CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS might endure andshowers,especiallyinland. aweekofgrey skies diversionsnocturnal intheirrestaurants andbars. The bigthree andGijón,alloffer citiesofSantander,Oviedo plentyofsightseeingand to themedievalsplendoursofSantillanadelMar,area isdotted withmanmadegems. straddling southeastAsturias, ofCastilla yLeón. southwestCantabria andthenorth their greatest heightsandgrandeurinthePicos spurofthecordillera deEuropa, anorthern with amazingabruptnesstotheparchedplainsof regions’ southernboundary,theCordilleraCantábrica –beyondwhichthelandscapechanges villages dottheroadsleadinginlandtowardschainmailwallofmountainsthatforms sheer cliffs, tinycoves, towns,andscores smallfishingandresort ofsandybeaches. Stone Country totheeast)formedbyCantabria andAsturias isasbeautifulit surprising. cal imageofSpain.The verdant emeraldstrip(betweenGaliciatothewestandBasque foracompositean advertisement ofIreland andWales,butno,itistheflipsideoftypi- Rolling meadowsandcattlepasture, andbagpipes. craggyhills,cider-drinking Itmightbe Asturias & Cantabria 498 © LonelyPlanetPublications
The onlydrawbackto‘green itgreen: Spain’iswhatmakes therain.Even inAugust you peoplehere.It’s notjustbucolicbeautythatattracts ofAltamira Fromtheprehistoric art The tworegions share coastlinealongtheBayofBiscay,alternating aspectacular between
HIGHLIGHTS
AREA:15,925SQKM Admire alittleModernistamadnessin thebuildingsofGaudíandCoat churches of atthepre-Romanesque Marvel Take theplungeandcanoedownrapidsof Admire theancient rockpaintingsat Batheatsecluded Let themedievaltownof SantillanadelMar Walkthe Travel bytrainalongtheSantander–Oviedo Ignore thepongandsavourtangy Sidleup forciderpoured intheconvivial
(p505) Viesgo p533 ) inthePicos deEuropa coastal corridor Cabrales cheese (seetheboxed text, p534 ) sidrerías ( cider houses)of Garganta delCares (Cares Gorge; (p524) Playa delSilencio Asturias LOW14°C AVE SUMMER TEMP: HIGH22°C, ( p516) Cueva de Altamira(Altamira Cave; p509 ) and (p512 ) Oviedo ( p507 ) bewitchyouwithitscharms Río Sella ( p530 ) nearRibadesella meseta (tableland).The mountainsreach Playa del Oviedo Silencio
Picos deEuropa POP: 1.64MILLION Ribadesella (p509 ) Comillas Comillas Cueva de Altamira Puente Puente Puente Viesgo del Mar Santillana Santander lonelyplanet.com urban life with itsbustlingbodegas (wine Picos deEuropa. wallsofwest intheabrupt mountainous the the trails.Therugged ranges culminate inthe todrivechoose thecountryroads orwalk of naturalbeautyfortheeyes,whetheryou offer.net orwww.cantabriarural.com), afeast in(checkto stay outwww.turismocantabria villages andcasas rurales inland valleys,dotted withquiettownsand (unreliable weatherpermitting),whilethe daysquitemake possible summerseaside ler lookingforanescape. Somepretty beaches that flocktoSpaineach year. untouched bythemodernlegionsof visitors theregionsional settlement, remains largely valleysdotted mountain withtheocca- deep of much terrain. of Slicedupby Cantabria’s ness of thevegetation beliesthedifficulty tribes.Thelush- subduing theCantabrian It isnowondertheRomanshadahardtime CANTABRIA Portilla de Espinama Oviedo (102km) To Ribadeslla(20km); Guardo la Reina Arrangas Fuente Dé ASTURIAS LEÓN CANTABRIA Carmarmeña Barro The capital, Santander, offers Santander, The capital, asliceof It offers alittleof forthetravel- everything Sotres Arenas deCabrales A8 Argüébanes Cosgaya Europa Map(p527) See Picosde Camaleño Tielve Llanes AS114 N634 Baro PALENCIA Tresvivo Beges La Vega de Turieno R Pendueles Liébana í
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(see 34) Train C Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo / EATING Bus Station...... 31 A4 Station Cathedral...... 7 A3 A,11...... 18 B3 Estación Marítima (Ferry to UK)....32 B4 (FEVE) Museo de Bellas Artes...... 8 A3 Bar Del Puerto...... 19 B1 Estación Marítima Los Reginas...... 33 B3 To Playa del Somo; Airport (5km); Playa del Puntal (22km); Museo Marítimo del Cantábrico.....9 E3 Bodega Cigaleña...... 20 A1 Europcar...... 34 A4 Bilbao (100km); Burgos (150km) Museo Regional de Prehistoria y Bodegas Mazón...... 21 B1 Underground Car Park...... 35 A3 Arqueología de Cantabria...... 10 B1 Café de Pombo...... 22 A2 Underground Car Park...... 36 B4 5pm-midnight Sun) h Valdecilla) History History resort ( cousin,SanSebastián p465 ). isagooddealmoreSantander thanits staid worth stoppingtosavour. Allup,however, lonelyplanet.com Fri, 9.30am-2pm Sat) Fri, Post office POST aroundAvenidaSantander Sotelo. deCalvo cluster inthenewerpartofBanks central MONEY Hospital Valdecilla SERVICES MEDICAL Ciberlope ACCESSINTERNET Information andtheoldquarter.stations a compactarea inthebusandtrain taking and manygoodrestaurants andbars are in beaches. Most of thecheaper placestostay strolltothe thenit’sahalf-hour Santander, northeast bringsyoutotheheartof older part of thecentraldistrict.A10-minute walk within 100mof each otherinthesouthwest faces theopensea. ninsula, PlayadelSardinero,themainbeach, Península delaMagdalena. Northof thepe- outtothe deSantander the handsomeBahía The citystretches alongthenorthernsideof Orientation around ElSardinero. a converged to seen givingrise onSantander, there. Everyone andbe whowanted tosee la Magdalena andbuilthimalittlepalace theygaveso pleased himthePenínsula de summer here inthe1900s.Thelocalswere King Alfonso XIIImadeahabitof spending istence. Itsheyday cameratherlate, when came known,ledamodestlysuccessfulex- given themsuch strife. had vanquishedtheCant Harbour) withintwoyears and,indeed, they named theplacePortusVictoriae(Victory they When theRomanslandedhere in21BC, building boom – most evident belle époquebuildingboom–mostevident The ferry, are trainandbusstations all From that time Santander, asthecitybe- From thattimeSantander, 10.30am-midnight Mon-Fri, 11.30am-midnightSat, 10.30am-midnight Mon-Fri, (CalledeLopeVega 14;perhr€2.20; (PlazaAlfonso XIII; CANTABRIA ••Santander ( % 942 202520;Avenida de abrian tribesthathad h 8.30am-8.30pm Mon- 4-7pm Oct-Jun) Located inside the Mercado delEste. 4-7pm Oct-Jun) LocatedinsidetheMercado 4; Hernán Cortés inSpanish;Callede 08; www.turismodecantabria.com an aquarium. Thedisplays range frommarine facets of andincludes navigation in Cantabria, bay beaches. Thefour-floor covers museum all 10am-6pmTue-Sun Oct-Apr) Tue-Sun May-Sep, adult/senior, student& child 4-12yr€6/4; deBajamars/n; CalleSan Martín .museosdecantabria.com; delCantábrico Marítimo Goya’s portraitof KingFernando VII. 3rd floor).You’llfindtheoddcurio, such as few andFrench Flemish,Italian works, onthe mixed inwitha the 2ndfloorandearlierstuff, (from about 1920onthe 1stfloor,1860–1920on Much of Spanish art what’sonshowissecondary art collectionspanningthe16thto20thcenturies. 10am-1pmSat) Mon-Fri, visit tothe a companied byinterpretations of theirtexts. cave paintingsandsomeRomanstellae, ac- areAltamira. Amongthehighlights copiesof de including someelementsfromtheCueva lections of prehistoric findsacrosstheregion, historia ously stoodhere. the constructionof themonastery thatprevi- of holyrelics, these foundonthissite, prompted Thecare patronsaints. Santander’s Celedonio, early Christianmartyrs SanEmeterio andSan are silver vessels theskullsof containing the underthefloor.Santander Displayednearby glass panelsreveal excavated bitsof Roman Santísimo Cristo built after the1941fire. Inthe lower is a14th-centurycloister, wasextensively re- above theother. Theupperchurch, offwhich ofposed two13th-centuryGothicchurches, one 8am-2pm&4.30-8pmSatSun) 4.30-7.30pm Mon-Fri, The Sights office tourist Regional office tourist Municipal TOURIST INFORMATION 4-7pm Tue-Sat, 11am-2pmSun) Calle deCasimiroSainz4;admissionfree; opposite PlazaItalia,operatesinsummer. 10am-7pm SatSep-Jun) AbranchofficeinElSardinero, 9pm dailyJul&Aug,8.30am-1.30pm4-7pmMon-Fri, -santander.es inSpanish;JardinesdePereda; Calle deRubio3;admissionfree; Museo isyour thing,visittheMuseo If seafaring Make toourtimeswith agiantleapcloser Under oneroof, the cathedral y Arqueología de Cantabria y ArqueologíadeCantabria deBellasArtes Museo h (Plaza delObispoEguino; (Calle Somorrostro; 9am-9pm Jul-Sep, 9.30am-1.30pm& 9am-9pm Jul-Sep, , a sometimes fusty but eclectic , asometimesfustybuteclectic ( ( % % h Museo Regional dePre- Regional Museo bringstogether col- ( 901 1112,9423107 % 942 203000;www.ayto 10.15am-1pm & 5.30-9pm 10.15am-1pm &5.30-9pm h 942 274962;www 8am-1pm &5-8pm) h ( ( h % % % h 10am-9.30pm 10am-1pm & 942 207109; , nearthe 10am-1pm & 10am-1pm & 942 20 31 20; 942 203120; Iglesia del Iglesia del iscom- 9am- 501
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS 502 the currents). there Boatssail 30minutes every Magdalena, isidylliconcalmdays(butbeware side of opposite thebayroughly Playadela a finger of juttingoutfromtheeastern sand 3 fromoutsidethepostoffice. a hike fromthecitycentre, socatch bus1,2or protected than The beaches onthe BEACHES &BOAT TRIPS Activities the headland. and thelittletrainthatchoo-choos around with picnickers. lions Kidswillenjoythesea palace, are perfect forastrollandpopular the Palacio delaMagdalena, theformerroyal 8am-10pmJun-Sep) Oct-May, whale. in 2003,localsthinkof itasashiny beached Manuel Palau andJuliánFranco opened haveNASA might cooked up.DesignedbyJosé glass coatinghasalmosttheairof something out of Lost and inSpace.Thestainless-steel for 6000spectators thatlookslike something Vega Lameras/n) city’s whale skeleton attraction. isastar are perhapslesscaptivating,butthe60-tonne swordfishThe stuffed inbottles andstarfish port townfromwhichlater Santander grew. Portus Victoriae(VictoryPort),theRoman the mostinteresting, dealingforexamplewith biology tomaritimehistory,which isperhaps
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aiio Sainz Casimiro lonelyplanet.com Calle de Calle ( % 8 Plaza Porti- Puerto Chico 669 4880 200 m cathe- Jar- Book accommodation online atBook lonelyplanet.com of thecountry’smajor financialinstitutions. the1950s see bronze andstonehere. Opposite theparkyou’ll work, writer JoséMaría dePereda, seminal whose lonelyplanet.com the beach. laundry facilities. It’sabout a 300mwalkto camping groundprovides asupermarket and Within easyreach of thebeach, this500-site Sardinero. Take bus 9fromJardines dePereda. Mayor beyondPlayadelCabo lighthouse, €18.75; .com; Avenida delFaro s/n;sitesper2adultswithtent&car Mayor Cabo Camping BUDGET down thatway. of themiddleandtop-range digsare also Thepick duringthelowseason. tend toclose able PlayadelSardinero,thecheaper places Downbyfashion- the trainandbusstations. Loads of budget spotscanbe foundaround Sleeping thing fromjazztochamber music. musical review inAugustthatcovers every- FestivaldeSantander Internacional is asweeping for specialistsinallsortsof disciplines.The Pelayo Menéndez Internacional hosts theUniversidad summer,thePalaciothrough delaMagdalena of Grande, aweek funaround 25July.Right istheSemana bigsummerfiesta Santander’s Festivals &Events lunch. to Somoforaseafood the century boomtimes.Finally,catch theferry at galleries,fruitsoftheir glassed-in early-20th- therowof your right opulentbuildingswith Stroll thebay-front promenadewest,notingon another bitof publicsculpture, divingintothebayafter coinsare see actually surprisingly austere boysyou yacht club. Those stilts inthebay,is on it,standing (Little Port),themarina. Beside Afterwards, headdowntothePuertoChico de Prehistoria Regional way. Attheend,you’llfindMuseo y Velarde east,grabbing afew alongthe tapas deDaoiz (7), brimmingwithbars. FollowCalle the farendtoreach thelively ful the oldquarter. thedelight- through Proceed itsgrandarchwayGoing through youenter Palacio delEmbarcadero Plaza dePombo (www.uimp.es inSpanish) ps Escenas Montañesas, isillustrated in y Arqueología de Cantabria y ArqueologíadeCantabria ) Banco deSantander Thisplaceisouttowardsthe CANTABRIA ••Santander (6), turningnorth(left)at ( % ClubMarítimo Real 942 391542;www.cabomayor
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Cortés 25;rwithwashbasin/bathroom€42/55) Cortés cious and originally decorated (eg steel blues cious andoriginallydecorated (egsteelblues smack intheheartof thecity.Roomsare spa- iswhatitsnamesuggests, hotel, theCentral the lowseason. from the beach. Prices droptoaslittle €75in equally elegantrestaurant, andyou’re not far make forsoothingrooms. Downstairs isan elegance. Thecream décorandsoft carpet age of and goldenseaside Santander’s sic sense new,theHoyuela emanatesAlthough theclas- Avenida delosHoteles7,ElSardinero;d€200; Hoyuela Hotel TOP END available outsideof August. views.Singlerates (€69.55) are withsea those ceilings.Tryfor ingly furnished, with high golden age. Roomsare atriflesmallbutpleas- hotel evokes thearea’sThis grandoldseaside dinero.com; PlazadeItalia,ElSardinero1;d€133.75-149.80) make thisanattractive choice. of areaas thesetting thesleeping inanalcove, de losHoteles6;s/d€86/112; bayviewsareunbeatable worththeextra. smallish. Top-floor terrace rooms(€135)with in thecolourscheme insome).Singlesare Mola5;s/d€82.40/127.35; General you willberewarded views. withsea Some roomsare intheuglyfrontbuildingbut tage (andsomewhatworn),turreted structure. fixtures andpainted mouldingsadornthisvin- 135;s/d€53/71; Victoria III Hostal Carlos MIDRANGE tin.com inSpanish;CalledeIsabelIINo1;s/d€40/52) showers and homy Botínhassomespaciousroomswith with balconiesoverlooking thesquare. furnished roomsuponthe3rdfloor,some de Pombo,withhigh-ceilinged, handsomely Plaza Corzaisonpleasant deal around,La some cases, nicearchitecturalsome cases, touches, such floors, spare butelegantfurnishingsand,in of thelatesensation 19thcentury. Parquet the other,butoverall isalingering effect theyareOtherwise quite different onefrom rooms dominatedcolourtheme. bythesame white of (in bad need alickof paint!)boasts Hotel Sardinero Hotel Hostal Paris Central Hotel Hospedaje Botín Pensión LaCorza ( galerías ( %
% ( ( % % 942 282628;www.gruposardinero.com;
942 27 23 50; www.hparis.net; Avenida942 272350;www.hparis.net;
( /fax 942271616;Avenida delaReina 942 22 24 00; www.elcentral.com; Calle 942 222400;www.elcentral.com;Calle % ( ( % % h 942 210094;www.hospedajebo (glassed-in balconies). (glassed-in 942 271100;www.gruposar 942 212950;CalledeHernán Easter-Oct) p a ) Thischarmer in ) A century-old Acentury-old Frosted-glass paiw Thebest The 503
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CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS lightly grilled, this is a simple seafood delight. delight. grilled,thisisasimpleseafood lightly filled withcrayfish to aslab of catch of theday meal €30-40; MIDRANGE locals after somethingalittledifferent. bodegas butpacked toscreaming pointwith here, arespectful fromtheclassic distance have lights and bigcity–stylebright landed raciones €4-12; outthebackforasit-downmeal. Proceed you are piledhuge barrels of wineandsherry. chalked ongreat lumberingvatsandbehind atalongtimberbar.tapas) are Theselections 57;raciones€4-12; Cortés 21) Cortés 19; pinchosfrom€2; Bodega Cigaleña BUDGET waterfront promenadesbrimwithcafés. ing inanynumberof restaurants. Santander’s upper-marketbodegas oroptforslightly din- heartylocalfoodinno-nonsense bar, quaff You cansitdownforafew snacksinatapas Eating 504 lingering breakfast stops. is oneof andelegant thecity’smostpleasant wine cellar serves upvariedracioneswine cellarserves (large old town. of thebestandmostpopularof itsilkinthe wineandlaughter,thisisone bar fortapas, A,11 Bodegas Mazón dePombo Café La FlordeTetuán hot rollswith tastyfillings. something lighter, orderbocadillucos, ter) orother classic heard. Youmightgo foracheese homie tends toleave himlittlehopeofbeing tinkles onaraisedgallerybutthenoisy bon- back (orjustsnackatthebar).Apiano man queue withunlimited patience) foraseatout enclosurelike atthefrontorlineup(locals seen inoneplace. Squeeze intothetram- more wine bottlesthanyoumayever have stone walls,woodenpillarsandbeams, and This cavernous bodega(winecellar) hashigh Oreña 9;raciones€5-12 La Conveniente AUTHOR’S CHOICE CANTABRIA ••Santander ( Onthesquare of name,this thesame % h 942 074362;CalledelArrabal11;tapas& h Mon-Sat) Mon-Sat) ( h % ( ( ( % ( Mon-Sat) % % 942 213062;CalledeDaoizyVelarde % h raciones Anything from a salad Anythingfromasalad Gourmetsophistication ; 942 223224;CalledeHernán 942 218353;CalledeTetuán 25; 942 215752;CalledeHernán 942 212887;CalleGómez h Thu-Tue) A lovely andclassic dinner onlyMon-Sat) (large tapas).For Thiscavernous tabla (plat- little
