Micro-States and Curiosities: Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein

We often cross them without a thought, on the way to somewhere else. Yet each of these miniature countries has its own administrative language, its everyday currency, sometimes its own mobile network. And it is that last point that catches travellers out when the bill lands.

Here is what to see in each, how to get there, and above all what happens to your phone the moment you cross their border.

Four tiny states, four separate statuses

None of the four belongs to the European Union. Three are not even in the European Economic Area, which has a direct effect on your mobile plan. Only one, Liechtenstein, benefits from European roaming, yet it hides a network trap we will come to below.

Andorra, the roof of the Pyrenees

Wedged between France and Spain, Andorra sits above 1,000 metres. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest in Europe, at around 1,023 metres. The country covers 468 square kilometres, more than 90 percent of it mountains, forests and valleys.

You come to ski in winter, hike in summer and shop duty-free all year. There is no airport and no train station: you arrive by car or bus, from Toulouse on the French side or Barcelona on the Spanish side, on mountain roads that wind their way up.

My tip: do not stop at the shopping avenue of the capital. Push on to the stone villages like Pal or Ordino, and to the Caldea thermal springs to end the day.

San Marino, the oldest republic

San Marino claims the title of oldest republic in the world, founded by tradition in the year 301. The country, entirely surrounded by Italy, comes down to a spectacular old town perched on Monte Titano, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The three medieval towers along the ridge give a plunging view over the plain as far as the Adriatic. You reach it easily from Rimini, about twenty kilometres away on the coast, by bus or car.

Count half a day, more if you love viewpoints. And keep an eye on your phone: landlocked in Italy, San Marino has its own mobile network, which your handset can switch to without warning.

Monaco, the rock of the Riviera

The second smallest country in the world after the Vatican, Monaco is also the most densely populated, with close to 26,000 residents per square kilometre. Everything is vertical and packed into two square kilometres.

You come for the Monte-Carlo casino, the Oceanographic Museum clinging to the cliff, the changing of the guard at the prince’s palace and, in May, the Formula 1 Grand Prix that turns the streets into a circuit. The train from Nice takes about twenty minutes and drops you in a station carved into the rock.

Good to know: in Monaco the phone latches onto the local operator, Monaco Telecom. Many plans, European ones included, leave the principality out of their zone without a surcharge. Data there can cost several euros per megabyte.

Liechtenstein, the special case

Tucked between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, meaning it is surrounded solely by landlocked countries with no sea access of their own. It covers about 160 square kilometres and uses the Swiss franc.

Vaduz, the capital, takes two hours to see: the princely castle above the town, the modern art museum, a pedestrian street. Hikers head up the Alpine trails above the Rhine valley. You arrive by bus from the Swiss stations of Sargans or Buchs, or from Feldkirch in Austria.

It is the only one of the four inside European roaming, because it belongs to the European Economic Area. Here is the trap, though: in places like Balzers or Schaan, the phone often catches a Swiss mast across the border. Since Switzerland is outside EU roaming, your plan then flips to foreign rates without you having changed country.

The common trap: roaming

This is the through-line of these four destinations, and the reason I cover them together. Andorra, San Marino and Monaco are in neither the European Union nor the European Economic Area. The Roam Like At Home rule, which lets you use your plan across the Union at no surcharge, does not apply there.

In practice, the moment you cross the border, your operator can bill data at international rates, sometimes several euros per megabyte. On some plans Andorra is charged as a daily add-on or as much as 15 euros per megabyte. A morning of checking maps and sending a few messages is enough to run the bill up. And in Liechtenstein, the neighbouring Swiss mast produces the same effect.

The simple fix is to stop depending on the local network. Set up a eSIM for Europe before you go: you are connected on arrival, without worrying about the particular status of each micro-state. Just check that your offer covers the territories you plan to visit. To understand in detail where European roaming stops, read our guide One eSIM for all of Europe.

With Orange, the service used by more than 300 million customers, you travel with a clear head: 200+ destinations covered, human support 24/7, and fully refunded if you never use your eSIM.