Canillo Advances Parking Lot and Electric Shuttle Ahead of Tourist Peak

Canillo Advances Dual Infrastructure Projects Ahead of Peak Tourist Season

Canillo parish is expanding parking and transport options to manage growing visitor demand, with a new 820-square-metre parking lot near Meritxell set for completion before the 8 September Mare de Déu de Meritxell festival, alongside plans for an electric shuttle service and information point in Ransol valley.

The parking facility will occupy unused communal land at the CG-2 and CS-230 intersection, leading to Meritxell. Measuring about 70 metres long and 11 to 13 metres wide, it will provide 22 blue-zone spaces controlled by a parking meter, including one for people with reduced mobility. Pedestrians will access it via a staircase at the lowest point along the CG-2, while vehicles enter from the CS-230 at kilometre 0+30. Bidders must propose timelines and costs, but the work has to finish ahead of the festival, when parking shortages intensify around the sanctuary—a major national tourist draw. Proposals are due by 18 May, with details on Canillo commune's website tenders section. Parish officials described it as an affordable investment to utilise idle land and ease congestion during peak periods like holidays and summer.

Separately, Canillo will continue closing Ransol valley road to vehicles this summer, roughly 1 July to 31 August, building on last year's trial. A tender seeks an electric shuttle akin to Incles', with at least 12 passenger seats plus driver, suited for mountain terrain—quiet, scenic, and low-emission. It will run daily from 9am to 5pm, including weekends and holidays, covering the round trip from Mos bridge through Ransol valley and Entor road. Tickets, sold by the operator, cover return journeys only, with pricing proposed by bidders (Incles charges €3) and adjustable yearly by IPC, subject to approval. The four-year contract (2026-2029) includes up to two one-year extensions, plus a parish subsidy to ensure viability as a public service boosting tourism and reducing crowds and pollution.

A permanent information hut, matching local designs, will replace last summer's temporary setup at Mos bridge, the shuttle's starting point. Tenders for both the shuttle and hut are now open.