Lounge age hasagreen group,Floridita luminousbar, attractingabroad tropically themednightspot 3amand4am. openuntilbetween Most stay bourhood alsoteemwithbars of alldescriptions. delRíodelaPilaanditsimmediate neigh- Calle Lucía,alongwith deSanta Calle the evening. copas, where in youcanenjoyanoutdoorbeer ishometoseveral Plaza deCañadío & Drinking Entertainment fish dishesstar. northern Spanish food.Exquisitelyprepared modern, imaginative typical twistsonessential apartment block)offers theexperienceof understated place(beneathabrickhigh-rise the bestrestaurant intown,thiselegantly El Serbal TOP END Oct-Apr) 63; meal€35-45; (Hahn) and Rome(Ciampino). from London Stansted,Liverpool, Frankfurt here Ryanair hasflights drid andBarcelona. Ma-Parayas. Ahandfulof serve dailyflights The airportisabout 5kmsouthof townat AIR & There Getting Away a fairlyyoungcrowdare It tions thatare similartooneanotherandattract morning. bar. at6amonSaturdayand Sunday Itcloses rock-music dawn atthisdimlylit,basement 37; of fumes. their dose funkymusicand sweet prettystays relaxed, getting witheveryone club capacity crowds,thissmallhash-infused yourlaptopalong. brought andwi-fibig cocktails ifyouhappentohave influence onthefiscaloutlay. food. Yourchoice of critter willhave ahuge is theperfect spotfordamnnearperfect sea- over thewaterfront of thePuertoChico,this strip. best of eateries of onthis aseries fourseafood Most items are andthisisthe soldbyweight h €40-50; If you’re after clubs, acoupleof inner-city op- Rocambole Cool La Floridita Bar DelPuerto h 1am-6.30am Thu-Sat) 10pm-5am) h Withitsgrandwindowslookingout (CalledeSantaLucía; (Calle de San Emeterio 3) (Calle deSanEmeterio ( % Tue-Sat, lunchonlySun,closedFeb) 942 222515;CalledeAndrésdelRío7;meal ( h % ( % The action often goes on till Theactionoften ontill goes
( % daily Jun-Sep, Tue-Sat, lunchonlySun daily Jun-Sep, 942 36 49 61; Calle de Hernán Cortés 942 364961;CalledeHernánCortés 942 223309;CalledeBailén4) andthegrungier 942 21 30 01; Calle de Hernán Cortés 942 213001;CalledeHernánCortés h Despite the beyond- 1am-6.30am Thu-Sat). (Calle del General Mola s/n; Molas/n; (Calle delGeneral lonelyplanet.com Probably bares de bares de Montrëal Montrëal A hours) frommid-March tomid-November. carferry (20½ runs atwice-weekly toSantander 08703 665333,Spain942360611;www.brittanyferries.co.uk) From PlymouthintheUK, BOAT lonelyplanet.com lies atthe footof the conicalMonte Castillo. of ontheN623towards Burgos, Santander The valleytownof Puente Viesgo,25kmsouth pop 2350 &Around Viesgo Puente AROUND SANTANDER thecity. throughout a 10-rideticket for€5.30attobaccostands cost€1per ride. Purchase buses Santander Getting Around which continue ontoValladolid. twooftrains alsorundailyto/fromReinosa, 5½ to8¾hours) viaPalencia andÁvila. Six trains dailyto/fromMadrid (€35.90to€47.90, There are Renfe twotrainstations. TRAIN 21 4706) Nextdoor,localcrowd train station. of thetrainstation. fic headsoutof thecityalongsouthside pretty route –isthemainroadsouth.Alltraf- for aquickgetaway. TheN623toBurgos –a Heading west,take theA67forTorrelavega CAR &MOTORCYCLE daily toArriondasandRibadesella. stoppinginLlanes,buthasonlytwo most buses (€11.80to€20.40,three hours), with Oviedo Irún andtheFrench border. ALSAalsorunsto (€11.70,three hours), least sixtoSanSebastián toBilbao(€6.05,1½hours)quent buses andat (€9.45 to€10,2½3½hours). ALSArunsfre- dereabus.com) From thebusstation BUS interior standard cabin. fora to UK£966,dependingontheseason, Two peoplewithacarpayreturn fares of up (€6.75, 2½tothree hours). (€12.25, 4¾hours) andthree to/fromBilbao LlanesandOviedo Vicente de laBarquera, door, operates twotrainsdailyto/fromSan to 5½hours), plusfive orsixto/fromBurgos dailyto/fromMadridbuses (€24to€32,five FEVE Europcar rents FiatPandas for€43aday. ( % , Continental-Auto runsatleastsix ( 942 209522;www.feve.es inSpanish) % 942 217817) CANTABRIA ••AroundSantander ( % 942 21 19 95; www.santan 942 211995;www.santan is inside the FEVE isinsidetheFEVE Ferries Brittany Alcar
has three has three ( % ( , next % 942 942 UK UK where youcanenter thepark. about 20kmtoObregón,from Santander from born incaptivityhere. Toget here, drive south African quadruped). In2005anelephantwas towatussis(abig-horned thing frombuffaloes created togive afree-range hometoevery- open-cut mines,azoologicalpark hasbeen a curiousexperiment.Onthesite of former Feb €9/6; €12/8.50, Nov- cabarceno.com inSpanish;adult/childMar-Oct This open-air Parque delaNaturaleza Cabárceno park. surrounding buildingsinapleasant Palacio deAlvear, a16th-centurytowerwith periods too. About a1kmwalkaway isthe anddisplayselementsof laterin Cantabria, in thevillage of 12th-century the region’s finestRomanesquechurches, the of Puente Viesgoabout 3kmtoadmire oneof minutes), withfewer onweekends. MondaytoFriday(€1.90,3545 Santander country views. conies fromwhich youcanenjoytheverdant furnished inclassicstyle,andmanyhave bal- for backache orphysiotherapy.Roomsare anything fromshiatsu tospecifictreatments hour ortwo(€10to€12)mixed of sessions ments, fromasimplepaddleinbaths foran where youcanindulge inallsortsof treat- s/n;s/d€136.50/166; Mazo Pérez CalledeManuel www.balneariodepuenteviesgo.com; Balneario attheGranHotel stay and troutfarms.Topamperyourself,visitor medicinal qualitiesof itsbaths anditssalmon summer it’smandatorytobookadayahead. last tourisgiven anhourbefore closing.In the (in Spanish), half-hour; departingevery hasmoreEl Castillo paintings. stalagmites inanastoundingarrayof shapes. the art,there’s alabyrinth of stalactitesand genuine articleratherthancopies.Inbetween ( deAltamira at Cueva p509 are), but these the animals thatare justasbreathtaking asthose ofa series prehistoric wallpaintingsof various Moneda,contain view here, andLa ElCastillo 9.30am-5pm Wed-SunOct-Apr) adult/child eachcave€3/1.50; impressive About stretch 1.5kmupthismountain the Those withavehicleThose shouldheadnortheast runtoPuente Viesgofrom buses Seven The townalsohassomelocalfameforthe Visits tothecaves are byguidedtouronly h 9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-6pmOct-Mar) 9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep, Cuevas del Castillo delCastillo Cuevas Colegiata deSantaCruzCastañeda Colegiata zoo Socobio. Itisoneof thefinest ( h % baths 8am-9pm; 902 210112;www.parquede h . Thetwo caves on 10am-7.30pm May-Sep, 10am-7.30pm May-Sep,
( % ( % 942 598425; pai 942 598061; 505 is
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CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS make centre upthemedieval of Ur- Castro ofharbour andthetangle narrowlanesthat 7pm Jul&Aug, 4-6pmSep-Jun) isthemore attractive.Playa deOstende Ofthetwobeaches, thewesterlylighthouse. town’s defensive bastion,now supporting a with theruinsof whatwasforcenturiesthe the Rose. Thechurch shares itslittleheadland for set diales. Itcouldbeaseaside delaAsunción de SantaMaría Gothicjumble thatisthe The haughty pop 13,380 Urdiales Castro Urdiales toOriñón(30minutes). adayheadfromCastro flats. Upto10buses ismadeupof itself drabholiday The settlement on thewindwardsideof thewestern headland. andsome you’ll findachilly sea surfable waves calm andcomparatively warm.Incontrast, behind protective headlands,makingthewater deep stripisset mer weekends, thebroadsandy Oriñón, 14kmeastof Laredo. Popularonsum- One of thenicerbeaches alongthiscoast isat Playa deOriñón Santoña withPlayaBerria. end of link beach Laredo (€1.50).Hourlybuses the estuarytothewestern crosses September) regular passengerferry (9amto8pmMay to (€3.40,50to65minutes),Santander anda have niceviewsof thebeach. generally spacious.Fromthe2ndfloorupyou 14; s/d€83.50/106) 38; www.hoteljuandelacosa.com inSpanish;PlayadeBerria ing optionsis Cantábrico. Downhere, oneof thebestsleep- ofa magnificentsweep ontheopenMarsand headnorthalongtheC141to wise, PlayadeSanMartín.yourself onsandy Other- walkaroundboth,orplonk can take apleasant . You deSanCarlos north, theabandonedFuerte by twoforts, The fishingportof Santoñaisdominated Santoña Urdiales,35kmshort ofedly Castro Bilbao. holiday flats.Thepickof thebunch isundoubt- are littlemore thanbeaches fronted by rowsof boltholes.Some,such asNoja, seaside several and Bilbaooffers jadedcitizensof bothcities The 95kmstretch of Santander coastbetween CANTABRIAEASTERN 506 building, butinsidetheblue-huedroomsare Seven ormore adayrunto/from buses Seven CANTABRIA ••EasternCantabria and,further deSanMartín Fuerte . It’sabitof abrutish-looking Hotel JuandelaCosa Hotel stands outabove stands the ( h 10am-1.30pm &4- The Nameof ( , Playa Berria % 942 6612 Iglesia up to 10 buses daily to/from Santander (€5, (€5, dailyto/fromSantander up to10buses wards Vega dePas. Thetownisof minimal Puente Viesgo, take theCA270southeastto- lows isanexampleonly. Plenty of routes suggest themselves: whatfol- areeastern ripeforexploration. Cantabria rural splendour,thelittle-visited valleysof Short butrich onspecificsights inunspoiled Valleys Eastern Pérez Galdós. Benito de RondaandCalle on thecornerof La Calle Ronda, La ous stopsintown,includingatBar making vari- half-hour, (€2.20, onehour)every to/fromBilbao one hour).Bizkaibushasbuses boats atPlazadelAyuntamiento. ArdigalesandinfrontofCalle thefishing and pâté), aboundsinmesones (old-styleeateries) look ontothenarrowpedestrianstreet. functional ifunexcitingrooms,someof which is oneblockfromthewaterfront andhascrisp, ones (andpriceshaven’t budged inyears!). It 27;s/d€32/50) 05 24;CalledelaMar the oldcentre, of which by thefishingportinheartof thetown. 1; the a network of narrow country roads. with warm stonevillages andheldtogether by to have this stage, strewn employedtoset been interior. Every imaginable shadeof green seems await thetraveller penetratingtheCantabrian valleys flanked bypatchwork quiltsof green riverWonderful viewsof peaksanddeep high SOUTHERN CANTABRIA and isolated farmhouses. of switchbacks, acoupleof passes mountain Sía passtowardsArredondo. Thisroadisfull take theBU571 roadupover thePuertodela Roque deRiomieratowardsSantander. San then followingRíoMieradownthrough before turningnorthagainatRíodeTrueba, yLeón, southeast, brieflycrossingintoCastilla lar are stunning.FromVega dePas continue from the interest, butthedrive issomething.Theviews (fish soup)and h From ElSoto,ontheN623justsouthof ALSA Traditional fare, such as are placestostay scatteredSeveral about Another optionfromRíodeTruebaisto Find outabout otherbeaches inthearea at tourist office tourist tabernas delaMar, (taverns) alongCalle 9am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, 9am-2pm&5-7pmmid-Sep–Jun) 9am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, ( % Puerto delaBraguíapassinparticu- Puerto 902 422242;CalleLeonardo Rucabado2) ( % pudín decabracho (seafood 942 871512;Avenida delaConstitución Hostal LaMar isoneof thebetter sopa depescado lonelyplanet.com
( % runs runs 942 87 ,
52 15;Avenida delPuente deCarlosIII 23) rambling inthearea appealstoyou. tion onsenderos (walkingroutes) ifalittle the sions aroundthecentralPlazadeEspaña. But stop for,exceptperhapstolookattheman- is dreary, withlittleto southern Cantabria, lonelyplanet.com and marks theendof thelineforadaily bus tín deElines hasafine Romanesquechurch andArroyuelos. Cadalso deEbroand,beyondPolientes, chapels atCampo west of theT-junction. there Eastwards, are , isactuallyabout deValverde 10km Santa María can bevisited. Thebestexample,the chapels medieval hewnfromtherock several Along or justofftheroad, four placestostay. where and you’llfindbanks,apetrolstation theCA273.Aboutmeets 13kmeastis and finallyhitaT-junction where theCA272 from the9thcentury.Next,descendtoArroyal counter the narrowroute,Along thisexceedingly youen- ). Justbefore (south). Arroyo,turnright Julióbriga towards Arroyo(you’llpasstheruinsof Roman to thereservoir. Followthesouthernshore conte, atRequejotocrossover then turnright Reinosa. the river’s coursealongminorroadsoutof Youcanfollow yLeón. and eastintoCastilla andthenmeanders south del Ebroreservoir about 6kmwestof fillstheEmbalse Reinosa, Río Ebro(fromwhence‘Iberia’stems) rises Along Río Ebro Santander. (€5.15,upto1½hours)buses headto/from trainsheadto/fromSantander.tance Upto11 and twoorthree more expensive long-dis- rooms have skylights. and, insome,timberceilingbeams.Theattic s/d €50/62) 88; www.hotelsanroque.net inSpanish;Avenida 3; deCantabria more comfort,try withbasicrooms.Foralittle and busstations, bathroom €15/25) ( options.HostalSema sleeping a half-dozen esque churches. finest south, isoneof Cantabria’s Roman- % Reinosa Reinosa Three regional trainsaday(€4.75,1½hours) If youget you’llfind stuckinReinosa, Across theEbrofrom Arroyuelos, Head first alongtheCA171towardsCor- office Inquire tourist atReinosa’s 942 75 00 47; Calle de Julióbriga 14;d€30,s/dwithout 942 750047;CalledeJulióbriga in Cervatos, 5km deSanPedro inCervatos, Colegiata , whose 18roomshave, whose parquetfloors (pop 10,520),themaintownin Monasterio de Montes Claros deMontes Monasterio isconveniently tothetrain close CANTABRIA ••WesternCantabria Hotel SanRoque Hotel forinforma- ( % ( , Polientes % Iglesia de Iglesia de San Mar- , dating , dating 942 7547 942 75 after herdeath. relics,around the saint’s which arrived here church. Themonastery andtowngrew up inthecentrename Santillana), stands of the tyr fromTurkey (and thereal sourceof the Juliana,a3rd-century Christianmar-Santa a huge varietyof figures. Thesepulchre of into ofwith thecapitals itscolumnscarved able storehouse of Romanesquehandiwork, former monastery isthecloister, aformid- & 4-6.30pmTue-Sun Oct-May) €3; Romanesque centuries leadsyoutothelovely 12th-century fromthe15thto18th solemn nobles’houses A strollalongthecobbledmainstreet past SIGHTS www.santillana-del-mar.com. You canalsoget informationonthetownat 9.30am-1.30pm &4-7pmOct-Jun) ( Mayor. You’llfindaninformative shop allcluster onornearthehandsomePlaza too. de Altamira the nearbyCueva makes theobviousovernight forvisiting base at thetownentrance. luggage andmustthenreturn tothecarpark hicles. Otherhotel guestsmaydrive tounload hotels withgarages maybringintheirve- stipulation thatonlyresidents orguestsin back in1575,andtodaytheyincludethe town planningruleswere first introduced toitsexistence. bethewiser and never Strict to generation. their precious downfromgeneration houses Well,no.film set! People stilllive here, passing toogoodtobetrue. Surelyit seems it’sjusta dling inamuddleof centuriesof history,that stoneandbrickbuildingshud- and tanned cobbled streets withitsbright of preservation, jewelisinsuch a perfectThis medieval state (delmar)!Somegood-lookingliar! the sea flat(llana),noron it isneitherholy(santi), thisisthecityofThey say thethree lies,since pop 3820 Santillana delMar WESTERN CANTABRIA Castillo ( Castillo p229 yLeón. ) inCastilla transport youcanpush onforOrbanejadel viaPolientes.from Reinosa Withyourown % h Banks, apostoffice,telephones andabook- Banks, Santillana is a bijou in its own right, but Santillana isabijouinitsownright, You couldeasilypassbyonthemotorway 942 81 88 12; Calle Jesús Otero 20; Otero 942 818812;CalleJesús 10am-1.30pm & 4-7.30pm daily Jun-Sep, 10am-1.30pm 10am-1.30pm &4-7.30pmdailyJun-Sep, Colegiata deSantaJuliana Colegiata . Thedrawcardinthis atthemaincarpark. h 9am-9pm Jul-Sep, 9am-9pm Jul-Sep, tourist office tourist
