One-week route through the villages of the coast of Asturias

Discovering the coast of Asturias is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a traveler. Because it is a combination of nature and culture, with an exceptional gastronomy and a human charm that explains, in part, why Asturias is paradise on earth. Sea and mountains, lurking in the background, watching. Dream villages that welcome those who come from abroad with open arms. Wonders like the popular bufones, viewpoints that look like a window to the sky. All this is the coast of Asturias. And it can be seen in a week.

Starting point: Castropol, the border village

In Castropol people speak Eonaviego, which is a mixture of Asturian and Galician. This fact serves to understand the place where this fishing village is located: in the Eo estuary, which separates both natural paradises. With the beach of Penarronda waiting just five minutes away by car, or a beautiful hour’s walk, Castropol helps to get into context. It is located on the top of a hill, so the views from any street in the village, all of them charming, are exceptional. The village of Castropol was declared a Spanish Historical Heritage Site of Cultural Interest.

Castropol is framed in a fantastic environment, which is completed with corners such as the Cioyo Waterfall, where it seems that all the fantastic creatures of Asturian mythology can be found. This waterfall can be approached from several hiking trails, all very easy, through valleys and lush forests. It is a first stop that already means a victory, and also a promise of all that is waiting.

Ortiguera, a village typical of this land

To the east, following the coast, awaits another fishing village: Ortiguera. Its origin dates back to the 14th century, when its inhabitants were almost exclusively dedicated to fishing and, therefore, adapted their lives to the sea. This is one of the reasons why its houses are practically hanging on the mountain where the waves break, creating a breathtaking landscape and offering, in turn, exceptional views. Also the port of Ortiguera stands out among all the elements of the place, because with its small breakwater creates a sense of natural beauty increasingly appreciated. One of the most typical postcards of the coast of Asturias.

Near Ortiguera is one of the most acclaimed capes of Asturias: Cape San Agustin. There are two lighthouses that dominate the area. An old one, simple but charming, located on a promontory 62 meters above sea level. The new lighthouse sits on beautiful gardens that offer spectacular views. You can also visit the hermitage of San Agustín, as well as a monument in memory of the deceased sailors, which gives meaning to the town, the area and the whole coast of Asturias.

Puerto de Vega, a beautiful and model village

Puerto de Vega was elected “Model Village of Asturias”, an award given annually by the Princess of Asturias, more than twenty years ago. At the end of the last century, it was also elected the most beautiful village in the community. Puerto de Vega, with a marked seafaring character, deep-rooted fishing tradition and culture with character, surprises with its white houses, so flawless that it is hard to believe. Its narrow streets, which in any other place could confuse the visitor, are presented here in orderly fashion thanks to the white that floods everything. Puerto de Vega is, in short, one of the most pleasant villages in Asturias.

It highlights, among other things, its port, which has centenary battlements that had an important function in the Middle Ages: to stop the attacks that came by sea. It also stands out the Santa Marina Church, which belongs to the 18th century and is considered by many the Cathedral of rural baroque. Also, it is worth visiting its altarpieces and, in general, its interior. Also the viewpoints that extend around the village: the Baluarte viewpoint, with cannons made in the 18th century, or the viewpoint of the Riva, which allows a panoramic view of the place. Do not leave without visiting the Ethnographic Museum Juan Perez Villamil, which allows visitors to get even closer to the life of the Asturian people.

Cudillero, the town of a thousand colors

This village nestled in the mountains, on a cliff, in what looks like a heart open to the sea, is one of the most beautiful and interesting villages of Asturias. A must stop on this trip along the coast. Surrounded by three mountains, these have served for the inhabitants of Cudillero always settle their homes. This has created one of the most reproduced postcards of recent years, which improves, as everything improves, with a first-person experience. A glimpse of Cudillero from a distance will help to understand the fascination for this town. A big highlight of the coast of Asturias.

Cudillero grew up around the sea. Its houses, of a thousand colors, are distributed in terraces that are gaining height and that form, by surrounding it, a main square in the interior of the town in the form of an improvised amphitheater. You can observe its layout, and the contrast between the color of its facades and the red color of its roofs, from different viewpoints. One of the most interesting is up to the cemetery, which also offers a glimpse of the immensity of the sea. If you want to fully enjoy this marine nature, you can visit Cape Vidio. From this place you get a beautiful panoramic view from the famous Estaca de Bares to Cabo de Peñas.

In Cudillero, by the way, they have their own language: the pixueto

Salinas, the beaches of Asturias

Perhaps Salinas is not the village you expect after the previous ones, with colorful houses leaning on the cliffs, but it is still a village worth discovering. More sober architecturally speaking, it is a town full of life that can be enjoyed in all seasons of the year. In the summer months, specifically, Salinas has begun to establish itself as one of the places where you can enjoy several festivals.

Between Salinas and the Cantabrian Sea, two of the most characteristic beaches of the Asturian coast. Salinas beach, a sandy area of two and a half kilometers that can be approached from the perspective of the traveler who wants long walks along the seashore or from the perspective of those who want to practice water sports. Its waves are especially known for surfing. Next to the beach of Salinas, the beach of San Juan de Nieva, much more virgin and wild. Together they form the Natural Monument of the Dunes of El Espartal, of high ecological value. A beach that sums up the beautiful coast of Asturias.

Tazones, the town of the Emperor

It is said that Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire fell in love with Tazones the first time he visited it, in September 1517. Then, it was part of his imperial routes, being the only Asturian port that had such an honor. It is understood. Also nestled in the mountains, is another corner where you can appreciate the contrast between the blue of the sea, the green of the mountain and the color of their houses, different, unique.

Tazones is made up of five villages: Las Mestas, San Miguel, San Roque, Villar and La Atalaya. All of them keep the fishing character with which they were born, which has always conditioned the lives of its inhabitants and has caused, on the other hand, that beautiful silhouette. It can be appreciated well from the port itself, entering the sea by the breakwater. Despite its small size, it has many attractions. The famous Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells), so often photographed in recent times. Plaza del Riveru, around which has developed all the social and economic history of the town. The Church of San Miguel, which was built in the middle of the last century after the Civil War demolished the previous one. Nearby is also a small sandy beach, which disappears at high tide. If you have the chance to follow it and approach the rocky area, you will end up in front of a dinosaur footprints site. Tazones is one surprise after another. A must in this route through the coast of Asturias.

Lastres, the last stop, one to stay in

Yes, it is mandatory to stop in Lastres. It can become mandatory to stay. Not only because it is, like its predecessors on this route, one of the most beautiful villages in Asturias. Also because it makes the visitor feel absolutely comfortable among its streets.

The San Roque viewpoint offers the opportunity to understand at a glance why it is one of the most visited corners of Asturias, another of those who play with the arrangement of their houses on the cliffs. This is one of the best viewpoints in Asturias, and serves to highlight all that Lastres has, because it also has one of the most attractive ports, one of the most interesting neoclassical churches, the Church of Santa María de Sábada, in the rural world and one of the best gastronomic offers in the community

Lastres is enjoyed walking through its old streets, tackling its slopes, discovering the small beaches that beat next to the village. If you also want to go on an route, you can visit the popular Bufones de Pría, just over half an hour by car. Or the Pindal Cave, which is just under an hour away and closes the Asturian border to the east, just as Castropol and the Eo estuary did to the west. Thus, this journey along the coast of Asturias concludes. A trip that must be experienced.