Activities Skiing and boarding in Pas de la Casa caters for everyone from the absolute beginner to advanced competition experts, with nursery slopes just above the resort, about 23 red runs and 13 black runs. Alternative snow fun on offer includes snow-mobiling and tobogganing. There is plenty to do when you need time out from the slopes, with a gym, indoor and outdoor pool, movies, ten-pin bowling, snow-shoeing and walking just some of the options. Nearby there is a spa offering thermal baths, or take excursions to try out the facilities in nearby resorts.

The official language of Andorra is Catalan (used in administration and business). More than half the population speaks Spanish, and French and Portuguese are also spoken.

The unit of currency in Andorra is the Euro, divided into 100 cents. Currency can be exchanged at banks and bureaux de change and to avoid additional charges it is best to have travellers cheques in Euros. Most major credit cards are accepted, including Eurocheque cards and ATMs are widely available in Andorra La Vella.

The village is not much to look at and can become quite rowdy after dark. Not the best place for a family holiday with young children.

Pas de la Casa stands out as one of the clubbing and bar havens of Europe, keeping the young crowd hopping and bopping through the night with throbbing music and cheap drinks. Local bars extend 'happy hour' to extremes and some have even been known to reward good customers with free drinks. Another thrill is to enjoy floodlit nighttime skiing on the Font Negre piste.

With more than 60 restaurants cooking up a storm in and around the Pas de la Casa holiday resort, no one working up an appetite on the slopes need go hungry. Local cuisine is largely Spanish (with paella as a favourite) but there are plenty of French influences on the local menus. Rated as the most 'upscale' gourmet dining establishment in 'Pas' is the Restaurant Marisqueria Campistrano; for views of the competition action and competitive boarding courses dine on high (2, 200m up) at the Costa Rodona, which has a self-service cafeteria on the ground floor. There are many other restaurants on the slopes offering panoramic views and delicious meals, with dozens more cafes and restaurants in town offering everything from quick snacks to gourmet delights.

Pas de la Casa, like the rest of Andorra, stands out as one of the world's best duty-free shopping enclaves, its shopping precinct a gold mine of holiday bargains. There are, of course, sports shops for snow gear like the multi-storey Olympia Esports, but shoppers here also stock up on electronic goods at establishments like Florencia; perfumes and cosmetics, designer clothing, photographic equipment and car and motorbike accessories from tyres to leathers. British visitors revel in the tax-free tobacco, alcohol and fuel.

GMT +1 (GMT +2 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October).