(admission 507
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS Museo Diocesano to theMuseo de Altamira andSantander.de Altamira lodg- A half-dozen of town andalongthe roadstowardsthe Cueva pleasure. Theyare scattered about theoldpart buildings converted foryourcomfortand nate numberof them inatmospherichistoric There are dozensof aninordi- placestostay, SLEEPING Oct-Mar) h Pelayo;Ramón adult/senior&student/under13yr€3.50/3/free; century exhibitions fromaroundtheworld.The14th- free; ( admissionfree) Mayor; while theFundación Santillana initsunremittingused battleagainstheresy, more than70charming instrumentsof torture an exhibitionontheInquisition,displaying h 1;adult/senior&student/under13yr€3.60/2.40/free; Otero tions. The culturalfoundationsandexhibi- museums, someofwooden statuary, itquite bizarre. fascinating collectionof ‘popular’polychrome The formerDominicanmonasterya contains 4-6.30pm Tue-Sun Oct-May) h 508 porary exhibitions. % Admission to the Colegiata includesentry Admission totheColegiata Santillana alsohostsaneclecticbunch of suggests couldhave beenusedasalunarcalendar. The was surely theworld’sfirstair-brush), andaseriesofcrimsondiscsthatonetheory(amongmany) also appear. At theCuevas delCastillo ( p505 ) there are 53negative handprints(producedbywhat animals, usuallydeer,bison,boarsandbulls,rendered inred, blackandochre tones. motifs Other Altamira andelsewhere (somedatingasfarback20,000yearsago)are of styliseddepictions done14,500yearsago.the workofasingleartist, Mostofthethousandspaintingsfoundat the materials athand. in thisenvironment,someoftheseearlyinhabitantsfelt theneedtoexpress themselves using habitat forPalaeolithic settlers,whenicestillcovered Ensconced surface. muchoftheearth’s but few canbevisited. The region’s mildclimate andlimestonecaves provided aconvenient age site hasbeenclosedtothepublic(areplica hasbeencreated nearby). beyond doubtthattheseworksare thereal McCoy,andsoprecious thattheUnescoWorldHerit- be thehandiworkofprimitive peopletens ofthousandsyearsago. Wrong. Ithasbeenproved Cueva de Altamira( opposite ) asahoax.They were justtoogood,fresh, toosophisticated to When archaeologists stumbledacross themin1879,theydismissedthevividrockpaintings ART PREHISTORY .mcu.es/otros_destinos.html) 10am-1.30pm & 4-7.30pm daily Jun-Sep, 10am-1.30pm& 10am-1.30pm &4-7.30pmdailyJun-Sep, 10am-9pm Apr-Sep, 10am-1.30pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Fri 10am-1.30pm&4-7.30pmMon-Fri 10am-9pm Apr-Sep, 10am-9pm Apr-Sep, 10.30am-8pmOct-Mar) 10am-9pm Apr-Sep, h 942 8171;CalleSantoDomingo8;adult/child€2.50/ The images,covering mostspectacular theceilingofCueva deAltamira,are thoughttobe Around 50similarsites have beenfoundaroundCantabria, andothersinneighbouringAsturias, CANTABRIA ••WesternCantabria is a medieval tower also used fortem- toweralsoused isamedieval 11am-2pm &4-8pmTue-Sun) delMerino Torre Museo ElSolar Museo Palacio Caja Cantabria andthePalacio Caja attheotherendof town. ( % ( % ( % website detailsothercaves thatcanbevisited inCantabria. 942 840317;CalleCruce;
942 84 02 73; Calle Jesús 942 840273;CalleJesús ( 942 818289;Plazade % stage temporary 942 818203;Plaza houses houses
church’s organist, are particularly attractive, long hometotheColegiata century house, 19; d€55) rounded byagarden,thisstonemansion, al- be oneof thebetter dealsinSantillana. Sur- court andrestaurant. lows, supermarket, kids’playground,tennis ground hasgoodfacilities,includingbunga- del Mar ontheComillasroad,thiscamping car &tent€22; Santillana Camping Budget fromaboutNovemberclose toFebruary. remodelled Some orstables. stonefarmhouses main roadfromtheoldtown,are mostlyin park,acrossthe Revolgo ings aroundCampo with wood-rail balconies,plush rugs,antique 4; s/d€58/85; pricesisabonus. to apoolatthese are inviting,withantiquefurniture, andaccess faithfultothetown’sstyle.nevertheless Rooms quitethough new(sowithnohistory value),is s/d €42/70; SigloXVIII Hotel Midrange at LosNobles restaurant opposite. smallish buttastefully restored rooms.Inquire this charming house)has casona (medieval .casadelorganista.com inSpanish; Camino deLosHornos delOrganista La Casa Posada SantaJuliana Museo deAltamira Ashortwalkinfromthemainroad, h p closed mid-Dec–Feb; Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com ps ) Roomsatthiselegant 18th- ( % ( % 942 84 02 10; Calle de Revolgo 38; 942 840210;CalledeRevolgo ) Justwestof Santillana
942 818250;sitesper2people, ( % (http://museodealtamira ( % 942 840106;CalleCarrera ps 942 840352;www lonelyplanet.com ) This has to This hasto Book accommodation online atBook lonelyplanet.com the usuallocalsuspects,such as and somewhatharsh offers lighting manyof stairs restaurant withthered andbluewalls timber doors intothecourtyard.Toyourleft tes.com inSpanish;Avenida L’Dorat1;s/d€86.70/114.50; towards theColegiata. and stonework.Someroomslookacrossfields furniture andplentyof heavy exposed beams lonelyplanet.com surf orturf options,butthe latter are better. and beams. There isareasonable balance of decorative touches brick such as theexposed with noble trappingsand nice stone house agrand fare itapartis the setting, andwhatsets €30-35; 5;meal Otero .granduque.com inSpanish;CalledelEscultorJesús istodiefor.urchin Thelemontart sauce). steamed coddrenched inathickyellowsea such as withanelegant touch, and thensomesurprises tañés €13.50)aresauce; itsstrongsuit. solomillo consalsadequeso timber beams.Themeatdishes,such asthe underabigtopofas though heavy, dark tothediningarea,proceed together brought is abarwithbenches,andupstairs totheright meal €25; options, however. around €20to€25.There are somebetter should beable toget afullmealatmostfor tering tothepassing touristtrade,andyou Santillana hasalotof humdrumeateries ca- EATING beautiful gardenrestaurant over theroad. are quite different fromoneanother. Ithasa to theatmosphere of therooms,allof which stone wallsandcoolterracottafloors contribute of timberbeams,thick Santillana. Exposed Gothic mansion,oncehometotheMarquis or ladyof themanorinthis15th-century h nadelmar.com inSpanish;CalledelCantón26;s/d€175.50/195.80; delMarqués Casa Top End heads. Ithasitsownrestaurant andbartoo. rooms,somewithironbed but comfortable pile, thisplaceonthemainroadoffers sober h Otero 5;meal€25-35; Otero Los Infantes Restaurante GranDuque Restaurante La Villa Casa Uzquiza Casa closed Dec-Mar; closed Dec-Mar; closed mid-Dec–Feb; (bean, cabbage, stew), meatandsausage h (softlomo debacalao enpil-pildeerizo h Tue-Sun) ( Thu-Tue) % ( 942 818364;PlazadelaGándaras/n; ( p % % The food is high-quality local Thefoodishigh-quality CANTABRIA ••WesternCantabria ( % h Wander through thegreat Wanderthrough ) 942 84 03 56; Calle del Escultor Jesús 942 840356;CalledelEscultorJesús pai Anotherfine18th-century 942 8100;www.grupolosinfan 942 818888;www.turismosantilla Tue-Sun, closedFeb) ( % (sirloinincheese ) Feel like thelord 942 840386;www cocido mon- Thisup- 1.30pm &5-8pmWed-Mon Sep-Jun) .bancosantander.es inSpanish) 6; mation, andabranch ing itswebsite (clickonVenta deEntradas). buildings inCantabria. hilltops crownedbysomeof themostoriginal centre fromitbyverdant and,separated valleys, is much more: cobbled oldvillage apleasant, thetown’sfine,golden sight beach, butthere verdant countrysidetoreach Comillas.Youfirst Take theCA13116km fromSantillanathrough pop 2500 Comillas the 2kmfromSantillanadelMar. withoutvehicles Those mustwalkortake ataxi branches of it’s worthpurchasing tickets inadvanceat andfromJulytoSeptember During Easter with yourticket. Tours are inSpanishonly. arecueva, guided;youare assignedatour time to Australia. and cave artaroundtheworld,fromAltamira interactive exhibitsonprehistoric humanity excellent viewing isenhancedbythemuseum’s Sala dePolícromos(Polychrome Hall). The of thecave’s mostinteresting chamber, the replicas) inthisfull-size,dazzlingre-creation bison, horses andother beasts(orrather, their the inspired, 14,500-year-old depictionsof Oct-May; 9.30am-5pmTue-Sat, 9.30am-3pmSun&holidays days Jun-Sep, Sat free; dent/senior &under18yr€2.40/1.20/free, Sun&from2.30pm ( scientific community. toallbutthe lana delMar, isnowoff-limits 2kmsouthwestof deAltamira, Santil- Cueva The country’sfinestprehistoric art,inthe & Museo deAltamira Cueva the medicalcentre. stop onAvenida deSantonioSandí,opposite Comillas andSanVicente They delaBarquera. Santillana (€2.05,35minutes), andonto to on SaturdayandSunday,fromSantander four timesadayMondaytoFriday,withthree LaCantábrica Autobuses THERE&AWAYGETTING h the town hall. % h Since 2001, however, the Since 2001,however, The Visits tothereplica cave, calledtheNeo- 9am-2pm & 4-6pmMon-Sat,10am-2pm Sun) 942 818005;http://museodealtamira.mcu.es; adult/stu- 10.30am-1.30pm &5-8pm dailyJul&Aug, 10.30am- h pw tourist office tourist 9.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-3pmSun&holi- Banco Santander ) hasallowedallcomers toview ( %
( , orbyphoningvisit- (Plaza deJoaquíndelPiélagos; % 942 720768;CalledeAldea 942 720822) ( haslocalinfor- % Museo Altamira Museo 902 242424;www has buses hasbuses behind 509
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS 510 it was Lluís Domènechanother iMontaner, tifical university) onthehillopposite, but sidad Pontificia(nolonger, apon- however, there’s alittlecomedor (eatery) downstairs. It fers simplerooms withhardwood floors, and without bathroom€35) inthatpartfivemum stay days). part of thebeach inJulyandAugust(mini- ground spreads area toaclifftop overlooking low ontheeastern edge of town,thecamping Sep) Comillas Camping SLEEPING de laConstitución. fine beach, justa10-minute walkfromPlaza flower-bedecked balconies. with houses Cristóbal andoldsandstone flanked bythetownhall,IglesiadeSan is itsfocalpoint,asloping,cobbled square its ownlittlepleasures. stroll. groundsyoucan whose a formerseminary, flavour tothiselaboratemedieval building, whocontributed Modernista, the Catalan both buildingsare byguidedtour. managed toout-Gothicreal Gothic.Visitsto With the 7.30pm Oct-Apr) (admission €3; and h ful neo-Gothic thewonder- hillsideparklandsstand the same and returned tobeautifyhishometown.In plain AntonioLópez,madeafortuneinCuba Marqués deComillas,whowasbornhere as Catalan architectsModernista bythefirst ings commissionedforComillasfromleading alternating sunflowers andgreen leaves. is liberallystripedwithceramicbandsof Comillas andnowanexpensive restaurant, fortheMarquésnally asummerhouse de modest instature. Thebrickbuilding,origi- in Comillasiseasilythemostflamboyant,if the 1885 but of thathedid, those beyond Catalonia, Antoni Gaudíleftfew reminders of hisgenius SIGHTS las.com inSpanish;sitesper2people,car&tent€18; The Capricho wasoneof build- The Capricho several Pensión LaAldea centreComillas’ compactmedieval isfullof Comillas boastsateenyfishingportand Martorell alsohadahandinthe 10am-9pm May-Sep, 10.30am-2pm&4-7.30pmOct-Apr) 10am-9pm May-Sep, Asimplegrassyspotrunbyafriendly fel- Capilla Panteón de los Marqueses deComillas delosMarqueses Panteón Capilla CANTABRIA ••WesternCantabria (Gaudí’sCaprice) deGaudí Capricho palacio h , bothdesignedby JoanMartorell. 10am-9pm May-Sep, 10.30am-2pm&4- 10am-9pm May-Sep, Palacio deSobrellano ( % This homy guesthouse of- Thishomyguesthouse (palace), Martorell truly ( % 942 720074;www.campingcomil 942 721046;LaAldea 5;d Plaza delaConstitución (admission €3; Univer- h Jun-
h €14.90), or the tasting menu at €27. menuat€27. €14.90), orthetasting withtruffle; de trufa carpaccioseasoned (beef fare. Trythedelicate and ández deCastro11;meal€30-40; waterfront. restaurantscouple of linethe simpleseafood behindthecathedral.A Plaza delaRabia, The obviousplaceformorningcoffee isthe EATING &DRINKING the Universidad Pontificia. them benefitfromviewsclearacrosstownto less-inspiring modernextension, butsomeof one of thebestchoices. Someroomsare ina period-furnished 17th-centurymansionis s/n;s/d€64/91) .com; CalleSanJerónimo handsomely restored eastofA shortdistance thetowncentre, this meralda.com inSpanish;CalledeAntonioLópez7;s/d€60/80) deDíazlaCampa. Calle fancierplaceover slightly runs asecond, on and clothing-optional camping grounds behindthebeach. decidedly superior. There are twoyear-round PlayadeOyambre long, sandy Out of several beaches aroundComillas,the Around Comillas deGaudí. the Capricho Marqués deComillas, nearthedriveway to del Themainstop isonCalle Santander). Santillana delMar (€3.15,55minutes from as buses bythesame Comillas isserved THERE&AWAYGETTING menu)for€20. a menúdeldía(dailyset mushrooms andapplepuree; €18).Italsohas (deer loininblackpepperwith de manzana(deer venado alapimientonegra consetas ypure upsuchdishes as substantial serves for Gaudí)andhasamodestlyelegantair. It lines (nostraight the diningarea iscurved butyoucaneatthere!Capricho, Ofcourse, round thecornerfromEsmeralda,this elegant restaurant dishes upamixof Basque In abackstreet Esmeralda,this behindHostal contains large,contains old-fashioned rooms. a fine,stonebuildingpartlycovered inivy A littlefurther west,thewilder, lesscrowded Gurea Restaurante delCastro Casal Hostal Esmeralda deGaudí El Capricho Mon-Sat, lunchonlySun) montañés Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com (Cantabrian-style mountain) mountain) (Cantabrian-style ( %
( ( % carpaccio de buey al aroma carpaccio debueyalaroma 942 720036;hccastro@infonegocio % ( Youcan’tvisitGaudí’s hostal (budget hotel) in % 942 722446;CalleIgnacioFern- 942 720097;www.hostales andits Playa deMerón h 942 720365;meal€35-40; Tue-Sat, lunchonlySun) lonelyplanet.com , 5kmwest,is Aquickstroll lomo de
seafood restaurants overlooking with tables seafood an agent forcasas rurales Calle Ronda2;s/d€39/42) 1.30pm &4.30-7pmMon-Sat,11am-2pmSun) edelabarquera.org; Avenida 20; delGeneralísimo delaBarquera San Vicente the warningsignsabout currents here. estuary atSanVicente Heed delaBarquera. continuation lonelyplanet.com relly s/n;meals€20; town andwater. of spaceand manyhave broadviews over Rooms are alittlefustybutmosthave asense ceilingsandquiet drawingrooms. its high anairofhome possessing oldertimeswith mar 1;s/d€41/77) Luzón you hitthecentralPlazadeJoséAntonio, rooms, somewithskylights. de JoséAntonio,features cosystone-walled the country. the bestpieceof funeraryartin Renaissance ing ononeelbow,reading) tobe isdeemed century InquisitorAntoniodelCorro(reclin- one of thechapels, thelifelike of statue 16th- pair of impressive Romanesque doorways.In Gothic,itsportsa further inland.Although 13th-century monumentisthelargelybut itsoutstanding and someremnants of theoldcitywalls, (adult/child €1.20/0.60; in1779. Cantabria converted IIIintotheprovince byCarlos of one of – theso-calledCuatroVillasdelaCosta theMiddleAgesthroughout andlater became narrow inletonthewestside. thebridgetown huddlesbetween andanother the mainroad,runsalong,goldenstrand.The la Maza bridge. Onitseastside,outof viewof the long,low-slung15th-centuryPuente de The mainestuaryisspannedbyBarquera. thecoastatSanVicentegash through dela waterhow abroadswatheof hascuta sea bre. As youapproachsee fromaheight, estuary landof the Parque NaturaldeOyam- thegreenlow theCA131through andhumid Just 10kmfurtherwestfromComillas,fol- pop 4520 The oldpartof townistoppedbya El Pescador Just after crossing thebridge andbefore The friendly The San Vicentefishingport wasanimportant
( % tourist office tourist 942 710050;www.hotelluzon.net;CalledeMira- isastatelylookingstone-fronted Iglesia de Santa María delosÁngeles Iglesia deSantaMaría Playa delRosal ( % CANTABRIA ••WesternCantabria h Pensión Liébana 942 710005;CalleAntonio Gar- h , up some steps from Plaza , upsomesteps fromPlaza Wed-Mon) ( % 11am-2pm &5-8pmTue-Sun) 942 710797;www.sanvicent inthearea. stretch 3kmtothe is theliveliest of ( % doublesas 942 71 02 11; 942 710211; h castle 10am- Hotel Hotel ,
