At 1,023 metres above sea level, Andorra la Vella is higher than the peaks of many countries. To put that in perspective, Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, is 1,345 metres - so the city sits at a height that would be a very respectable mountain in many parts of the world. The thin mountain air means that on cold winter mornings, breath turns to little puffs of mist.
The city centre blends old stone buildings with modern shops and busy pedestrian streets. The old quarter, called the Barri Antic, has narrow lanes and buildings made of the same dark grey Pyrenean stone that the mountain peaks are made of. Strolling through the old streets, you can spot plaques marking buildings that are hundreds of years old.
Because Andorra la Vella is so small, children can often walk to school, to the park and to the shops all in the same morning. The Gran Valira river runs right through the city and in some spots you can see trout moving in the clear mountain water. In winter, snowflakes sometimes settle on rooftops, and children in the upper streets can look down and watch the ski lifts turning on the slopes above.