Living in Encamp: the valley town and Pas de la Casa

Who lives there and what it is like

Encamp is a parish of two very different places. Down in the main valley, Encamp town and Vila are ordinary working towns about ten minutes from the capital, with shops, schools and a steady year-round population. Up at the French border, Pas de la Casa is a ski resort of its own, part of Grandvalira, built mostly of holiday flats, hotels and shops that serve visitors from France.

Encamp town appeals to people who work in the capital but want lower prices and a little more calm, and to skiers who want to live in the valley rather than at the lifts. Pas de la Casa is busy in the ski season and much quieter the rest of the year; relatively few people live there all year.

Getting around

Encamp town and Vila are about a ten-minute drive from Andorra la Vella, and the national bus network runs frequently along the main road, free for residents since 2022. Pas de la Casa is a different matter: it is reached over the Envalira pass or through the Envalira tunnel, a drive of around 40 minutes or more from the capital. In winter, winter tyres or chains are needed above the valley towns, and the pass can close in heavy snow.

Ski and outdoors

The Funicamp cable car runs from Encamp town up into Grandvalira, so you can ski from the valley without driving. Pas de la Casa has its own lifts into the same ski area. In summer the slopes above Encamp are used for walking, and the Engolasters lake is reached from the Encamp side as well as from Escaldes-Engordany.

Schools and services

Encamp town has public primary schools, while most secondary schooling is in the capital area. The town has a health centre, pharmacies and supermarkets; the general hospital is in Escaldes-Engordany. Pas de la Casa has everyday shops and a small health service, but for most other things people drive down.

The homes

The stock splits along the same lines as the parish. Encamp town and Vila are mostly flats in blocks of several storeys, lived in all year, with some older village houses and a few newer developments on the slopes. Pas de la Casa is almost entirely holiday flats, many of them small and in buildings from the 1970s to the 1990s, bought for skiing or letting. Because the two markets are so different, the parish figures below mix them, so read them with that in mind; Encamp town is usually cheaper per square metre than the capital.

See homes for sale in Encamp, homes for rent and the Encamp market page. The renting guide and the costs of buying cover the practical side. Up the valley is Canillo; down it, Escaldes-Engordany.

Laws, services and figures change. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice; check with a notary or an adviser before you sign anything.