couple of casas rurales in andgreat tostay of themain road,isapopularspotwith mites and until1979aleadandzincmine. stretch of caves full of stalactitesandstalag- student &child€9/6; montañés. mesones, where youshould trythe The hamletof towards Reinosa.Theviewsare magnificent. Valle andRíoSaja, deCabuérniga headsouth mansions. Whenyoureach the village of you through the Picos. Palentina, p212 ) orturn northwestbackto Montaña dePisuerga (see south toCervera theCL627,onwhichmeets youcanhead casona (mansion).TheCA281eventually Tudanca, dominated bythewhite, 18th-century detour eastleadstotheattractive hamletof upstream:Río Nansa alongtheway,ashort and visitstake onehour. public –thefirst chamber wasopenedin2005 club are slowlyopeningthe caves uptothe governmentThe Cantabrian andspeleological Soplao (turn eastatRábagoandclimb7km)is Thevillagemida onRíoDeva. of Her-snakes andeastwardsfromLa uphigh the PicosdeEuropaisCA282,which majestytrast tothecraggy of thePicos. makeand, nextwest,RíoNansa, asoft con- Europa furtherwest,thevalleysof RíoSaja concentrate theirattention onthePicosde ignoredGenerally byholiday-makers, who Valleys Western Oviedo. (€3.90,1½hours) Santander and between FEVE trainsstopinSanVicente dailyenroute and Potes (€2,1½hours to/fromPotes). Two also stopshere enrouteSantander between Palomera Autobuses hours fromOviedo). (€4.15, 1¼hours €8.30,two fromSantander; route ontheGijón–SanSebastián services dailyALSA byuptoseven la Maza, isserved the mainestuary. out thebacktodiningarea overlooking the manager, JoséIgnacio,ormake yourway natured bararea with knockingbacktapas aroundinthegood- the estuary.Stand forms acrossroads.Fifteenkilometres north The CA281southfromPuentenansafollows Proceeding eastfromPuentenansa takesProceeding A beautifuldrive ifyouare from starting San VicentebythePuente busstation, de ( % 902 820282;www.elsoplao.com; adult/senior, , withmanyfinestone Carmona Bárcena Mayor h 10am-2pm &3-5pm) , about9kmeast Puentenansa , a12km cocido 511
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CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS a cutabove therest of thepeninsula’sinhabit- have perceived been tothinkof themselves –as Asturians have of thought themselves –or tions of ChristianSpain’s800-yearcomeback, Covadonga inAD722andlaidthefounda- King Pelayo of wardedthemoffintheBattle conquerednever bytheMuslims.Ever since of theRomans.It’salsosolepatch of Spain exclusively territory beforeCeltic thearrival industrial Asturias. Oviedo-Gijón-Avilés triangleistheheartof Asturias alsohasitsgrittyindustrialside. The and elegantsquares. interesting town,withitsoldcentre enough The region’s isan pretty Oviedo, capital, of buildinganddecoration. earlymedieval Romanesque –modestbutuniquesurvivors tecture Asturias buff, isthelandof thepre- the Asturian coast)andinlets.Forthearchi- thereis said are more than600beaches on dotted withpicture-postcardwise coves (it forexploringthelovelybases coast,other- such asLlanesandCudilleromake great on Asturian territory, andfishing villages tryside. Much of thePicosdeEuropaare so someof thelocalswouldhave youthink. a matter of pride,tobeAsturian isatitle’,or ‘ser asturianoes untítulo’.‘IfbeingSpanish is ‘Ser español es unorgullo’,goes, thesaying ASTURIAS 512 N640 Ferrol (135km) To Foz(8km); Becerreá Ribadeo A6 A Pontenova ASTURIAS Bucolically green much though of itis, Asturias’ beautyliesinitsstunningcoun- Like neighbouring Galicia,Asturias was de Salime Embalse Pedrafita do LUGO Cebreiro Fonsagrada Vegadeo ASTURIAS •• Oviedo ASTURIAS ••Oviedo Castropol Casariego Tapia de N632 Coaña To Ponferrada ATLANTIC (14km) OCEAN Cangas del R
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lonelyplanet.com Policía Nacional EMERGENCY Information rants, cafésandbars awaitsintheoldtown. dePepeCalle Cosmen.Acollection of restau- iseastof on ALSA busstation thetrainstation San Francisco,apark,andtheoldtown. The de deUría,leadssoutheasttotheCampo Calle maindrag, Oviedo’s From thetrainstation, Orientation destruction of much of theoldtown. first months of theSpanishCivilWarledto miners’ revolt (1934)andanastysiege inthe and industrytookoffinthe19thcentury.A Theuniversityto León. openedaround1600, Pravia. until910whenitwasmoved Itstayed and expandit,move hiscourtthere from impressed bythesitesufficiently torebuild hewas tachment thatpracticallyrazedOviedo, Chaste; AD 791–842)defeated aMuslimde- When Asturian king (the Alfonso IIElCasto History and the IglesiadeSanMiguelLillo thetall,narrow of centralOviedo, nave,its extra-wide aresult ofRomaninfluence. OntheslopesofMonte Naranco,3kmnorthwest frescoes. The bytwoporches–anotherAsturianAlfonso II.Itisflanked touch–andtheinsideiscovered with to Gijón,isthelargest remaining church,andoneoftheoldest,builtunder pre-Romanesque former isthesogueado,sculpturalmotifimitatingropeusedinitscolumns. Anoutstandingfeaturesuccessor, andmarkanadvanceinAsturian art. ofthedecorationin IglesiadeSanJuliánlosPrados the desire tomaintainprivacyfromtheoutsideworld–hardlyanissueinachurch. windows. They appearpurely asa designeffect, sincetheirEastern progenitorswere inspired by adaptation, whichowessomethingtodevelopments inMuslimSpain,wastheuseoflattice with theirCorinthianorfloralmotifs, were simplycannibalisedfromearlierstructures. Another to theRomanesquestyleiscomplete vaultingofthenave. SpainandacrossmuchofEuropelater –Romanesque. triumphinnorthern Anotherprecursor cylinders here –althoughtheirsemicirculararchesare obviousforerunners ofthestylethatwould no real siblings. Typicalofallare thestraightlinesoftheirprofilesandfloorplans–noapsesor someinspirationfromothersources,buthave take the twocenturiesofAsturian kingdom tecture inEurope. thatemerged in8th-centuryAsturiastiny kingdom andarchi- gave risetoauniquestyleofart More orlesscutofffromtherest ofChristianEurope bythe Musliminvasion,thetoughand IN APRE-ROMANESQUE WORLDOFTHEIROWN & 4-5.30pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-noon & 3.30-5pm Sat May-Sep, shorter hrOct-Apr) shorter 9.30am-noon&3.30-5pm SatMay-Sep, & 4-5.30pmTue-Fri, 9.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sat Apr-Sep, shorter hr Oct-Mar) hrOct-Mar) shorter 9.30am-1pm &3.30-7pmTue-Sat Apr-Sep, Some ofthebestrepresentatives ofthe stylearepre-Romanesque foundinornearOviedo. The Roman andVisigothic elements The 14buildings,mostlychurches(andcollectively a fromWorld Heritagesite), thatsurvive (Calle de General Yagüe) (CalledeGeneral IglesiadeSantaMaría deBendones ASTURIAS••Oviedo
Palacio deSantaMaría delNaranco (adult/child €1.20/0.60,Monfree; are visible. Inmanycasesthebasesandcapitalsofcolumns,
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985 1829 ( is now isnow % 985 18 985 the Jardín delaIsla,alandscapedparklaced flora. Thegrand finaleis tion toCantabrian city centre, provides anexcellentintroduc- August. Festival rock fest thatlasts daysinlate several (early tomid-August). Grande of Thebiggestevents. week allisSemana and plentyof partyingaccompanyallthese in late August.Varied musicalprogrammes Fiesta delaSidraNatural early July,focusingondetective novels, tothe the from week, almost every forafiesta excuse thesummer, Gijónfindssome Throughout Festivals &Events andismuchsand broader. west of thePuertoDeportivo,hasimported , thin whenthetidecomesin.PlayadePoniente prisingly good,cleancitybeach, butrather Take bus4fromPlaza delInstituto. 19th-century industrialistFlorencio Valdés. with poolsandstreams, ontheplansof based 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Oct-May) Jun-Sep, adult/senior &student€5.30/2.50; cal Garden; M1 or21frominfrontof themarina. remains of dwellingsandcisterns. Take bus and pre-Roman site where youcanexamine city centre, isGijón’sbirthplace–aRoman TorresCabo headland6kmnorthwestof the ( museum. tura Covadonga stop,about 400mfromthe from PlazadelInstitutototheGrupoCul- from Asturias andelsewhere. Take bus10 , withbagpipes delaGaita theMuseo containing traditionalbuildings,one withseveral seum the citycentre, isaregional ethnographic mu- % The Since 2003thecity hashosted the For isasur-swimming, PlayadeSanLorenzo Torres delaCampa Parque Arqueológico-Natural as amoney-saver. useofthelatter,you make itcouldwork restaurants andsidrerías buses anddiscountsonawholerangeof ers throughoutAsturias, free useoftown inthecityanddiscountsonoth- tractions gives youentrytoallmuseumsandat- The GijónCard (€15,valid forthree days) ALL-IN-ONE CARD 985 301682;adult/senior&student€2.35/1.35) (Black Week) Negra (BlackWeek) Semana arts festival in Jardín BotánicoAtlántico % 985 130713;www.botanicoatlantico.com; (NaturalCiderFestival) (cider houses).If h , 3kmeastof the 10am-9pm Tue-Sun
(Atlantic Botani- Crossroad , onthe 519
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS quick rideonbus12. in theContruecesneighbourhood, butit’sa late-17th-century palaceisquite awayout, high-rise (1stfloor),itisinagoodspot,with high-rise 520 are jointsinCimadevilla. twotypicalseafood and Fernando Casa BUDGET Cimadevilla. options, butthemostatmospheric area is The newerpartof thecitycentre offers many Eating andplayinGijón. stay waterfront andwilllikely becomethe lasoponiente, isdueforcompletiononthe withparkviewscostanother€20. those digs. Roomsare but modernandcomfortable is, forthemoment,about thenicesttop-end at oneendof thecity’smostpleasingparks,this pa .parador.es; Parque deIsabellaCatólicas/n;s/d€115.60/144.50; Parador deGijónMolinoViejo TOP END illa’s nicestsquares. the oldheartof townandononeof Cimadev- eatery, downstairs) isoneof only twohotels in (withalivelycentury house s/d €62/81.30; .lacasonadejovellanos.com inSpanish;PlazadeJovellanos1; floors, overlook mainsquare. Cimadevilla’s egance, Asturias’ spaciousrooms,withparquet 11;s/d€58.85/82.40) .com; PlazaMayor andheating. with carpet,TV floors andgood-sizedroomsonseven service isalittledated butcosy,withfriendly Castilla deAgosto,beside thelively the PlazaSeis Castilla Hotel MIDRANGE ers facingPalacio deRevillagigedo. some roomsoverlooking themarinaandoth- & over€10.85/13; 06 73;www.alberguegijon.cominSpanish;dmunder26yr/26yr Palacio SanAndrésdeCornellana Albergue BUDGET Sleeping s/d €35/47) lagijon; Calle de la Corrida 50;s/d€54/80; lagijon; CalledelaCorrida Hostal Manjón In 2007,anewhotel andspacentre, Ta- deJovellanos La Casona Asturias Hotel El Centenario ASTURIAS ••Gijón ) In a building that spreads out discreetly Inabuildingthatspreads outdiscreetly Though basicandinaratherugly Though p ( % i ( ) % Thisantique-furnished 16th- ( ( 985 346200;http://welcome.to/hcastil % % ) Thislarge youthhostel ina 985 34 59 13; Plaza del Marqués 5) 985 345913;Plazadel Marqués ( % 985 350600;www.unionhotelera 985 35 23 78; Plaza del Marqués 1; 985 352378;PlazadelMarqués 985 34 35 61; Plaza Mayor 7) 985 343561; PlazaMayor (
% ( chigre, orAsturian % Touched withel- 985 342024;www 985 370511;www i ) Standing Standing ( place to placeto % 985 16
Cholo 2;meal€25-35) A fineeatery, nestledinamongthemanyes- Campo Grande2;meal€30-40; the picture inthisblue-tinted restaurant. tions (somedecidedlyun-Japanese) complete are nicelypresented. Tempura andotherop- Japanese menu.Thesushi, makiandsashimi make anAsian getaway withapretty reasonable of heartyAsturian fare? Thisisarare chance to de pescado (mixed fish grill;€38fortwo). and alwayspacked. ahuge parrillada Itdoes bit of aknockabout place,fullof atmosphere headupstairs.cobbled terrace,It’sa otherwise great spot.Onwarmdays,grab onthe atable thisisa you munch onyourfish andseafood, dishes andvaried torice dishes, rangingfrombulgingsalads ofethnic décorandaseries tempting, modest El Salero MIDRANGE over town. all andindeed bit furtherupinCimadevilla €2.50 perbottle. More sidrerías are founda Raciones goforaround€5to€15,cider cios urchins) and (sea Among more exoticlocalspecialitiesare Vicaría. spots around PlazaCorrada anddownCalle illa, ayouthfulmusic-bar scene flourishes in inject somefood), andfurtherupinCimadev- deprived! punters at7.30am.Thefolkshere really are and 5.30amonweekends. Clubsdisgorge their remain openuntil3.30amduringtheweek and DJs(andmanyfallintothiscategory) can tohave licensed on weekends. Those bands shut by1.30amSundaytoThursday and3.30am ing regulations meanthatnormalbars must Gijón canbealively placeafter dark.Newclos- Drinking sauce. mulletina served andit’snoteverywhere maintained, you’llbe ter hereabouts. The old-timelookshave been sophisticated ilkthanyougenerally encoun- andfish of isgoodforseafood amore Zabala timable A trendy littleeatery, the‘Saltshaker’ offers town are (and thenight afunwaytostart Casa Zabala Casa San The Mercante Restaurante ( % sidrerías andaround inCimadevilla ( around Cimadevilla, Casa sidrerías Casa aroundCimadevilla, % 984 190016;Paseo 6;meal€30) delMuro Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com 985 170443;CalledelHorno3;meal€20-25) ( % For viewsof theportwhile 985 34 17 31; Calle del Vizconde de 985 341731;CalledelVizcondede (Basque white wine) white wine) txacoli (Basque raciones. centollos (spidercrabs). ( h % Tue-Sat, lunchonlySun) 985 350244;Cuestadel lonelyplanet.com Sick Sick ori-
Beleño in Spanish;CalledeSanBernardo62;cover€6-10; 14; Dam low-lit ambiencebefore clubbing,while &Sat) Thu, 5pm-3.30amFri lonelyplanet.com Europa, which rise aslittle15kminland. Europa, which rise the coast east of Gijón, backed bythePicos de summer spotonthe beaches andcoves along Mostly Spanishholiday-makers outa seek COAST EAST (€18.80, 6½hours). often onweekends. Others runas far asFerrol (€2.20, 1½hours) halfas hourlyonweekdays, canías only,runs andGijón. Oviedo is 600mwest.See p517 fortrainsbetween Jovellanos,urban trains.Theotherstation, del Humedal) is The maintrainstation TRAIN (€8.25, 1½hours). (€4.30, onehourand10minutes) andLuarca gotoCudillero bastián. Westwards,uptoeight two hours) enrouteandSanSe- toSantander A similarnumbergotoLlanes(€7.45,1¾ (€5.25to€6.15,1½1¾hours).Ribadesella (€2.30, 45minutes)dailyto anduptoeight Blikstad). Magnus from theALSAbusstation fanoutacrossAsturiasBuses andbeyond BUS &Away There Getting 4am on,after thelive musicisover. asisSaturdayfrom night, ishouse day night is avenue Fri- fortouringbands.Otherwise, &Sat,6.30pm-2amSun) 7.30am Fri and clubsifyouasknicely. The touristofficewillprintoffalistof bars Entertainment ( de RodríguezSanPedro) densCubanísimo salsa deRodríguezSanPedroCalle –rangingfrom string of back-to-back bars andclubsalong great denforlive musicandDJs. with jazz and Celtic sounds. with jazzandCeltic % Café Kitsch FEVE Sala Albéniz A more mature crowddescendsuponthe h 985 352146;43CalledeRodríguezSanPedro) (www.cafedam.net inSpanish;CalledeSanAgustín 7pm-2.30am Sun-Thu, &Sat) 7pm-5.30amFri ( % ( % , though it isn’t only used bysub- itisn’tonlyused , though 984 292253;39CalledeRodríguezSanPedro) 985 342415) Hourly buses run to Villaviciosa runtoVillaviciosa Hourly buses (Calle Rectoría 8; (Calle Rectoría ( % ASTURIAS••EastCoast cercanías to/fromCudillero 985 356513;www.sala-albeniz.com andLaBodeguitadelMedio , using Estación Cer-, usingEstación provides asuitably ( % Estación Cercanías ( Thislarge nightclub % h 985 172517;35Calle 985 342711;Callede 11am-1.30am Sun- h toCa isa (Plaza 1am- Café Café ,
