Asturias is an autonomous community on Spain's rugged northern coast, bordered by the Cantabrian Sea to the north and the Cantabrian Mountains to the south. Known as the 'Natural Paradise,' the region combines dramatic cliffs, emerald valleys, medieval villages, and the towering peaks of Picos de Europa National Park. Its Celtic heritage, distinctive cider culture, world-class seafood, and UNESCO-listed pre-Romanesque monuments make it one of Iberia's most rewarding destinations for independent travelers.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Picos de Europa — Ruta del Cares
The Cares Gorge trail runs roughly 12 km between Poncebos and Caín, cut into the cliff face above the Cares River as it carves through the Picos de Europa. The path includes tunnels blasted through rock and long stretches with a sheer drop on one side, originally built as a maintenance route for a hydroelectric channel. Most visitors walk out and back from Poncebos rather than completing the full one-way route, which finishes on the León side of the range.
Highlights: Poncebos — the trailhead and parking area, also the base station for the cable car up to Bulnes · Bulnes — a village reachable only on foot or by funicular, a worthwhile detour partway along the route · The tunnel sections — where the path is cut directly through rock above the river gorge · Caín — the village at the far end of the route on the León side, if you walk the full distance
Covadonga Sanctuary & Lakes
Covadonga combines a religious sanctuary with two glacial lakes higher in the mountains, and marks the site tied to the 8th-century battle that Asturian tradition treats as the start of the Reconquista. The basilica and Santa Cueva sit at the lower site; the Lagos de Covadonga (Enol and Ercina) are a further drive up a mountain road into the Picos de Europa. Doing both in one day shows two different sides of the region — one historical, one alpine.
Highlights: Basilica of Covadonga — the pink-stone church overlooking the sanctuary · Santa Cueva — the cave shrine set into the rock face, tied to the battle of Covadonga · Lago Enol and Lago Ercina — the two lakes, connected by a walkable path between them · Mirador de la Reina — a viewpoint on the road up to the lakes
Cudillero & Playa del Silencio
Cudillero is a fishing port built into a narrow coastal gully, with houses stacked in tiers up the hillside around a small harbor, best appreciated by walking uphill rather than staying at harbor level. It pairs naturally with Playa del Silencio, a cove beach a short drive away framed by cliffs and rock stacks, giving the day both the working-harbor and open-coast sides of this stretch of Asturian coastline.
Highlights: The harbor and amphitheater of houses — Cudillero's defining view, best from one of the upper mirador points · Playa del Silencio — a cove beach reached by a steep path down from its car park · Mirador de la Garita-Atalaya — a viewpoint above the town looking back over the rooftops to the sea
Llanes & Bufones de Pría
Llanes is a walled fishing town with a working harbor, known today for the row of painted concrete breakwater blocks along its seafront and for the bufones further along the coast — natural blowholes where compressed air and seawater are forced up through fissures in the rock as the tide rises. The two sights sit about 10-15 minutes apart by car and combine into a good half-day, or a full day paired with Llanes' beaches.
Highlights: Cubos de la Memoria — the painted harbor breakwater blocks by sculptor Agustín Ibarrola · Llanes old town walls and harbor — the medieval core of the town · Bufones de Pría — blowholes near the village of Pría, most active with a rising tide and swell
Cabrales Cheese Country
Cabrales is Asturias' best-known blue cheese, made from cow's milk, sometimes blended with sheep's or goat's milk, and matured in natural limestone caves around Carreña de Cabrales and Arenas de Cabrales. A day here centers on one product and the landscape that shapes it rather than a single sight — the caves hold a constant cool, humid temperature that drives the cheese's character.
Highlights: Cueva-Exposición del Queso Cabrales in Arenas de Cabrales — an exhibition cave explaining the maturing process · Carreña de Cabrales — the small town at the center of the cheese-producing area · Local queserías — small producers in the surrounding villages offering tastings and sometimes their own caves
Taramundi — Celtic Village & Knife Craft
Taramundi, in western Asturias near the Galician border, is where Asturian rural tourism began and is still known nationally for traditional knife-making, a craft carried on in small family workshops rather than a single factory. The area also has pre-Roman Celtic castro remains and old water-powered milling and ironworking sites in the surrounding valleys, making it a place to slow down rather than tick off one landmark.
Highlights: Local knife workshops (cuchillerías) — small artisan shops where knives are still forged and finished by hand · Os Teixois — a restored complex of water-powered mills, an oil press and a forge in the hills near Taramundi · Taramundi village — the stone architecture typical of this rural corner of Asturias
Santander (Cantabria)
Santander is a short trip outside Asturias into neighboring Cantabria, built around a long curving bay and the Sardinero beach and casino district. It has a different character from Asturian towns — more of a formal seaside resort city, shaped by King Alfonso XIII's former summer residence at the Palacio de la Magdalena, which sits on its own peninsula overlooking the bay.
Highlights: Palacio de la Magdalena — the royal summer palace on its peninsula, with grounds open for walking · Playa del Sardinero — Santander's main city beach · Centro Botín — Renzo Piano's arts center on the harbor front, notable for its raised, mirrored form · Paseo Pereda and the harbor — the waterfront promenade through the city center
Somiedo Nature Reserve
Somiedo is a mountain biosphere reserve in southwestern Asturias, known for teitos — small stone huts with thatched roofs once used by shepherds — and as one of the more reliable places in Spain to see wild Cantabrian brown bears, though sightings are never guaranteed and require patience with binoculars from a distance. The reserve also holds several glacial lakes, reached on foot from parking areas above the villages.
Highlights: Pola de Somiedo — the small main village and starting point for most visits · Teitos of Valle de Lago — a cluster of traditional thatched stone huts, among the best preserved in the reserve · Lagos de Saliencia and Lago del Valle — glacial lakes reached by walking trails from nearby parking areas · Brown bear watching — designated viewpoints and guided outings focused on spotting bears at a distance
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Multi-day tours from Asturias
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.