Shopping in Andorra. Is it expensive or profitable?

This is surprising to many, but shopping is the second most popular activity in the Principality of Andorra after skiing.

Many Europeans come here for seasonal shopping, as well as just for the weekend. Why exactly here? It's simple — low tax rates allow retailers to keep competitive retail prices for mostly all products. Moreover, the difference between European and local prices can range from 20% to 40%, and for some categories of goods, it reaches 60%. Yes, there are no such luxury shops as in Milan or Paris, but almost all global brands are represented here. Therefore, the French and Spaniards constantly ride buses here, carrying bags of clothes home.

Opening hours of shops in Andorra and discounts

In general, shops here do not work like in all of Europe. It works here every day — from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 20:00 with a siesta break from 13:00 to 16:00, and on Sundays, they close only a couple of hours earlier. If the store is located in the tourist area, then they can work without a siesta at all. In Europe, such "happiness" is often unavailable. If we are talking about supermarkets and shopping centers, then you can be sure that they will work seven days a week from morning to evening and without interruptions — a curiosity for Europe.

Exceptions — 4 days off: January 1 (New Year), March 14 (Constitution Day), September 8 (Our Lady of Meritschell's Day), and December 25 (Christmas).

Discounts here, as elsewhere, are in winter for summer and in summer for winter. In winter, sales start about 3 weeks before Christmas and continue through the end of February. Summer sales start in mid-July and end close to September. It is best to arrive in the middle of this time, at this time the prices are the most adequate, and the sizes are not over yet, because goods can end easily — there will be a lot of people here.

What and where to buy in Andorra

The assortment of goods here is huge. People come here to buy clothes, shoes, optics, ski and sports equipment, consumer electronics and gadgets, jewelry, tobacco and alcohol, and so on. This is not to say that you will find anything here at all, but no one complains about the choice. This is not London or Barcelona, there are no exclusive outfits from top fashion designers, but all popular European brands are represented here. Most of the shops are located in the city center: Avinguda Princip Benlloch, Avinguda Meritxell, and Avinguda Carlemany and in shopping centers: Andorra 2000 Center Commercial, E. Leclerc Hiper, Cca - Center Comercial Andorra, Pyrenees Andorra, Perleria de Tahiti, Illa Carlemany Shopping Center, E. Leclerc Punt de Trobada, River Center Comercial, Andar Sports. Among the brands, there are the most popular: Guess, Pepe Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Vero Moda, Dr. Martens, New Balance, Diesel, Lee, Lewi's, Puma, Adidas, Nike, Salomon, Tecnica, Dynastar, Nordica, Head, Elan, Flow, Ride, Sims and so on.

At the same time, it cannot be said that all retail outlets are located in one place — shops and shopping centers are scattered evenly throughout the principality, and even in a ski resort, you can find a large store or a shopping center with pleasant prices (the same Pyrenees Andorra).

Restriction on the export of goods from Andorra

Due to the great popularity of shopping, the authorities had to make some restrictions on the quantity and value of exported goods.

• Alcohol and tobacco are sold to persons who have reached the age of 17

• A ban on the export of any category of goods if its value exceeds 175 euros for an adult (you cannot buy sausages or, for example, meat for more than this amount)

• Coffee no more than 1000 grams of ground or grains, or 400 grams of freeze-dried.

• Tea — 200 grams of tea or 80 grams of extract

• Alcohol — no more than 1.5 liters of drinks above 22 degrees or 3 liters of drinks (including champagne) less than 22 degrees or 5 liters of table wine.

• Tobacco — 300 cigarettes or 150 cigars less than 3 grams in weight or 75 cigars weighing more than 3 grams or 400 grams of pipe tobacco.

• 2.5 liters of pasteurized milk, 3 kilograms of condensed milk, 6 liters of fresh milk, 1 kilogram of butter, 4 kilograms of cheese, 5 kilograms of sugar and sweets, 5 kilograms of meat.

• Perfumery — 75 grams of perfumery or 375 milliliters of cologne.

All these restrictions were created jointly with the governments of neighboring countries due to low prices in Andorra in order to protect their own market from dumping.

If you have any questions regarding how to go shopping in Andorra from any European country, as well as other questions, be sure to write to us and ask everything that interests you!