24; admission€1; n high summer periodcanbedodgy. high Rodiles. Surfers catch might awave here inlate ofby thebroad goldensands thePlayade hotel-restaurants three including thetwinportside placestostay, spot withacluster restaurants of and seafood first landedinSpainhere in1517.It’sapopular Isupposedly AS256 andthentheVV5.Carlos Tazones, 11kmnorthof Villaviciosa alongthe Ría deVillaviciosa istheminute portvillage of furnishings. character Isabelline andvaryinsize,contain a treat. Rooms,allof which oozetheirown in Spanish;PlazadeCarlosI3;s/d€56.70/70.60) España Casa Hotel pensiones. Oneof themore attractive isthe leave offyouritinerary,there are 13hotels and laviciosa inAmandi. Iglesia deSanJuanAmandi where it’sa2kmwalktothesite. can dropyouatSanPedro deAmbás,from fromVillaviciosa buses tours. Oviedo-bound of theCistercian persuasion, openforguided Romanesque beyond thissimplechurch. Nextdooristhe archaeologists have failedtofindanyremnant what Asturians dubbed‘God’sValley’, but palace complexfor Alfonso IIIElMagno in de Siero. ItwasbuiltinAD893aspartof a about 9kmsouthwest,offtheroadtoPola 4-5.30pmSat&SunOct-Mar) 11.15am-1pmTue-Fri, Sep, IglesiadeSanSalvadorValdediós isthe shouldn’t bemissed pre-Romanesque diminutive andancientchurches. Onethat town, islinedwithnoble houses. GarcíaCaveda, themainstreetCalle intheold centre ismostlyachild of the18thcentury. Romanesque structure, Villaviciosa’s pretty María,Apart fromtheIglesiadeSanta a late- pop 15,390 &Around Villaviciosa Rompeolas The bestrestaurant istheportside simple doublewillcostupto€55in August. €30-40) style roomsintheprettiest pointof thetown. and The eastern sideof the estuaryiscovered In Villaviciosa itself, which you could easily whichIn Villaviciosayoucouldeasily itself, Another fine Romanesque church isthe The surroundingarea issprinkledwithoften Facing onthewestern sideof the sea the La Casona deAmandi La Casona ) , a 19th-century farmhouse inAmandi,is , a19th-centuryfarmhouse Hotel ElPescador Hotel . Openingtimesin allspotsoutsidethe ( % h Iglesia y Monasterio deSantaMaría Iglesia yMonasterio 985 89 70 13; Calle de San Miguel 21;meal 985 897013;CalledeSanMiguel ( % 11am-1pm &4.30-6pmTue-Sun Apr- Imperial Hotel 985 89 20 30; www.hcasaespana.com 985 892030;www.hcasaespana.com ( % ( % 985 897077) 985 89 01 30; d €119.85-139; 985 890130;d€119.85-139; , 1.5kmsouthof Vil- ( % . Ineithera ( Restaurante Restaurante % , withold- 985 897116) 985 8923 521
,
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS 522 end of the Sella bridge.end of theSella tos/entradas.php. at http://tematico.princast.es/cultura/yacimien up earlyinAugust, orbookaheadbyphone 11. There’s alimitof 360 visitors daily,soturn and isnotrecommended for children under 1.5km tourincludessomeslippery stretches, the cave 25minutes. every Thehour-long western bridge. endof Groupsenter theSella Apr-late Sep) adult/senior, student&child€4/2; visiting the inCantabria), the copiesatAltamira plan on somereal caveTo see to paintings(asopposed SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES 8pm Tue-Sat, 11am-2pmSunSep-Jun) .com inSpanish; and fishingharbourare ontheeastern side. Marina,de Santa whiletheolderpartof town western half hasagood,expansive beach, Playa estuary, are joinedbyalong,lowbridge. The low-key resort. Itstwohalves, splitbytheSella’s festival (see p530 isa Ribadesella ). Otherwise, madforthe when theplacegoes from here onthefirst weekend after 2August, Unless you’ve booked away inadvance,stay pop 6360 Ribadesella of 16th-centurychurches thrownin. version of Cudillero(see p524 ), withacouple fishing village cliffside of Lastres, ascruffier istheprecarious Villaviciosa andRibadesella while stopalongthe40kmstretch between Apart fromafew beaches, sandy theonlyworth- Lastres Rodiles, returning sixhours later. a12.45pmbusrunstoPlayade September 30 to45minutes). FromearlyJulyto to/fromGijón(€2.30, as anhourlyservice (€3,35to55minutes), aswellRibadesella (€3.30,35minutes toonehour)and Oviedo ALSA provides dailyto/from upto11buses THERE&AWAYGETTING restaurant. ing groundthathaslaundryfacilitiesanda at PlayadeRodiles,isabeachfront camp- sites per2people,car&tent€12) summer. horses, are 14,000years roughly old. The site southof isashort distance the The ASTURIAS ••EastCoast tourist office tourist . Thecave drawings here, mostlyof Camping LaEnsenada Camping Cueva deTito Bustillo Cueva h 10am-10pm Jul&Aug, 10am-2pm&5- ( % 985 860038;www.ribadesella h , openyear-round 10am-5.15pm Wed-Sun isattheeastern
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% ( % Río Sella canoe canoe Río Sella 985 996156; 985 861120; boisterous generally booked inAugust.Downstairs isa time, alittledustybutfullof character and town, theCovadonga islike astep backin 100m backfromtheportinolderpartof larosario.com; CalleDionisioRuizsánchez6;s/d€144.45/169; decorated withgreat taste. with someespeciallyspaciousones(€202), honeymoon hideaway.Allroomsare doubles, century nouveau-riche caprice,isanideal terfront pai rooms. Marina.Santa Ithastwo-,four- andsix-bed cas), thisREAJ hostel backsontoPlayade (mansion builtbyareturnee fromtheAmeri- i son under/over29yrwithhostellingcard€13.50/15.50; Canga;perper- CalledeRicardo .albergueribadesella.com; Frassinelli Roberto Albergue SLEEPING CasodelaVilla50) Manuel ( take you canyoning andsoon. ( trips onRíoSella canoe p530 ), hire bikes, perfection; €21). pixín al horno (alocal white fish baked to soup; €8)followed bydelicately prepared up ascrumptious this relatively new kidontheblockserving de laVilla20;meal€35) the leafypergola. after thehamletof Toriello. Sitinsideorunder 5km eastof alongtheAS263,just Ribadesella Tista, headforCasa (soldby weight) seafood ward, fresh baked) fish(grilledorlightly or Want alocaltip?Forthebestinstraightfor- rollicking busy. especiallyitgetsold town.Onsummernights Gaspar,intheheartof the quantities atCasa andciderincopious you couldoptfortapas meal €15-20) eastern side of theriver are agoodbet. For food,thebusywaterfront EATING de la Villa 9; r with shared/private bathroom€55/68) de laVilla9;rwithshared/private been aroundforafewbeen years. % Rosario Villa Hotel Casa TistaCasa youupwith companiescan set Several Covadonga Hotel Casa Abelardo Casa Gaspar Casa ) Housed inagrandpalaciodeindianos Housed 985 860267;www.turaventura.com inSpanish;Calle palacio deindiano,anearly-20th- ) If waves of fishleave younauseous, Thismagnificentlyrestored wa- sidrería. ( Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com % ( %
985 860954;meal€30-35; ( % 985 86 06 76; Calle de López Muñiz 6; 985 860676;CalledeLópezMuñiz ( % (seafood (seafood sopa demarisco Acutabove therest is 985 86 08 39; Calle de Manuel Caso 985 860839;CalledeManuel isonecompanythathas ( % 985 86 01 10; Calle Manuel Caso 985 860110;CalleManuel 985 860090;www.hotelvil ( % lonelyplanet.com sidrerías onthe 985 861105;www Turaventura h Wed-Mon) About
Book accommodation online atBook lonelyplanet.com from Llanes and Oviedo, and two to/from andtwoto/from from LlanesandOviedo, minutes), Oviedo (€6.25,65minutes to2¼ minutes), Oviedo The THERE&AWAYGETTING lonelyplanet.com like of aset children’s blocks are of the Cubes it open. and isworthaquick inspectionifyoufind and mostlyGothic church, wasbegun in1240 to thevillage of Poo. path,the 2.5km clifftop the eastiseasilybest.Westwards alonga over fromLlanes’ 13th-centurydefences. 2pm Sunmid-Sep–mid-Jun) Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 10am-2pm&4-6.30pmMon-Sat,10am- Calle AlfonsoIXs/n; athand.the PicosdeEuropaclose forsomeverybase pretty beaches andwith more popularholidaydestinations–ahandy tling harbour,it’soneof northernSpain’s coreToday, withasmallmedieval andbus- ter awarded by AlfonsoIXof in1206. León town andwhalingportwithitsownchar- for alongperiodanindependent-minded Inhabited sinceancienttimes,Llaneswas pop 13,350 Llanes at inlets.Stay sand tion here willturnupallsortsof pretty white- cove andnottoocrowded.Alittleexplora- main beach isabitbigger thantheaverage cum-understated holidayresort of the odd wave. unprotected beach where pickup youmight short of Llanes, withtransportandtime. Aboutthose 10km covery andLlanes by Ribadesella between little Several beaches andcoves awaitdis- toLlanes Ribadesella Santander. de Onís. a coupleof runto/fromCangas dailybuses andSantander.Barquera InJulyandAugust (€2.10, 30to40minutes), SanVicente dela hours) andGijón,eastwardsto/fromLlanes 66; d€70; regular services to/from Arriondas (€1.40, 25 to/fromArriondas(€1.40,25 regular services is about300msouthof thebridge. There are Three kilometres furtheronisthevillage- FEVE trainsrunatleastthricedailyto/ Strewn alongsidethe farendof thepier La Basílica Of thethree townbeaches, The bus station tourist office tourist p ) , justbehindthebeach. (Plaza de Cristo Rey) (Plaza deCristo h ( % ASTURIAS••EastCoast 10am-2pm & 5-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm 10am-2pm &5-9pmMon-Sat, Playa deSanAntolínisavast, 985 861303;Avenida Palacio Valdés) ( % Hostal LaPlaya is in La Torre, atowerleft isinLa 985 40 01 64; www.llanes.com; 985 400164;www.llanes.com; Paseo deSanPedro , thetown’smain Playa deToróto ( % Barro. Its 985 4007 leads
Sun Oct-May) marginally lessfilling. is (hakede mariscos withseafood) stuffed your deal,therestaurant’s outisnottwo willcostyou€56.Ifpigging of thetownbeaches. Roomsare clean-cut modern hotellevel overlooking thesmaller river, this300-year-old hasplentyof house breakfast €102.70/119.85) .com inSpanish;PlayadelSablón1;s/dwithbeachviews& continuing toSantander. two of and Ribadesella, them from Oviedo (€8.25, 1¼ to2¼hours). to/from Oviedo alsorun (€5.55, twohours). Regularservices Gijón(€7.45,1¾hours)tween andSantander stopinLlanes be- Five ALSAbuses toseven The THERE &AWAYGETTING Cué7;mains€35-45; de Manuel door benches ontheterrace outtheback. very socialifyoucrowdontooneof theout- for ciderandchips (andmore), ElBodegónis €3.60-7; easy task. ing themdownwithcascadesof ciderisan crittersCué, sostokinguponsea andwash- and Plenty of lively EATING beach. restaurant hasaterrace alsooverlooking the overstraight theinlet.Thehotel’s seafood with terracottafloors andthebesthave views the roomsthemselves are plainer. timber beamsandterracottafloors, although ing theplaza. Thestructure isawebof dark charm, balconiesoverlook- withglassed-in .com; PlazadeParres 1;d€60) Sobrino Llanes fillstothebrim. as especially atweekends, isvirtuallyessential, period,booking, In theJunetomid-September SLEEPING as hiscanvas. public artworkusingtheport’sbreakwater , painter Agustín Ibarrola’splayful Memory a cornucopiaof Doors’, whereto yourgrub,trythe‘Seven Three orfourFEVE trainscomehere daily Puertas Siete Restaurante El Bodegón Pensión LaGuía Hotel Sablon’s Hotel sidrerías Mayor lineCalles anddeManuel bus station h Fri-Wed) Formore of agourmetapproach ( % (Calle LaBolera) marisquerías marisquerías 985 40 01 85; Calle Mayor 14;tapaseach 985 400185;CalleMayor Arollickinggood-fun place ( ( % % parrillada depescadoparrillada Thisisamodest,low- 985 400787;www.hotelsablon 985 402577;www.pensionlaguia h iseastof theriver. ( % (seafood eateries) eateries) (seafood Justwestof the merluza rellena daily Jun-Sep, Sat&daily Jun-Sep, 985 402751;Calle
for 523 CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS luscs andurchins atthesidrerías . unload theircatch,fish, mol- thensampling 5pmand8pm) boats comein(between the onlyplacetopark. 524 h ravela.com inSpanish;sitesper2people,car&tent€18.10; bungalows forup tofive people. town. Facilities includeabig playgroundand tre, campingground to thisistheclosest some placesshutdown. when limited, especiallyduringthelowseason Accommodation inthevillage of Cudillerois SLEEPING follow signstoCastañeras. amphitheatre. Take theexitforNovellana and covelong sandy backed againstanaturalrock ify asoneof Spain’smostbeautifulbeaches: a 15km westof qual- Cudillero,couldcertainly de SanPedro (10km). (4km)andthepretty Playa Playa ConchadeArtedo drive tothewestinclude orwalkeast.Those beach isthe fine,sandy ofandbeaches. Thenearesting sequence cliffs The coastaroundhere isaparticularlyappeal- BEACHES 11am-2pm SunSep-Jun) h information office good mapof area beaches, stopbythe roomintownisoccupied.Fora almost every reasonably relaxed, inmid-August even when its touristyfeel, Cudilleroiscute andremains down toatinyportonnarrowinlet.Despite painted varyingpastelhouses, shades,cascade lage ontheAsturian coast,anditknowsit.The Cudillero isthemostpicturesque fishing vil- pop 1850 Cudillero WEST COAST nice andhasasummercampingground. isalso de laFranca,furthertowardsCantabria, sible bydirttrack;partof itisfornudists.Playa andacces- Llanes, hemmedinbygreen cliffs larly attractive beach afew kilometres eastof The 350m-long East ofLlanes d €78) 1.5km southeast(uphill)fromthetown cen- The mainactivityiswatching thefishing Hotel Casa Prendes Prendes Casa Hotel L’Amuravela Camping Playa delSilencio 10am-9pm dailyJul&Aug, 10am-2pm&5-8pmMon-Sat, Mar-Nov; Mar-Nov; Thisblue-fronted stopis anicelymain- ASTURIAS ••WestCoast s ) At thevillage of ElPito,about ( Playa LaBallotaisaparticu- % (alsocalledElGavieiru), bytheport,which isalso ( % 985 591377;www.cudillero.org; ( % 985 59 15 00; Calle San José 4; 985 591500; CalleSanJosé4; , a3km Playa deAguilar 985 590995;www.lamu tourist tourist tained porthotel.tained Singlerates (€45to€55)are more information. 1km furtherinland.See p517 and p521 from theport,andFEVE is trainstation for isatthetopofThe busstation thehill,800m THERE&AWAYGETTING h you around€25inmostplaces. the port:amealwithdrinksislikely to cost There’s noshortage of eateries downtowards EATING kilometres. Ask atthetouristoffice. tered aroundthecountrysidewithinafew houses), with arustictouch, andagoodrestaurant. featuring 11very rooms house, comfortable back fromtheportarea isthischarming stone 3;s/d€66.35/83.50) /~casonadepio inSpanish;CalleRiofrío rent apartments. available peoplealso outsideAugust.Thesame district, with cliffs, cavesdistrict, with cliffs, andoccasional of Luarca, isoneof thebestbeaches inthe , 7kmeast Sandy, 600m-long PlayadeCueva BEACHES ( Sun) 10.30am-2pm&5-7pmSat,noon-2pm 4.30-6.30pm Tue-Fri, -turismo.com inSpanish;CalleCaleros11; forsomegoodnearbybeaches. It’s abase to alarger harbourfullof smallfishing boats. valleyrunningdown inadeep similar setting More thanCudillero,Luarcahasa dishevelled pop 5180 Luarca arroz caldoso andricestew). (aseafood coming atmosphere inwhich todigintoan stone, timberandbluedécorcreates awel- street backfromtheport.Acombinationof ters (€5to€15). orhamplat- andsausage orcheese seafood where manylocalshangoutfor uptheroadabitfromport,thisis Back 700 othermarinespecies. a collectionof giantsquid,alongwithsome 1.5km uphillintheVillardistrict.It features % Kids willnotwanttomiss the The El Faro Plenty of hotels, casas dealdea dePío La Casona Sidrería ElPatrónSidrería Thu-Tue) isbehindthetownhall. 985 470370;admission€3; tourist office tourist ( pensiones andapartmentsare scat- % isanattractive eatery hiddenone Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com 985 591532;CalledelRíofrío3;meal€20-30;
(Calle deSuárez Inclán2;meal€20) ( % ( % 985 591512;www.arrakis.es 985 640083;www.luarca h 11am-1pm &4-9pm) lonelyplanet.com h Aula delMar Aula raciones of 10am-2pm & (village Just Just ,
Book accommodation online atBook lonelyplanet.com s/d €40/55; lonelyplanet.com Ribadeo (Galicia). Acouple comefromGijón, (€7.65, 1½ hours) andalong thecoastasfar runto/fromOviedo dailyALSAbuses Seven THERE&AWAYGETTING barnacles; €10). such north-coastdelicaciesas ofCatch thedayissoldat€6per100g, asare oysters (€7.20)asastarter.slurp ahalf-dozen It’s anelegantdiningoption,where youmight hidden afew steps awayfromthewaterfront. meal €30-35; windows. floors, ceilingsandtall high some nicetouches, such asthedarkparquet hotelPlaza deAlfonsoX,thiscomfortable has eateries dotthewaterfront.seafood ing three cheapiesCrucero. inCalle Several just offthecentralPlazadeAlfonsoX,includ- hotels andhostalesAt leastseven are onor SLEEPING &EATING nature hike. is accessiblebyawell-marked 30-minute for thebeach. Fromthecarpark,beach follow signs(which are painted ontheroad) Vega andhead forthevillage of Vigo,then To reach it,turnofftheN634atPuertode river wetlandsanddunes. windingthrough atthemouthofa protected a natural reserve good sandy beaches inpretty is bays.Barayo Luarca, and ged, rockycliffs. coast’s wildnessaswaves crashontothejag- ofBusto willgive theAsturian yousomesense decent surf. Five kilometres furtheron, Sport Restaurante Hotel LaColmena Hotel ps www.villalaargentina.com; s/d/ste€84.50/90/112.35; Luarca. about1.5kmsoutheast(uphill)from district billiards, ordipinthepool.It’sVillar decoration. Betweenmeals,playtennis or high ceilings,chandeliersandunderstated brings warmthtotherooms,withtheir belle époqueelegance. Antiquefurniture hotel amidlovely gardensthatdripswith in LatinAmerica)isnowacomfy12-room for thoseSpaniardswhomadetheirfortune Hotel Villa LaArgentina AUTHOR’S CHOICE i ) h This 1899casa deindianos(named ) Onthecornerof thestreet and Playa deBarayo,1kmfurther,are Thu-Tue) ASTURIAS••WestCoast , 8kmwestof Playa deOtur ( ( This seafood restaurant is Thisseafood % % 985 640278;CalledeUría2; 985 64 10 78; Calle de Rivero 8; 985 641078;CalledeRivero
