Ordino – Arcalis (Ordino – Arcalis) – one of the most remote resorts of Andorra, whose comparative “isolation from civilization” is more than compensated by the excellent landscape: peaked ridges rise above a small valley, from the tops of which the descents originate, passing through the gorges between the rocks. The “minus” of the resort: there are no hotels directly near the ski lifts. Check liuxers for customs and traditions of Andorra.
The tracks are located in Arcalis, hotels and most of the infrastructure are in Ordino.
Information Office (July-September: Mon-Sat 08:00-19:00, Sun 09:00-17:00; October-June: Mon-Sat 08:30-13:30, 15:00 -18:00, Sun 09:00-13:00) look at the Ordino Sports Center (Centre Esportiu d’Ordino) by the CG3 road.
How to get there
A SnoBus regular bus runs from the capital to Araklis several times a day (with a change in Ordino, there is no direct route), the fare is ~ 1-2.5 EUR. Opening hours: from 7 am to 9 pm.
By car, Ordino can be reached along the CG3 highway, which is north of La Massana. The village lies 3 km from the road and 9 km north of Andorra la Vella.
Ordino and Arcalis slopes
Note that Ordino and Arcalis, along with the resorts of Pal and Arinsal, constitute a single ski area Vallnord, equipped with 89 km of pistes of varying degrees of difficulty.
Directly in Ordino-Arcalis there are 26 km of ski slopes located at an altitude of 1940-2625 meters: 2 black, 8 red, 8 blue, 6 green and 1 slalom. Although there are “green” slopes here, they are still not enough, so beginner skiers will not be too comfortable, but Arcalis is suitable for intermediate and professional skiers. Fans of extreme skiing will enjoy the mogul track and “black” steep slopes. For snowboarders there is a modern snow park with a half-pipe and a springboard. And when the weather permits, a boardercross is arranged at the resort.
The cost of a single ski pass in Vallnord for 1 day is 38.50 / 32.70 EUR per adult / child, for 6 days 186.60 / 158.70 EUR per adult / child.
Entertainment and attractions
Arcalis has a bar, a restaurant and a sports equipment rental office. There are no hotels here, they are located near the resort, or in Ordino, which, in turn, boasts a developed infrastructure, a couple of attractions, a disco, a cinema.
Temples of Ordino
As attractions are pretty old temples. For example, the Church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià – the main parish church of Ordino, built during the Middle Ages and restored in the 17th-19th centuries. The church is located in the heart of the city, on the main square of Town Square. There you can also see the ancient walls with an iron “ring of shame”, to which in ancient times they tied local residents who had been in trouble as punishments. Opening hours: in July-August from Tuesday to Saturday from 09-30 to 13:30 and from 15:30 to 18:30, the rest of the year only during service hours.
The Church of Sant Marti de la Cortinada in the village of La Cortinada was made in the 12th century in the Romanesque style and attracts attention with its frescoes – unique for the whole miniature Andorra. Opening hours: in July-August from Wednesday to Sunday from 09:30 to 13:30 and from 15:30 to 18:30, the rest of the year only during service hours.
Also noteworthy is the church of Sant Cerni de Nagol, made in the Romanesque style at the end of the 17th century and located in the village of Llorts. The church is open to visitors throughout the year by appointment from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00. To register, please contact the Tourist Office located in Canillo.
Discovering La Cortinada
The Mas d’en Sole mill and the Cal Pal sawmill, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, are today the restored industrial center of Andorra and offer a fascinating walk into the country’s past. The facilities are located in the village of La Cortinada, just 2 km from Ordino. Cost – 5 EUR. You can visit the objects only as part of the Discovering La Cortinada bus tour in July-August (departure at 09:50 daily). Registration for the tour is made at the tourist office of Ordino (tel.: +376 737 080).
2 things to do in Ordino and Arcalis
Join the village life during the excursion “Discovering La Cortinada”, seeing with your own eyes how in the 16-17 centuries. Wheat was turned into flour!
Acquire a crazy company of snowboarders and storm the springboard equipped in the snow park together.
Hotels
Directly in Ordino there are hotels Aparthotel Casa Vella 3 *, Prats 3 *, Babot 3 *, Coma 3 * and Santa Barbara.
In the village of El Serrat, not far from Ordino, there are hotels Bringue 3 * (10 minutes to the slopes) and El Serrat 4 *, in Ansalonga you can stay in Aparthotel AnnaPurna 3 *, in Llorts – in Aparthotel La Neu 3 *.
1.5 km north of Ordino, in the village of Arans, is the Aparthotel Arans 1 *, and Cal Daina rises on a hill in La Cortinada.
There are no accommodation facilities directly at the resort: the nearest hotels are 7 km from the slopes.
