Encamp ski resort. Grandvalira's best-value base.

The Funicamp is Encamp's superpower — one of the longest gondolas in the Pyrenees, running from the centre of town up to Cortals at the heart of the Grandvalira circuit. There are no runs back down to Encamp itself, so you download on the gondola at the end of the day; in exchange you skip the resort-village price premium entirely, with the same lift pass and the same 215km as everyone staying up the valley.

From the top of the Funicamp you're minutes from Grau Roig's bowls and the runs across to Soldeu, El Tarter and Pas de la Casa — so despite being the cheapest base on the circuit, Encamp is arguably the best connected for mixing sectors day by day.

Encamp lives year-round, so you get real-town amenities at local prices: supermarkets, bakeries, unfussy restaurants where Andorrans actually eat, plus a big municipal sports centre with pools for rest-day afternoons. The National Automobile Museum is a quirky local highlight, and Andorra la Vella's duty-free shopping is ten minutes down the road by bus. Nightlife is modest — this is a base for skiers who'd rather spend their money on the mountain.