( % percebes (goose 985 640102; Cabo of which give matchless views of the s/d€37.45/51.40) Carretera General; into Castropol, a caféandshopas wellasbicyclehire. beach, 7kmnortheastof andoffers Castropol, fringe of thebroad,openPlayadePenarronda 2 people,car&tent€32.30; a little-travelled backroute intoGalicia. theN640southwesttoLugo forms Castropol, Galicia, thetownonotherside. From (estuary), isatranquilalternative toRibadeo, few kilometres uptheeastern sideof the Puente de losSantos. estuaries thatsliceintoGalicia’scoast,isthe mouth of this,thefirst of themanygrand Asturias andGalicia. Spanningthebroad Ría deRibadeomarksthefrontierbetween pop 4380 &Around Castropol there are surfshopsin Tapia. several , allboastsurfable waves, and de SantaGadea leiro, next few kilometres west,such as alongthe tions forstoppingovernight. Beaches op- you get stuckhere, you’llfindahalf-dozen lunch stopifyou’re driving,butlittlemore. If This welcomingfishing haven makes apleasant pop 4480 Tapia deCasariego around thetownof of Galicia’sleast-visited andwildestterritory, precipices –toLugoinGalicia,crossingsome tryside –meadowsalternating withrocky Río Navia, classicAsturian through coun- road snakes above itswayhigh thecobalt-blue Spain andwellworthvisiting. best-preserved innorthern settlements Celtic 11am-1pm&4-5pmSatSunOct-Mar) Fri, h Coaña couple of de kilometres beyondistheCastro land of theportof Navia, westof Luarca. A The smalltownof Coañaliesabout4kmin- Navia Río & Coaña to/from Ferrol (Galicia). andtwoalongthecoast Cudillero andOviedo, the towncentre: three trainsrundailyto/from too. TheFEVE is800msouthof trainstation One of twohotels atthe northernentrance PlayaPenarronda Camping Whitewashed Castropol village,a Whitewashed Castropol onarise From thecastro village), a (Celtic-fortified 11am-2pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, 11am-3pmMon- 11am-2pm &4-7pmTue-Sun Apr-Sep, Playa LaPaloma, ( % 985 978401;adult/child€3/1.50,Wedfree; Vicente Casa Hotel Fonsagrada. andPlaya Playa deSerantes h Easter-Sep) Easter-Sep)
( has14rooms, half % 985 623022;sitesper ( % is set onthe is set , oneof the Playa Angui - 985 635051; ría. 525 ría
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS follows the courseof aformermine railway 20km concrete walkingand cycling paththat delOso isa theSenda southwest of Oviedo, thevillages of Tuñónand Entrago, Between delOso Senda (€3.65, 1¼hours). the rest of thebuilding. and ironbedheads.Theenchantment isin butattractivesimple enough withparquet beautiful 16th-centurybuilding.Rooms are lined byapolishedtimbergallery,isin s/d €64/80) 83 0173;www.castillovaldesalas.com inSpanish;PlazaCampa; inside thenearby Valdés Salas,andhiselaborate alabaster tombis converted tle hasbeen de intotheHotel Castillo university inthe16thcentury.His Oviedo’s Fernando deValdés Salas,whoalsofounded town’s mostfamoussonwasGrandInquisitor itsoonbecomesclearthatthe from Oviedo, valleys northwestof Oviedo. AtSalas,48km pretty N634,which snakes upanddownlush take, instead the of highways, thestandard andLuarcacould Drivers Oviedo between pop 1600 Salas ontheAS213,canberewarding. Leitariegos 1525m de Somiedo,orthespectacular such astheAS227via 1486m León, onalternativethrough y routes intoCastilla try insouthwestAsturias. Even justpassing you’re driving,there’s somegorgeous coun- toreach it’smostlydifficult unless Although INLANDWESTERNASTURIAS 526 Charming Regular ALSA buses run to/from Oviedo runto/fromOviedo Regular ALSAbuses of abygoneera. furnishedwiththecareful tasteapartments, sta gem.The toroyal bestroomsare akin over twobuildings,oneofthemaModerni- beach. Atotalof19roomsare spread out of Castropol andamere 200mfromthe and statuesinFigueras delMar,4kmnorth gardens studdedwithpalms,magnolias stands amidalmost2sqkmofsculpted lovely early-20th-centurymansioncomplex s/n; d€99-130) telpalacetepenalba.com inSpanish;CalleGranda Palacete Peñalba AUTHOR’S CHOICE ASTURIAS •• Inland Western Asturias ASTURIAS ••InlandWesternAsturias , gathered aroundaquietcourtyard Hotel Castillo deValdés Salas Castillo Hotel Like ahaughtycountess,Like this . deSantaMaría Colegiata ( % 985 636125;www.ho Puerto de Puerto ( Puerto Puerto % cas- 985 Somiedo. Polaalsohasabank,supermarket along the Senda delOso.along theSenda periods, youcanhire bicyclesatvariouspoints Tuñón andProaza. Duringthemainvisitor toEntragovia busstation run fromOviedo sign andcarpark.ThreeOsero’ dailybuses 2km northof Proaza:watch forthe‘Cercado from theAS228Trubia–Tuñón–Entragoroad, The bearfeeding spotisa15-minute walk THERE&AROUND GETTING rooms. 63; PlazadelaAbadía;dwithbathroom€50) number around170. where only intheCordilleraCantábrica, they handful (about20)inthePyrenees, survive on Spanish brownbears, which, apartfroma with arestaurant, shop and interesting exhibits admission free; spot, inProaza,isthe them.Onekilometreseeing southwestof this anexcellentchancethe pathandyoustand of are fed ataspotwhere theircompoundborders from about DecembertoFebruary, thebears around noon,exceptduringtheirhibernation in a40,000-sq-metre day compound.Each phaned byahunter in1989,live insemi-liberty Paca andTola,twoAsturian brown bears or- the passes yons. About 5kmsouthof Tuñón,thepath fields,riverbankthrough woodlandsandcan- pastures. There isacamping ground, a number of glacial lakes summer andhigh Valle upperreaches de Lago,whose contain One ofto stay. thebestwalkingareas isthe budget andmidrange places and half-a-dozen mid-Sep–mid-Jun) &Sun,10am-2.30pm4-9pmSat 2pm &4-7pmMon-Fri 58; at thepark’s walking trails,which youcanfindoutabout remaining brownbearpopulation. shelters. It’salsothemainbastionof Spain’s pastureshigh dotted withthatched shepherds’ park ischaracterised bylush woodlandsand the cordillera’s2000m-plusmainridge, the ofComposed five valleysdescendingfrom northern flankof theCordilleraCantábrica. sider this300-sq-kmprotected area onthe countrythatfewtain foreigners knowof, con- If youfancyexploringsomedramaticmoun- Parque NaturaldeSomiedo Each ofEach thevalleyshasanumberof marked In Proaza, h 10am-2.30pm &4-9pmmid-Jun–mid-Sep, 10am- (Bear Mountain), where Mountain), delOso(Bear Monte h inthesmallvillage of deRecepción Centro 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-8pmSat&Sun) 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, Hotel Peñas Juntas Hotel Casa delOso Casa lonelyplanet.com ( % ( ( % % hascosy 985 76 10 53; 985 761053; 985 7614 985 7637 Pola de hostal , 1¼ totwohours). toPoladeSomiedo(€6.55, to/from Oviedo Pola deSomiedo. pointforwalks,8kmsoutheastofstarting and hotel inValle hamlet,agood deLago lonelyplanet.com climbers andcavers, too. striders of pluslotsof alllevels, scopefor offering plentifulshort andlongoutingsfor some of thefinest walking countryinSpain, provinceeast of yLeón amount to Castilla straddling Asturias,andthenorth- Cantabria fissured jagged, deeply These mountains PICOS DEEUROPA
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To CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS offices are in Mon-Sat mid-Oct–Easter) Sat, 9am-3pmSunEaster–mid-Oct, Avenida deCovadonga 43; de Onís, is in Cangas The nationalpark’smaininformation office, Information Occidental (1:25,000). Central yOriental andPicos deEuropaMacizo Europa (1:80,000), to €5each, are AdradosEdiciones’ deOnís,Potes andelsewhereCangas for€4 The bestmapsof thePicos,soldinshops in MAPS &GUIDEBOOKS N621 Panes–Potes road. andthe road; andontheeastbyRíoDeva deOnís–ArenasCangas deCabrales–Panes Onís–Riaño road;onthenorthbyAS114 de andtheN625Cangas ern sidebyRíoSella aremountains boundedonthewest- roughly viso; andfromPotes westtoFuente Dé.The to PoncebostheneastupSotres andTres- delaErcina;fromArenas southup and Lago southeast uptoCovadonga, deEnol Lago the southeast.Paved roadsleadfromCangas inthecentralnorthandPotesCabrales in deOnísinthenorthwest,ArenasCangas de The mainaccesstownsforthePicosare Orientation for ahotel oramountain try tobookahead,whetheryouare heading to bursting inAugustandyoushould always Spanish). .com andalsowww.picosdeeuropa.com(in (in Spanish),www.liebanaypicosdeeuropa 528 Virtually deserted inwinter,Virtually deserted thearea isfull safety tips. will readily give youalistofmountain- park informationofficesandtourist cost several lives over theyears. National insufficient attention tothesedetailshas andwatermarked sourcesare rare. Paying mon problems. up,few Higher trailsare able, andmist,rain,coldsnoware com- respect. The weatherisnotoriouslychange- climbers shouldcomearmedwithadoseof andest mountainsinSpain,butwalkers The Picos deEuropa are notthehigh- WARNING PICOS DEEUROPA ••Orientation Posada de Valdeón . Otherpark information Picos deEuropaMacizos h Casa Dago Casa 9am-2pm &5-6.30pmMon- refugio refugio
9am-2pm &4-6.30pm ( ( % % (refuge). 987 740549; 985 848614; Picos de as August. Most serious walkersas August.Mostserious andclimbers more tranquilandjustaslikely tobesunny areand September thebesttimes tovisit– Picos ishard.Julynotfarbehind. May, June days andfindingroomsanywhere nearthe are drierthanfurthernorthandwest. thesoutheastpartsofable, although thePicos andinthePicosit’snotoriouslychange-tany, to whatyou’dfindintheUK,Ireland orBrit- The weatheracrossnorthernSpainissimilar WHEN TOGO must betaken downinthemorning. tents canonlybeerected and in the evening mitted onlyabove 1600mandonlyovernight: other outdoorequipment. to buywalkingboots,waterproof clothingand markets. andPotes are Cangas thebestplaces Potes allhave banks,ATMs and good super- park, aswellontheirowntowns. provide of informationonnearbysections the offices.Localtouristofficescanusually these on walksandaccommodationisavailable at 6pm Oct-Jun) 73 8109;Avenida Luis 2A; Cuevas mid-Oct–Easter) 9am-3pm SunEaster–mid-Oct, Travesía delosLlanos, Spanish only. at aninformation office. Mostguides speak to thedayof pickupaprogramme theweek; August andSeptember. Routes varyaccording of three between andsixhours daily inJuly, The nationalparkoffers free guidedwalks GUIDED WALKS appropriate gear andexperience. the tracks,you’llneed climbs offestablished and waterproof clothing.Foranytreks or day youshould take someitems of warmer route, onevery onasunny andeven necessary Walking bootsare ifnotabsolutely advisable, sources of drinkablewater are irregular. asisawaterclothes) isessential, bottle– sunscreen, adequate covering sunglasses, of special equipment.Butsunprotection (hats, For thewalksmentionedhere, youdon’tneed WHAT TOBRING often inwinter. needed month. Drivers should note thatchains are asittends tobethedriest September, choose In Augustmostof itsholi- Spainistaking withinthenationalparkisper-Camping deOnís,Arenas and Cangas deCabrales in Cantabria. Basic information Basic in Cantabria. Cillórigo deLiébana andinCillórigo h 9am-2pm &5-6.30pmMon-Sat,
9am-2pm &4-6.30pmMon-Sat h 9am-8pm Jul-Sep, 9am- 9am-8pm Jul-Sep, lonelyplanet.com ( % 942 the either.unlikely tosee Far more common is inthePicos,you’re highly bear stillsurvive some Although wolves andtheodd brown FAUNA lonelyplanet.com Oviedo leaves at4pm. Oviedo on theday, thelastbusfrom Panes towards sure Depending youget right!). thetimetables andPotes Santander (butmake ning between At Panes run- youcanswitch to/frombuses and Panes.and oneortwogoontoNiserias (€7.60, twohoursde Cabrales 10minutes), continuetoArenashalf of buses theCangas deOnís(€5.35,1½hours). About10 toCangas Arriondas (€4.80,50minutes to1¼hours) and dailyto ALSAhasupto12buses From Oviedo, Oviedo–Panes described beloware likely tobemaintained. change fromtimetobutthebroadoutlines ofDetails thefollowing busandtrainservices BUS &TRAIN to Fuente Dé. €20 fromArenas toSotres deCabrales orPotes deCovadonga, de OnístotheLagos andabout A regular costsaround€28fromCangas taxi .casacipriano.com inSpanish;s/d€30/50) Cipriano operated by Casa ( that sticktothebetter roads,such as the Picosarea Apartfromregular istaxis. taxis you intothehillsortoedge of them. –mostlysummeronlywillget train services to crisscross themonfoot.Justafew busand ter, ifyou’re nothangingaroundlongenough by publictransportcanbeafrustratingmat- ofTrying totaste themaindelights thePicos &Around There Getting altitudes. at thehighest caws,accompanywalkerstheir unmistakable vulture) orEgyptian vulture. Choughs, with or thehuge scavenging ofsight themajestic águilareal ( golden eagle) fill thePicos’skies,butyou’dbeluckytocatch inhabit themore woodedareas. squirrels andmartens, invariousquantities, foxes,Deer, badgers, wildboar,hedgehogs, them skiparoundtherocksandsteepslopes. antelope goat.Around6500of andmountain of tracks. Oneof themountain thelatter is thatcanmanage some services also 4WDtaxi % An alternative forgetting tothebuses around A varietyof eagles,hawksandotherraptors rebeco (chamois), akindof crossbetween 985 848797,689143881) PICOSDEEUROPA There &Around ••Getting buitre leonado( griffon in Cangas, there inCangas, are ( % inSotres ( p534 ). 985 945024;www Taxitur
on theroute). (€2.60 to €4.95,onetotwo hours depending Llanes dailyinthe morningandafternoon link ArenasALSA buses with de Cabrales Arenas deCabrales–Llanes deOnís. atCangas with thisservice andGijón connect to/from Llanes,Ribadesella Poncebos, andbepicked upattheend.Buses then alongtheGarganta delCares gorge to toCaín, along theCares valleyfromPosada Oviedo. Theideaisthatyouwalkthe8kmroad and fromPoncebosbacktoCangas evening deValdeón,and Posada thenintheafternoon/ deOnís toCangas the morningfromOviedo periodadailyALSAbusrunsin In thesame Monday toFriday(butonlyoneonweekends). Arenasgo between andPoncebos deCabrales uptothree buses From JulytoearlySeptember Poncebos & Garganta delCares one hour). twospots(€2.30, buslinks these September) (twicedailyfromlateA weekday Junetoearly Cangas– Oseja deSajambre andreturn. toRibadesella from Cangas tember, uptothreerun however, dailybuses FEVE trains.InJuly,AugustandearlySep- dailyandfour townsbyupto12buses coastal at Arriondas,which islinked withthepairof tochangeor Llanesyounormallyneed buses andRibadesella To travel Cangas justbetween Cangas– Ribadesella/Llanes deEnol(30minutes) andreturn.Lago five adaytravel buses fromCovadonga upto fouror In July,AugustandearlySeptember Covadonga– Lago deEnol as 5.15pmatothertimes. Covadonga isat8pminsummer,andasearly Thelastbusdownfrom riondas orCangas. change aswell;otherwise, on weekdays inAr- Covadonga (€6.15);insummerthere are two year-round, to threerunfromOviedo buses more frequent. Onweekends andholidays are services July, AugustandearlySeptember from deOnís(€1.10,20minutes). In Cangas dailyruntoCovadonga Up tofourALSAbuses Cangas– Covadonga Santander. Llanesand Ribadesella, Oviedo, line between Arriondas isalsoontheFEVE railway
