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Pas de la Casa – Grau Roig ski resort provides 16- to 25- year-olds who are on a tight budget with an ideal winter package holiday. The resort is set in the east of Andorra on the French/Andorran border. One hundred kilometres of pistes covering the linked areas of Grau Roig and Soldeu make this the largest ski area in the Pyrenees, with snowboarders much more prominent at this resort because it has slopes perfect for cruising.

Young British and French skiers are well catered for at this Alpine resort, which lacks the usual charm but makes up for it with good après-ski. You can ski to most of the accommodation, which consists of everything from apartments to hotels, hosting 9,000 beds. The après-ski is extremely lively due to plenty of cheap alcohol and tax-free bargains, while Grau Roig accommodates the best of the on-piste restaurants.

There are 100kms of pistes, with a longest single run of two kilometres at Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig ski resort - boasting 55 slopes. Snowmaking guns cover more than 30kms of slopes, which are mainly intermediate and advanced runs. About 47,435 skiers per hour are shifted by 31 lifts, including 14 chairlifts, 15 surface lifts and a cable car. Both Grau Roig and Pas de la Casa have ski kindergartens.

A greater number of beginner slopes can be found at the nearby Soldeu ski resort, while Europe’s highest capital city, La Vella, is nearby and has duty-free stores offering excellent bargains as the largest shopping centre in the Pyrenees. The Casa de la Vall (the ancient seat of government) and a fine 12th century church are also sights worth visiting.

Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig’s ski season runs from December to the end of April, with the cheapest rates offered from the beginning of the season to the Christmas holidays, as well as mid-January and during April. You can fly to either Toulouse or Barcelona, and catch the regularly scheduled bus to the resort or hire a car and drive yourself.

Skiing in Pas de la Casa

The 100kms of slopes are rated mainly intermediate to expert at the resort, which has wide open bowls above the tree-line. Great skiing and good après-ski will satisfy young skiers at the lift-linked Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig.

There are 55 runs at Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig consisting of 14 per cent beginner slopes; 22 per cent intermediate; 42 per cent intermediate/advanced; and 22 per cent expert runs. There are also a further 12kms of prepared cross-country trails. Over 47,000 skiers are ushered around by 30 lifts at the resort, which has a longest run of two kilometres.

February to the middle of March is the best time for great snow, with the end of the season, and after the New Year’s celebrations, offering the cheapest rates.

You can fly to Toulouse or Barcelona and buy a Novatel bus return ticket which will allow travel to and from the airport. This is the most practical option, with buses to the resort from the airports leaving several times a day. However, for convenience and comfort, you can also hire a car.

Apres-ski in Pas de la Casa

Thirty bars, plus 30 cafés and restaurants and six nightclubs often offer wild entertainment, especially during high season. The resort also has a range of winter activities, including: snowshoeing; a snow park with half-pipe and snowboarding on all pistes; mono-skiing; an indoor swimming pool and a sports centre.

With a true frontier-town feel, Pas de la Casa is set high in the Pyraness at 2,050m above the border of France. Families occupy hotels, while the younger crowd dominates apartments at the resort. There are 9,000 beds in total. Additionally, guests can enjoy great duty-free shopping at 20 shops.

Transportation to Pas de la Casa

In the east of Andorra, close to the French border, sits the ski resort of Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig. Flight, rail and bus combinations take you to the resort, which is only accessible by road. A return scheduled bus to the resort from either Toulouse or Barcelona airports is the most popular way to get here. A train from the UK will get you to within 13kms of the resort, while self-drive is also popular due to good highways.

By car from Calais to Pas de la Casa, the journey is 1,143kms, taking around two days via Paris, Limoges and Toulouse along major tolled autoroutes, and ending on the N-22/E-9 to Pas de la Casa. Drive south from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport along the A-64, D-919 and the E-9 for 170kms, a journey taking 2 hours, 30 minutes. From El Prat Airport, head north after the A-18 to the E-09, E-9 in France, and the N-22 for 195kms; this trip takes three hours.

By train, a Eurostar service leaves for Paris’ Gare du Nord from London Waterloo at 17:09 and arrives at 20:59 daily. From Paris, board the overnight train to L’Hospitalet leaving from Paris’ d’Austerlitz station at 21:56 and arriving at 07:25 the next morning. A regular bus to Pas de la Casa leaves from here.

Thirty-seven kilometres from Pas de la Casa, Puigcerdà train station is serviced by Barcelona, and has local buses heading to the resort. Buses from Madrid also arrive at the train station daily.

Toulouse-Blagnac is the nearest international airport, while more flight options are offered at El Prat de Llobregat Airport in Barcelona. Four Novatel coaches leave El Prat daily (€33 one-way; €62 return); two leave from Blagnac (€20 one-way; €37 return) to Pas de la Casa. El Prat, as well as Toulouse’s Matabiau station, offers a train and bus combination. Alternatively, you can hire a car and drive the rest of the way to the resort.

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