This article is an overview of the flights, accommodation, travelling to the ground, things to do and places to eat and drink. I would recommend researching your flights and hotel before booking but I hope to provide you with an idea of the best deals and places.
Flights/Travel
Firstly you’ll need to get there. Unfortunately this could prove to be a complicated procedure as Andorra has no major public airport. This means that you must either be rich enough to have a private plane or land at Toulouse or Barcelona, both of these are a 3 hour drive from Andorra La Vella where FC Lusitans play. There is little difference in the prices of tickets to Toulouse or Barcelona so I have looked at prices for Toulouse simply because you’re likely to be in the air less time. I have also assumed that you leave on Wednesday the 1st of July and return on Saturday the 4th of July.
The cheapest flights available are at £158 however I would advise against this unless you want to have a 10 hour journey. You would be far better to spend £40 more and go with British Airways from Heathrow at a return price of £198. This flight leaves at 07:50am and arrives in Toulouse at 10:35am. From here you will need to catch a bus. There are two Novatel buses that leave that day, one at 11:00am and one at 20:00pm. Both cost €36 and are 3 hours long. Upon return on the Saturday morning, the early bus must be caught at 5:00am (this bus costs an extra €28 unfortunately) in order for you to board your flight at 17:55. The plane should arrive back at Heathrow at 18:45pm assuming there are no hold ups.
If you fancy having a European road trip there is the option of driving there, which will take you approximately 14 hours. If you started today or tomorrow you could even get there by walking!
Accomodation
There are a huge amount of hotels in Andorra La Vella. I’ve narrowed down the options to three hotels. The closest to the stadium, the cheapest and the best rated. Let’s start with closest to the stadium. This is the H. President hotel which is a 4 star hotel with room prices at £44 a night, staying here would mean that it would be easy to get back from the match but would be further out of the centre of the capital.
The next is the cheapest hotel called the Hotel Les Fonts which is a 2 star hotel which is located nearly in the centre of Andorra La Vella. The cost would be £19 a night which wouldn’t stretch the bank balance too much after the cost of the flights and bus tickets.
The next option you could consider is the best rated hotel on Tripadvisor. It is a 5 star hotel and has stellar reviews all over the internet. Of course this comes at a price however with its simplest room costing up to £135. However if you’re want luxury for West ham’s first European trip then this is the place to stay.
Travelling to the ground
There are only a few ways of getting to the ground and these include taking the bus, getting a taxi or walking. Andorra La Vella is fairly small and from the central park it is a 15 minute walk to the stadium, if you can call it a stadium as it only has a capacity of 850. It is a 5 minute drive from the centre and there are many bus stations located throughout the town. How you get to the ground may depend on where you stay and what you do during the day.
Things to do
Andorra La Vella, which translates as ‘Andorra the City’, is located in a valley in the Pyrenees mountain range. This means it is surrounded by stunning scenery and there are a number of hikes that can be taken through the hills should that take your fancy. The city also has a rich culture with many historic buildings. The central park offers you a place to chill out during the day as does the Caldea spa which has a complete range of spa treatments as well as a swimming pool. There is also a tourist bus which runs regularly to show you the main sites and the overall natural beauty of the area.
Places to Eat and drink
The most important factor for any travelling West Ham fan is the places to eat and drink before and after the big match. The closest restaurant to the stadium is called Restaurant Camping Valira and is rated at 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor. The best rated place to eat is called El Crosto right in the centre of Andorra La Vella if you fancy a celebratory meal.
There are a number of pubs in Andorra La Vella as you would expect however there aren’t too many close to the ground. The closest is called Ranxo Apart and is more of an eating establishment however will serve as a pub for a pre-match drink. There are other pubs in the centre of town with the best rated being the Barri Antic Pub. If you’re into Karaoke then there is a Karaoke pub near the central park. The rest of the Andorra La Vella nightlife seems a well kept secret and will have to be discovered by travelling fans.