529 CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS 530 La Estrada La Estrada. La Breakfast isincluded intheroom price at in Spanish;CalleInocencio delValle 1;s/d€45/70; Sep) 68; sitesper2people,car&tent€15; Sella including thebasicCamping event. ternational canoeing delSella in theDescensoInternacional head downriver fromArriondas toRibadesella, Saturday after 2Augustwhen1500canoes porary riverside cafés. summer youcanstopoffatacoupleof tem- for mostpeoplelastsfourorfive hours. In yearseight oldcanenjoythisouting,which white-water andanyonefromabout affair, minorrapids,butit’snotaserious taining to Arriondasandreturn. offer muchdeal,includingtransport thesame towns deOnísandnearby coastal in Cangas 11am. Bringachange of clothes.Agencies is €23perperson. offaround Excursions set charge,The standard including apicniclunch, Jaire Aventura Astur agencies: you backtoArriondasattheend.Trythese showyouhowtopaddleandbring container, paddle,life jacketyou acanoe, andwaterproof town. interest dreary inthisotherwise provincial (13km to16km).Thatisaboutthelimitof the FriesandLloviovarious endpointsbetween popular pointforeasyand Arriondas isthestarting pop 2210 Arriondas WESTERN PICOS Potesbetween andFuente Dé. minutes) andaddsoneortworeturn services sometimes extended to Fuente Dé(about 50 times daily.InJulyandAugust,thelineis (€6.25, 2½hours), andreturns, twoorthree Panes, Hermida, Urdón,La andPotes Lebeña 06 11) Palomera Autobuses From Santander, Santander–Picos .net inSpanish;CalleRíoPiloña) Spanish; CalleJuanCarlosINo7) Arriondas hasarange of accommodation, The river iseasilyatitsbusiestonthefirst This stretch hasafew of enter- theSella At leastadozenagencies intownwillrent , about 100m from Río Sella, and , about100mfrom RíoSella, ( travels to viaSanVicente delaBarquera % PICOS DEEUROPA ••WesternPicos 985 841464;www.canoasdelsella.com in down pretty Río Sella to downpretty RíoSella canoe trips ( % ( 985 84 07 67; www.laestradahotel.com 985 840767;www.laestradahotel.com % 985 841002;www.asturaventura h , amajor in- ( mid-Jun–mid- % ( % 985 8409 942 88 Hotel Hotel p ) . .com inSpanish;JardinesdelAyuntamiento2; shrine, though thechapel wasplaced shrine, though itself 17; Soto de Cangas, 3kmeastontheCovadonga Soto deCangas, certainly medieval ratherthanRoman,butno medieval certainly which arches likeSella, isalmost acatinfright, The so-called SIGHTS has afairsmattering of bankswithATMs. provides nationalparkinformation.Cangas Easter–mid-Oct, donga 43; donga. is justoffthemainstreet, Avenida deCova- Jul &Aug,10am-2pm4-7pmMon-Sat,SunSep-Jun) The INFORMATION eastern Asturias summer. inhigh ing foraroom–commonstorythroughout and holiday-makers, manydesperately search- town isfulltobursting withtrekkers, campers especially, thelargely modernandratherdrab sion of PicosdeEuropatourists.InAugust, arrived inthelate 20thcenturywiththeinva- was moved elsewhere. boomtime Itssecond history lasted 70years orso,untilthecapital bigmomentin inAD722.Cangas’ at Cangas of thebase hisnascentAsturiansettle kingdom donga, moved about12kmdownthehillto Good KingPelayo, after hisvictoryatCova- pop 3990 deOnís Cangas three hours). There are agencies: several three hours) and caving (€22to€25for twoto (€15 perhour), canyoning (€36fortwoto onRíoSella, cluding canoeing horse riding Many agencies offer arange of activities,in- ACTIVITIES the trail. life thatyouwouldbepretty on lucky tosee wolves, birdsof prey andotherSpanishwild- captiveroad, offers thechance toobserve bears, lithic tomb. there inthe1940s.Withincryptisamega- mid-Sep–Jun) h cathedral. symbol of Asturias, which resides inOviedo’s it hangsacopyof theCruzdelaVictoria, less impressive forthemistaken identity.From The tiny h Parque delaNaturalezaLaGrandera 10am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sun Jul–mid-Sep, Sat&Sun 10am-1pm &3-6.30pmTue-Sun Jul–mid-Sep, tourist office tourist 11am-8.30pm daily Easter-Sep, Tue-Sun Oct-Easter) 11am-8.30pm dailyEaster-Sep, Casa Dago Casa h 9am-2pm & 5-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-3pm Sun 9am-2pm &5-6.30pmMon-Sat,9am-3pmSun marks thesite of amillennia-old
Capilla deSantaCruz Capilla 9am-2pm &4-6.30pmMon-Satmid-Oct–Easter) Puente Romano Puente ( % ( % 985 848005;www.cangasdeonis 985 848614;Avenida deCova- lonelyplanet.com (Avenida Contranquil; spanning Río h ( % 10am-9pm 10am-9pm 985 94 00 985 9400 at at
Book accommodation online atBook lonelyplanet.com Los Cauces Verde Frontera Aventura Cangas lonelyplanet.com street just offJardines this del Ayuntamiento, 05; Avenida deCovadonga19; meal €20) that bothdishesare ‘abundant’. leche (ricepudding).The management warns Asturian bean stew) followed by lunch is dining room.Theset you couldoptforthelugubrious cellarlike €10) Romano Puente Meson EATING &DRINKING of history. fairs andthecommonareas oozecenturies Thebestroomsarein Cangas. sprawling af- this time monastery amidgreenery nearRíoSella, s/n;d€144.45; Villanueva Arcos ( right ). is probablythebestrestaurant intown,Los a littlecramped.Lodgingsare above what are quite spacious andspotless;others are offers arange of rooms. Thebetter doubles middle-rankinghotel,A standard, thisspot in Spanish;JardinesdelAyuntamiento3;s/d€77/96; own Jacuzzi (€118). comfort factorbyoptingforadoublewithits fortherusticlook.Youcanincrease the goes big riverside playground,thismodernhotel Cruzanda deSanta theCapilla Between tacruz.net; Avenida ConstantinoGonzález11;s/d€64/83) and apopularsummer this brickstructure simplerooms hasbright, Cruz,inavaguelybucolicsetting, de Santa Contranquil 3;d€42) you of apartmentsavailable forrent. options. Mostplacesintowncanalsoinform deOnísallhave several de ConandBenia MestasArenas SotodeCangas, deCabrales, to 15kmof town.Alongtheroadtowards merous and there are plentymore of both,plusnu- hasloadsofCangas hotels andafew pensiones, SLEEPING .com; ElPortazgo) Spanish; Avenida deCovadonga23) tura.galeon.com inSpanish;Avenida deCovadonga17) Mario Casa Restaurante Sidrería Parador SantaCruz Hotel Hotel LosLagos Hotel Fermín Hostal deCasa The terrace isjustbelowthebridge, or parador accommodationoption isthestar casas rurales, ( ( % % ( 985 947318;www.loscauces.com in 985 849402;www.parador.es; Callede % Located 500m past the Capilla Located 500mpasttheCapilla ( PICOSDEEUROPA ••WesternPicos % (
985 841457;www.fronteraverde % ( % pa 985 849261;http://cangasaven ( invillages within10km 985 849277;www.loslagos.as % 985 849417;www.hotelsan ( sidrería. % 985 848110;menúdeldía ) Housed inaone- Housed 985 8491;Paseo de fabada (ahefty Onthe main ( % arroz con 985 8481 a ) day-trippers don’tget past pattingafew cows’ two beautifullittle lakes.to these Mostof the continuing the10km uphillfromCovadonga queues deter youfrom Don’t letsummertraffic Lagos deCovadonga ous faithful. sorts of items, mostlydonationsbytheillustri- deCovadonga Museo 1901. About 100mfrom thebasilicais 1877and builtbetween Romanesque affair here now,the in the19thcenturyandmainchurch to womenwhodrinkfromit. toensureis supposed marriage withinoneyear spring,bythepoolbelowcave, Caños de Siete deCovadonga.towards theLagos The matched only bythelineof cars crawlingpast at thecave, nowwithachapel are installed, battle. On weekends andinsummerthequeues edly appeared toPelayo’s warriors before the cave here, the –amereReconquista 800-yearproject. dom considered tobethebeginningof the of KingPelayo, uptheAsturian whoset king- ceived theirfirst defeat inSpainatthehands in approximately AD722,theMuslimsre- rather thanwhatitis.Somewhere hereabouts, of deOnís,liesinwhatitrepresents Cangas ofThe importance Covadonga, 11kmsoutheast Covadonga onAvenidaAyuntamiento deCovadonga. bus companyofficeopposite theJardines del You willfindthebusstopandlocalALSA THERE&AWAYGETTING gourmet snacks. andsomenicelypreparedfor thefluidstuff nuscule powder andcubesof melon). of tunastomach withcream of asparagus,ham polvo dejamónycubitos cut demelón(atasty as porary interpretations of traditionalcooking will winyouover withsuch cunningcontem- 3; meal€30-35; sauce. sea-urchin sidrería hasgood h h Landslides destroyedmuch ofLandslides Covadonga The placeisanobject of pilgrimage, forina La Sifonería Los Arcos ventresca deatún concremadeespárragos, 10.30am-2pm &3.30-6.30pmTue-Sun) Wed-Mon) sidrería iswellworthdroppingby
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531 CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS 532 sauna andJacuzzisauna are being added. gorge(ous) views, andwoodpanelling. Apool, 19lovely contains house rusticroomswith 20km southof Theconverted Cangas. stone byawaterfall, is perched onabendintheSella dosa.com inSpanish;s/d€55.30/64.50; Asturias yLeón. intoCastilla the southernendof thedefile,youcrossfrom is aremarkable feat of Towards engineering. gorge theDesfiladerode losBeyos through extraordinary defilesinEurope. Theroad upstream oneof through Río Sella themost de Onísfollows The N625southfromCangas Desfiladero delosBeyos refugio challenging onuptothe Refugio deVegarredonda, thenalittlemore relatively easyalongamuletrackasfarthe Angón. It’sabout a3½-hour walk(oneway)– point over a1kmsheer dropintotheValle de €12.50) ( deEnoltothe from Lago 07 60;bunks€8.30) deVillaviciosa Marqués la Ercinatothe de east, withanascentof 600m,fromLago the lakes. Thefirst leadsabout5kmsouth- Two relatively easytrailsbeginandendat WALKS FROMTHELAKES appearance. this partofacterise thePicos,take onaneerie by thegreen pasture andbaldrockthatchar- the by thepaved roadbutalsobyafootpathvia linked toLagodelaErcina,1kmaway,notonly near thelakes can’tacceptanymore vehicles. foranhourortwowhenthecarparks can close anywhere inthePicos.InAugustroad else nearthelakes,noses sowalkinghere isasnice Easter-early Dec) Easter-early to theMacizoof thePicos. Central across theGarganta delCares (Cares Gorge) ismagnificentviews about 2½hours’ effort spacefor40people.sleeping Thereward for toearlyDecember, has ice dailyfromEaster winter. inthelakes Bathing isbanned. rustic restaurants nearbothlakes, in closed plays onthePicosandabookshop.There are % When mistdescends,thelakes, surrounded Hotel Puente Vidosa Puente Hotel The alternative walktakessouth youroughly Lago deEnolisthefirst lake youreach. It’s 985 922952;www.vegarredonda.com; bunks€8.30,meal Centro de Visitantes Pedro Pidal deVisitantes Centro Mirador deOrdiales andontotheMirador PICOS DEEUROPA ••CentralPicos isattended year-round. , which hasinformationanddis- , attended andwithmealserv- , where the Vega deArio
( (Refugio Vega (Refugio deArio; % mirador . The68-place Refugio deVegarredonda Refugio 985 94 47 35; www.puentevi 985 944735;www.puentevi pw
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is thegorge thatdividesitfromthewestern attractionofA star thePicos’centralmassif CENTRAL PICOS bagisrequired).sleeping Peñasanta run theAlbergue Hostal Peñasanta deValdeón.eastwards toPosada able bymostwalkers, andamore trail difficult five manage- orsixhours northtoAmieva, delArcediano,avery scenictripofSenda Walks fromSotodeSajambre includeLa a freshwater stream, agreat for hikers. base bre, youreach thismuch prettier village by Pressing deSajam- on4kmnorthfromOseja 930m pop 100/elevation Soto deSajambre s/d€33/37) General; the gorge. erage placewithmagnificentviewsacross you’ll soonstrike deSajambre, Oseja anav- Once insidetheprovince of yLeón Castilla 650m pop 380/elevation Oseja deSajambre del Castañedo) the Poncebosroad. kiosk inthemiddle of townatthejunctionof stopnexttothe Buses ORIENTATION &INFORMATION oftangle quietsquares andbacklanes. restaurants and bars, andjustoffitliesalittle Onís. Thebusymainroadislinedwith hotels, 30kmeastof de Ríos Cares Cangas andCasaño, Arenas liesattheconfluenceof deCabrales pop 830 Cabrales de Arenas Arenas) andPoncebosare obviousbases. the Cares. Arenas (orjustplain deCabrales and climbingchallenges onceyou’ve ‘done’ also hasplentyof lessheavily trampedpaths the walkisworthwhile. Thispartof the Picos del Cares trailcan be busyinsummer,but Macizo ElCornión.ThepopularGarganta 84; restaurants andgroceryshops. rents roomsprivately. There are acoupleof probably alsobeable tofindsomeone who d €36.50,s/dwithoutbathroom€24.50/30.50) an attractive oldstonestructure. Theowners SNP Viajes SNP Viajes bedsis mealsandcomfortable Offering The h 10am-2pm &4-8pmEaster &Jul-Sep) Hostal Pontón isanEnglish- andDutch-speaking ( % isonthemainroad.You’ll 985 846455; www.snptravel.com;Plaza ( % 987 74 03 95; Calle Principal s/n; 987 740395;CallePrincipal
( tourist office tourist % (bunk€9) 987 740348;Carretera lonelyplanet.com nextdoor(a , which isa , housed in , housed ( % 985 8464 Book accommodation online atBook lonelyplanet.com of thebestrestaurants formilesaround.Dig the western approach intotown,thisisone rejon.com inSpanish;rinclbreakfast €53) On thelastSundayinAugusta FESTIVALS walking andcyclingtreks. agency youupwithguidesfor thatcanset lonelyplanet.com into ahearty Cares Restaurante EATING walk fromthevillage centre. acoupleof minutes’lic, besideRíoCasaño, with lotsof isidyl- fragrantwood.Thesetting with tastefully decorated roomsinaruralstyle for rent inArenas. The owner,Fina,alsohasacoupleof houses ofa series smallish butwell-scrubbedrooms. with road toPoncebosisthisquietlittlehouse Panes road. grove, 1.5kmeastof thetowncentre onthe run campinggroundsitswithinachestnut per 2people,car&tent€22) apartments. accommodation options,aswellholiday Arenas hasacampingground,about 10other SLEEPING and tastings. demonstrations processions, cheese-making cometoenjoy Thousands the exhibitions, is heldinthishomeof finesmellycheese. 800m fromthecentre of Arenas alongthe country house welcomesthewearytravellercountry house Hotel Rural El Torrejón RuralElTorrejón Hotel Hostal Naturaleza NaranjodeBulnes Camping Cangas –it’sabout300m uphill. signs totheleftas youenter Arenas from breakfasts Followthecan-eat (€5extra). overlooking thecountryside,plusall-you- powered rooms andadelightfulterrace that alsoleadsexcursions,ithas19solar- Hosted couple byafriendlyAnglo-Spanish place setonahillsidejustoutsideArenas. dining room),theTorrecerredo isarelaxed (which cansometimesbeglimpsedfrom the Taking its namefromthePicos’ tallestpeak Hotel Torrecerredo AUTHOR’S CHOICE .fade.es/torretours/home.htm; s/d€45/60; cachopo PICOSDEEUROPA ••CentralPicos ( % ( % Thislarge andefficiently 985 846628;meal€25-30) (breaded veal stuffed ( 985 846487;d€36) ( % % 985 846705;www 985 846428;www.eltor ( % 985 846578;sites A bright red Abright cheese festival About p On ) way (the stuff is transported byhorse). way (the stuff encounter acouple of along the drinkstands over point of thehighest thewalk.Youshould Alittlefurther andyou’reabandoned houses. the gorge. After about3km you’llreach some in thewideandmostlybare earlystages of beginning involves asteady climb upwards the roadfromtopendof Poncebos.The Cares’ signpointinguphillabout 700malong save de thebest till last.Followthe‘Ruta By doingthewalkfromnorthtosouth, you GARGANTA DELCARESWALK classier hotel liesnextdoor. totheGarganta delCaresthe closest trail.A fers bedsandmeals( de Poncebos;s/d€38/62; ineitherdirection. half-hour every year-round, trip makingtheseven-minute inaccessible byroad.Thefunicularfunctions tothehamletofthe mountain Bulnes,which is of year) h Bulnes Poncebos, isthelowerendof the in theMacizo Central. a lookoutwithviewstoElNaranjodeBulnes up tothehamletof the Pensión Garganta delCares leads1.5km Picos tourism.Aroadturninguphilljustabove scenery,isexclusivelytacular dedicated to ern endof thegorge, amidalready set spec- ofPoncebos, astraggle buildingsatthenorth- PONCEBOS & FUNICULARDEBULNES hours plusstops. about seven as a(somewhattiring)day’souting;ittakes possible towalkthewhole9kmandreturn togetfit (orneed backtoyourcar),it’squite of thePicos’three massifs.Ifyou’re feeling excursion two walk isaspectacular between the holidayrush, trynottobeputoff–the on aSaturdaymorning.Ifyoudoarrive with the experienceisakintoLondon’sOxford St walkinSpain;August popular mountain constitute, perhapsunfortunately, themost above PoncebosandCaín RíoCares between Nine kilometres of pathhigh well-maintained delCares Garganta and yogurt). with andvegetables)with ham,cheese andfinish Hotel Garganta delCares Garganta Hotel A few metres uptheSotres road,justbelow 10am-8pm Easter & Jul-Sep, 10am-12.30pm&2-6pmrest 10am-8pm Easter&Jul-Sep, (between lemon mousse lemonmousse delicias delimón(between , atunnelrailwaythatclimbs2kminside ( % 985 846800;adult/childreturn €16.95/5.10; h , where there’sCamarmeña menú deldía€8)thatare closed 10Dec-15Jan;
