates for the bus stop for ANDBUS were shared in the ticket email; I was able to locate it on the map and also by spotting other tourists lined up.
The bus arrived on time and the journey was comfortable. Shortly before reaching our destination, the passports of all non-European Union passengers were collected for checking and then handed back to us. Some of the other passengers from South America received a nice Andorra stamp in their passports. I checked mine, but there was no stamp—likely because I had a Schengen visa and they did not, so they were stamped in based on their passports alone. The bus reached the Estació Nacional d’Autobusos Joan Nadal on time.
I started walking towards the town center and saw the 7 sculptures by Jaume Plensa.
On my way, I also saw the internal garden of Prada Casadet.
It was a nice walk along the river until I reached the town center.
I saw the main tourist attractions here: La Noblesse du Temps and Pont de París. There was a stand placed at just the right spot for tourists to take a selfie by placing their phones there and standing in front of the bridge. This was such a novel and nice idea!
I visited the Tourist Office, and they gave me a map along with various options of places to see. The staff was very polite and helpful. They recommended two routes: a longer one towards Pont de la Tosca and a shorter one towards Casa de la Vall.
I visited Parc Central and saw some of the art installations there. There are also free public toilets in the park.
I decided to do the longer route first and started off in that direction. It was a pleasant walk along Av. Carlemany.
There were canopies with flowers covering the street at intersections, and I also saw the Caldea Spa building from a distance.
After walking some more, I saw the Església de Sant Pere el Màrtir and the Escultura la Puntaire.
The next stop was Font Caldes, a series of large taps and pipes along the river with flowing water. This was very unique and nice to see.
Walking further, I reached La Font de les Banyeres, a multi-level installation of taps, tubs, and pipes.
There was also a nice Public Thermal Pond where one could dip their feet in to feel relaxed and refreshed.
I saw Pont de la Tosca and started walking back towards the town center. I also saw Font del Roc del Metge.
On the way, I stopped at Pont d’Engordany, which also had a selfie-stand like the one I had seen earlier.
Passing the town center, I headed to the other side and saw the Monumento Jardín Andorra, Homenatge a Andorra i els seus pioners, and the Colorful crossing.
I passed by the Sant Esteve d’Andorra Catholic church on the way to Plaça del Poble.
Plaça del Poble had a nice canopy that was moving with the breeze and looked very beautiful. There was also the Rėtol AND sign.
At the end of this route, I reached Casa de la Vall.
I also saw the Consell General d’Andorra and the Monument al Parlament d’Andorra.
From the vantage points, I could look down and see the town and the 7 sculptures by Jaume Plensa from a different perspective.
I took the elevator to the lower level and walked back towards the town center.
I saw the internal garden of Prada Casadet on the way again.
I spent some time at La Noblesse du Temps and Pont de París and decided to head back after a lovely day in Andorra la Vella.
I booked the DirectBus to go back to Barcelona from the counter at the Estació Nacional d’Autobusos Joan Nadal. It got dark outside once we started.
I reached Barcelona Sants after 11:00 PM and walked to Little Caesars Pizza on Numància for a late dinner.
After pizza, I walked to NH Sants and picked up my bags, which I had left there earlier. I then took the N0 bus from the bus stop across from NH Sants to Pl. Espanya, followed by the N17 bus from Pl. Espanya back to Airhostel BCN.