I love Europe, but a few hours in this country is more than enough
Uninterested guards wave my car over the border. I'm already disappointed. When I visit a fabulous medieval mini-state, I expect soldiers with hauberks stamping my passport with a coat-of-arms depicting unicorns or salamanders.
In Andorra, I cross the border without fanfare or welcome, and am fed through a tunnel whose €7.90 ($14) toll makes Sydney Harbour Tunnel seem like a bargain.
Then I'm descending a valley through modern ski villages whose bulky hotel-apartments lie mostly empty. I doubt anyone ever won a prize for architecture in Andorra. Perhaps caps of snow would make these villages seem more attractive.
This landlocked country in the Pyrenees is one of the world's smallest countries: 468 square kilometres, population 80,000. It has remained independent since 1278. Well, sort of. The feudal principality has two co-regents, one the president of France, the other the bishop of Urgell in Spain, neither elected by Andorrans.
I've always wanted to see Andorra because it sounds like it should be the perfect distillation of my favourite bits of Europe: mountain scenery, an odd and ancient history, quirky culture and politics, Spanish-French influences.
What sounds good on paper doesn't work well in reality. The Spanish influence is far greater than the French, which means dining times are late, pastries unexciting, and baskets of crusty bread with meals have vanished.
Have Andorrans adopted the good things from Spain? Hard to say because I'm not sure who actually is Andorran. Only half the residents are native, and millions of French and Spanish shoppers pour into this tiny country to plunder its tax-free shops.
As I slide into Andorra la Vella, my heart sinks further. Europe's highest capital (1023 metres) sits in a tight valley that blocks views to nice mountains and forces buildings to sit shoulder by shoulder and sometimes seemingly on top of one another.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Want to avoid crowds in Europe? Look for what a destination is missing
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ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
World Heritage listing hopes to transform Pilbara from being 'one big mine site'
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MAC deputy chair Belinda Churnside said commercial opportunities had to be balanced with cultural obligations. "We have roles and responsibilities to care for country," she said. The body's plans to construct a tourism precinct at Conzinc Bay has stalled since it began in 2022, attracting some local dismay over the closure of the popular "jump up" four-wheel-drive track. It would see a two-wheel-drive road installed leading to the picturesque inlet where MAC hopes to build an eco-resort. However, Ms Churnside said "cultural sensitivities" around the road design have delayed the works. The uncertainty extends to the makeshift shacks dotting several islands off Murujuga used by local fishers and surfers. Both MAC and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions (DBCA) said the World Heritage listing would not directly impact access to the shacks. 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"So much accommodation is sucked up by mining and the resources sector," he said. Mr Harrison said with the high cost of airfares, stronger marketing of the Pilbara's world-class Aboriginal history was needed to attract holiday-makers. "As we've seen around the world, in other locations, people will just flock to this region to see it," he said.
The Age
3 days ago
- The Age
No cruise terminal, no airport: Here's how to avoid overtourism in Europe
It's not what San Sebastian has that makes it special – though, it does have plenty. Still, you could argue that it's what this northern Spanish city doesn't have that really seals the deal. San Sebastian doesn't have an airport. I mean, there is a San Sebastian Airport, but it's not in San Sebastian, it's in Hondarribia, on the French border, about a half-hour drive away. And even then, it's only a small provincial airport with flights to a few Spanish destinations and seasonal connections to the UK. The nearest large, international airport is in Bilbao, more than an hour away. And then there's something else San Sebastian doesn't have: a cruise terminal. Ships can go into Bilbao, again more than an hour's drive away, or they can go into Bordeaux, which is even further. But there are no commercial passenger vessels darkening the harbours of Donostia. This may seem incidental or even trivial, but it makes a difference. No airport means no mass arrivals of budget airlines. No budget airlines mean no partygoers coming over for the weekend from the UK or Ireland, hordes of people celebrating stag do's and hens nights and whatever else in a place with more bars per square kilometre than any other public facility. In many ways, San Sebastian is made for these sorts of visitors. But they don't arrive. No cruise terminal, meanwhile, means no large groups of tour passengers making their way en masse through the city's narrow Old Town streets. You get small groups of tourists on local food tours and the like, but there's none of the noticeable ebb and flow you get when a huge cruise ship pulls into the local port. San Sebastian lacks this connectivity. It's tricky to get to, a little annoying in some ways. And even still, the city is suffering under the weight of its own popularity, as stories of its gastronomic excellence and physical beauty have gone far and wide. Imagine what it would be like with better transport options? In that way, San Sebastian is luckier than other tourism hotspots around Europe. It's luckier than Dubrovnik, and Prague, and Barcelona, and Venice, and Amsterdam. All those destinations have big international airports or cruise terminals or both. It's luckier than Berlin and Rome, Santorini and Ibiza, Lisbon and Nice, which are notoriously overrun.