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) 533 of- CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS Valdeón. de ing Cordiñanes andtherather drab Posada in thestringof villages south of includ- Caín, and restaurants. You’llfindfurther lodgings plusacoupleoffancier placesto stay, bars comes toanend. picturesque) de Valdeón roadfromPosada of where thewalkisatCaín, therickety (and If you’re comingfromthesouth,trailhead CAÍN river. on theslipperyside–leadingdownto way, there are paths several –mostof them gorge amongthemeadowsof Alongthe Caín. low, wettunnelstoemerge attheendof the of aseries the valleyfloor,youpassthrough sibly theprettiest, andasyoudescendnearer above. Thelaststages of thewalkare pos- ating greater contrast withthealpineheights rower anditswallsthickwithvegetation, cre- thegorge yLeón, becomesnar-with Castilla 534 €36/26) As youapproach theregional boundary Cuevas Casa cheese. goat’s milk,althoughthere are Itisahigh-quality,high-odour nosetrulesontheproportions. especially inthevillagesofTresviso andBeges(orBejes).This isamixofcow’s,sheep’sand Cabrales’. a five-pointed green leaf along withthecrucialwording‘DenominacióndeOrigenProtegida as much€1200),afolklore festival andthousandsoffree Cabrales demonstrations,acheesejudging for (withthewinningcheesebeingauctioned cheese-making of Arenas alongthePoncebosroad. tory bark,asagoodCabrales cheesetends tohave considerablekick. not tomentionaratherstrongodour. astheolfac- Inthiscase,thebite isevery bitaspowerful up tosixmonthsinmountaincaves. milk, thoughtheseare includedinlessthan20%ofcheesestoday.The cheeseismatured for in May,JuneandJuly.Traditionally,thisismixed withlesserquantitiesofgoatand/orsheep creation muchappreciated byconnoisseurs. rimofthePicos, bluey-greennorthern ishometooneofthemostcelebrated ofall,apowerful of traditionalcheeses,andtheCabrales area, runningupintothemountainsfromcentral some 30varietiesare produced.The Picos deEuropa region highnumber producesaparticularly agreaterthe country),makes quantityandvarietyof cheese thanotherregions. InAsturias alone healthyherdsofdairycattle(rare Spain,withitsdampclimate elsewhere supporting Northern in SAY CHEESE adult/child €2.50/1.50; Less wellknownbutequallyloved bycheese-lovers is You candistinguishagenuineCabrales cheesefromimitatorsbyitslabel,whichwillshow Cabrales goestotownover itscheese onthelastSundayofAugust, withArenas hosting You can learn more about Cabrales cheese-making atthe You canlearnmore aboutCabrales cheese-making It’s thepenicilliumfungusthatgives thecheeseitscharacteristic hueandcreamy consistency – The basicrawmaterial of hasbasicrooms.There are atleasttwo PICOS DEEUROPA ••CentralPicos ( % 987 74 27 20; r with/without bathroom 987 742720;rwith/withoutbathroom h 10am-2pm & 4-8pm Apr-Sep, Sat&SunonlyOct-Mar) 10am-2pm &4-8pmApr-Sep, queso deCabrales isuntreated whenobtained cowmilk,particularly Sotres Sotres but thefinal 6kmisadramatic walkingtrail, As far asTresviso (10km)it’sa paved road, viso andontoUrdón , onthePotes–Panes road. easttothevillageA popularroute of goes WALKS AROUND SOTRES some have perkybalconies. some woodpanellingandfineshowers, and Theroomshavehouse. graciouslytiled floors, cable ifsmallish roomsinarenovated stone .penacastil.com inSpanish;s/d€40/60) mealsfor€8. set The cosyrestaurant area downstairs offers sional mountain-and-caving guideservice. offersbut cheerful aprofes- rooms,thestaff aficionados.Asidemountain fromthesimple .com inSpanish;s/d€30/50) with theirownrestaurant. good walks.There are five most placestostay, pointforanumberof1045m andstarting to Sotres, village thehighest inthePicosat A sideroadheadsup11kmfromPoncebos Peña Castil Hotel Cipriano Casa queso picónmadeineastern Cantabria, Cueva ElCares ( % , anexhibitioncave south bocadillos 985 945024;www.casacipriano ( % isafavourite hauntof 985 945080;www.hotel ( (filled rolls). % offers 10impec- lonelyplanet.com 985 846702; Tres- Poncebos (about1¼hours). get toBulnesbywalkingsoutheastupfrom tion Dec-Feb) .com; d/tr/q€59/70/80; (see hour westtoBulnes(see p533 ). Bulnesisdi- year-round. service, 59 34) also intheDesfiladerodelaHermida. Hermida,down viathehamletoftoLa Beges track windsofftheSotres–Tresviso roadand Urdón, isatleastaspopular. Analternative this intheupwarddirection, from starting Desfiladero delaHermida (see right ). Doing the lonelyplanet.com (take theAllesroadand followthesigns). It a leafyriver valley 1.75kmnorth of Niserias renovated of set old stone bakery buildingsin greatdoes fish dishes. August ithasdoublesonly.Therestaurant (double €44.90),thelatter acrosstheroad.In lers. Theplaceisdividedintohotel and today awelcomingstopformodern travel- coming totrytheirluckinRíoCares, itis and longpartshop partdigsforfishermen .casajulian.com; s/d€51/64.20) Julián Casa country house pretty bendintheCares. peaceful hamletof at aparticularly Niserias, wards Panes. About 15kmfromArenas isthe the attractive RíoCares valleydownstream to- ofEast Arenas theAS114follows deCabrales, Niserias delChiflón Casa Villa,includingthesix-room are inLa Villa. Allamenities andthelowerLa Castillo del vided intotwoparts,theupperBarrio la Vega deUrriellu de face of where themountain, theRefugio , atthefootof thenorthwestern Vega deUrriello in aroundthree hours fromPandébano tothe toElNaranjo. closer even It’spossibletowalk Europa andaclassicchallenge forclimbers. (Pico Urriello),anemblemof thePicosde 2519m rockfinger calledElNaranjodeBulnes ley. FromPandébano the it’spossibletosee walk awayuponthefarsideof theDujeval- the nadebesnes.com; d€64-115) .com inSpanish;bunks€8.30) Otherwise, youcandescendforaboutan Otherwise, Few walkers canresist thetemptationtoget Many walkers headwestfromSotres to La Tahona deBesnes La Tahona You can’tmiss yellow the cheerful, deep , snaking850mdowntothe Ruta deTresviso Collado dePandébano , withgoodhomecooking.Youcanalso
casa rural andBarBulnes ( PICOSDEEUROPA ••EasternPicos %
( % h 985 845943;www.casadelchiflon comprises abeautifully comprises 985 925200;www.picuurriellu Mar-Nov, Sat&Sunbyreserva- Mar-Nov, ( isattended, withmeal % . Inbusinesssince1949 , about 90minutes’ 985 41 57 49; www.lataho 985 415749;www.lataho ( % 985 415797;www ( % hostal 985 84 La quads to and canoeing canyoning. and offering from everything horse ridingand ious adventure outfits operatingfromPotes west sideof town. Inquire there aboutthevar- shares onthe abuildingwiththe bus station h athand. close (alsocalledMacizoOriental Andara)rising at theheartof thevillage, withtheMacizo bridge, joinsRíoDeva RíoQuiviesa Cayetano of San thePicos.Spannedbymedieval postonthesoutheastedgepopular staging able damage duringthecivilwar),Potes isa tive traditionalstoneandslate after consider- charm intheoldcentre (restored inattrac- inpeakperiods,but withsomeOverrun 291m pop 1580/elevation Potes was planted 1000years ago. engraving. thebigyewtree Theysay outside main the columnsare Visigothic,whilebelowthe this farnorthinSpain.Thefloralmotifson telltale signof itsMozarabicstyle–rarely seen arches inthechurchThe horseshoe are a deLebeña Santa María thefascinatinglittle N621 stands that warrantsvisiting.Akilometre eastof the About Hermida, 8.5kmsouthof La isaspot Lebeña the westandacoupleof thePicosloomingto but thebubblingDeva, La Hermida.There’s Hermida, notmuch atLa de Tresviso path,2kmbefore thehamletof here atUrdón,thebottomendof theRuta Hermida gorge. YoucrossintoCantabria and enters theimpressive Desfiladerodela The N621southfromPanes followsRíoDeva Desfiladero delaHermida street isthemainbusstop. modation. Hotel Trespalacios onthemain coast southtoPotes. Ithasarange of accom- Arenas theN621runningfrom meets Panes iswhere and theAS114fromCangas Panes PICOS EASTERN ing here, too. and agoodrestaurant. Youcangohorserid- has attractive doublerooms,afew apartments & 4.30-7.30pmTue-Sun) The 10am-2pm &4-7pmMonThu-Sat, Sun) retablo stone aCeltic stands (altarpiece) tourist office tourist , builtinthe9thcentury. ( %
(admission €1; 942 73 07 87; Plaza de la Serna; 942 730787;PlazadelaSerna; pensiones. h 10am-1.30pm Iglesia de 535
CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS ASTURIAS & CANTABRIA CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS having long served asaprison.Abitfurther having longserved the 15thcenturyandisnowtownhall, del Infantadowasbuiltasadefensive towerin the Almighty by the Christians). the Almighty immediatelyCosgaya (an event attributed to this valleybyamassivethrough landslide near tohavesaid wiped outwhileretreating been The Muslimarmy defeated atCovadonga is to thisfront-linevalleyinthe8th century. from Muslim-occupiedSpaintothe south fled Christianrefugeesthe CordilleraCantábrica. of thePicosdeEuropaandmainspineof thesoutheastside liesbetween the ‘capital’, Liébana valley,of which Potes isinasense LIÉBANA & PIASCA MONASTERIO DESANTOTORIBIO Around Potes tomate (tonguewithtomato;€7.20). cabbagepotato, andspinach) or a plate chickpeas, loaded withmeat,sausage, as town eatery, where you cantrylocalfaves such €15-20; intheheartofskylights) theoldtown. beams, parquetfloors andsomeroomswith siones s/d €40/50) by andlarge places. simple,straightforward ofshortage accommodationhere. Theyare With 14hotels and SLEEPING &EATING nice exampleof rusticGothicarchitecture. inthe19thcentury,isa , deconsecrated Vicente down theriver, the14th-century 536 Right inthecentreRight of town,thesquatTorre Pensión La Antigua Tasca Cántabra cocido lebaniego (noodlesoupfollowedby .com; CalleCántabra6;s/d€25/45) Casa Cayo AUTHOR’S CHOICE potato, cabbageandspinach. plate loadedwithmeat,sausage,chickpeas, with unlimited noodlesoupfollowedbya lebaniego completo(€13),afeast thatstarts restaurant forabout€20.Trythe bling river. Youcaneatwellinitsexcellent the morningtolisten tothenearbybur- Open thetimberwindowshutters earlyin and attractive, comfy,wood-beamedrooms. of thebunchinPotes, withhelpfulservice h PICOS DEEUROPA ••EasternPicos here, withcrisprooms(lotsof timber Thisisoneof themostattractive Thu-Tue) ( % Foracheerful mealtrythisold ( % 942 730150;www.casacayo ( 942 73 07 14; Calla Cántabra; meal 942 730714;CallaCántabra;meal % pensiones, 942 731031;CalleCántabra9; This isthepick there isno Iglesia deSan lengua con lengua con cocido pen- Río Deva androad. Río Deva some of themostexquisite intheregion. here, butnowgone. Thesculpture isamong monastery established other mainmedieval southeast of Potes, wasattheheart of the Piasca, 2.5kmofftheCA184roadabout 8km was lost. tered acrossEuropetoday,buttheoriginal scat- Around30survive be knownasBeatos. distributed Europeandcameto throughout lypse. Copiesof thisillustrated tomewere ishly illustrated Europeforhislav- won fameinmedieval deLiébana,who the 8thcenturywasBeato from 1256). monastery’s austere Gothic church (dating a lavish 18th-centurybaroquechapel offthe cifix of gold-plated silver, in which ishoused magnet forthefaithful.It’skept insidea cru- Christ’slefthand,isanextraordinary through tures theholemadebynailthatpassed ( sinceinthis ever housed has been of Astorga inthe4thcentury.Theholyrelic transported fromJerusalem byBishopToribio of been Christ’scross,which hadsupposedly Crucis, purportedly thesinglebiggest chunk on toSotres. and uphill totheHotel RefugiodeÁliva and 4WD trackfromhere leads about7kmnorth ifyou havepealing base yourowntransport. A Fuente Dé,andprobably makes amore ap- This isthelaststopof anysignificancebefore ESPINAMA €57.80/73.80; ( delOso oftwin stonetownhouses theHotel southwest of Potes, ishometothemajestic tobethetown’scantina. used Cosgaya,13km fully restored oldstructures, includingwhat 73 3048;s/d€30/45) istheHostalElCaserío way. AtCamaleño (including three campinggrounds)alongthe placestostay is abeautifultrip,withseveral The 23kmCA185fromPotes toFuente Dé Dé toFuente Potes chapel withgreat valleyviews. further onisthetiny posted offtheFuente Déroad).About 500m h % The Romanesque The relic, which accordingtotraditionfea- withthemtheLígnum The settlersbrought Head of themonastery inthelatter halfof 10am-2pm &4-7pm) 942 733018;www.hoteldeloso.com in Spanish; s/d s ) , which faceeach otheracross , housed inacluster of, housed beauti- Commentary onthe Apoca- , 3kmwestof Potes (sign- Iglesia de Santa María de Iglesia deSantaMaría , a Ermita deSanMiguel lonelyplanet.com monastery ( % 942
over rushingRíoNevandi. €25/45) family-run inEspinama,allwithrestaurants.to stay The lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsandconditions onoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow, orresell it. See everyone site,massemailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake route of abouttwohours leadingnorthwest exactingisthe inthePicos.Less mountain claimed more climbers’ lives thananyother equipment andexperience–Peña Vieja has El NaranjodeBulnes.Thisrequires proper and makingyourwayacrossthemassifto pared includeclimbing Peña Vieja(2613m) routes. mand, 4WDscover theSotres andEspinama to Sotres viaVegas deSotres. Ifthere isade- Espinama, whiletheotherwillget younorth first windsitswaysome7kmsouthdownto the centralmassiffromitseastern cousin.The trails descendintothevalleythatseparates trip for€4perperson. Fromthehotel, two one of theprivate 4WDshuttles thatdothe totheHotelcatch Áliva,oryoumight eférico It’s awalkof 3.5kmfromthetopof the & Walking Climbing ACTIVITIES is long. ifthequeue sunny day,butalittleunpleasant simply jointhequeueandwait–OKona Comingdown,you the bottomtoget aseat. (especially August)youcanwaitforhours at into thecentralmassif. ers andclimbers canmake theirwaydeeper 762m tothetopof thatwall,fromwhere walk- 6pm rest ofyear,closed7Jan-Feb) rest oftheyear€10/3; % four minutes the southernwallofstark theMacizoIn Central. At 1078m,Fuente Déliesatthefootof the Dé&theTeleféricoFuente There’s asurprisingchoice of decentplaces Other possibilities for the suitably pre-Other possibilitiesforthesuitably season warnedthatduringthehigh Be 942 73 66 10; adult/child return Easter & Jul-Sep €12.50/3, 942 736610;adult/childreturn Easter&Jul-Sep haslarge rooms,somewithbalconies Hostal Remoña PICOSDEEUROPA ••EasternPicos h Teleférico deFuente Dé 9am-8pm Easter & Jul-Sep, 10am- 9am-8pm Easter&Jul-Sep, here whiskspeople ( % 942 736605;s/d (cable car; tel- southern gateway tothePicos. west to the narrowandstillpretty countrylanenorth- side of thefrontier. At It thendropsdownquicklyontheCastilian fog-bound penetrates agorge before risingtotheoften to €55) Cucayo atthemarvellous fields below.Stay you are scarred peaksandgreen mountain 900m. Cucayoistheendof theroad.Around (11km),alovelyDobres toabout tripthatrises Branchto stay. eastthe12kmfor callinhere),buses withahandfulof places crossroads hamletof Liébana. After about 8km,youreach thecute theverdantroad windingthrough Valle de south of Potes andyouare soononanarrow the Picos.Take theN621(direction Riaño) Potes aroundtothesouthernapproaches to Drivers willberewarded byadrive from to Potes Posada deValdeón h that are forkids. suitable oftion. Eleven the30roomsincludeloft levels trips intothemountains. state-owned hotel), bothof which offer 4WD hotels (includinganugly Fuente Déhasonecampinggroundandtwo SLEEPING &EATING cados Rojos. Verónicafugio Cabaña at2325mnearHor- by marked trailstothetiny(three-place) Re- passingbelowPeñafrom theteleférico, Vieja a sundeck. hotel features arestaurant andcaféaswell doubles enjoy sweeping views. doubles enjoysweeping handsome stonelodge isthebetter-value op- Back in La Vega, inLa Back theroad southwestquickly deÁliva Refugio Hotel Rebeco Hotel Jun–mid-Oct) , nineof 10spaciousand tasteful whose ( % Posada deValdeón, where youare atthe 942 736246;www.laposadadecucayo.com; dup pass(1609m). deSanGlorio Puerto Set 1700m high, this27-room 1700mhigh, Set ( % 942 736601;d€60; La Vega deLiébana , take delaReina Portilla ( © LonelyPlanetPublications % parador 942 730999;d€70; – via Cucayo p Posada de a luxury, (ALSA )
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