Bourg-Madame

If you want a daytrip that combines scenery with shopping, shopping, shopping, you can take a daytrip from Seu d’Urgell to Andorra, cross into France, and return to Seu. Just 9 kilometers north of Seu, you reach the border of the tiny principality of Andorra, which is under the joint administration of the Bishop of Urgell and the French government. Recognized throughout history for the fierce independence of its residents, Andorra is now known mostly as a duty free zone, and thus a shopper’s paradise. You see an infinite number of duty free stores selling goods lining the streets both in and around the capital, Andorra La Vella. Besides shopping, Andorra offers mountain scenery sans pareil. You ascend through pine forests crowned by the barren, blue-gray, snow-dotted peaks of the Pyrenees. It is truly a breathtaking drive. You see numerous ski areas as you cross the Envalira Pass and descend the mountainside to the French border. From here, it is a short drive through the French Pyrenees to Bourg Madame. Just outside of town, you cross back into Spain at Puigcerdá, a small, fortified border town. From here, head west through the pretty valley of the Segre River back to Seu.