by It’s almost as if Asturias has been designed by an intelligent algorithm to keep everyone happy. You don’t have to choose between beach or mountains, or between a city break or an active holiday: this compact region in northern Spain has it all. That is why it is not surprising that so many Spaniards have a second residence there. Personally, I would prefer just the cheese.
Tourists could soon get the memo, too. It is now easier to reach the region by train, with a new high-speed rail line linking Madrid to Oviedo in just over three hours.
The Principality of Asturias describes itself as a “natural paradise” and for once this is not just a banal marketing slogan. Between Cantabria and Galicia it extends about 200 kilometers from east to west and 50 kilometers from north to south. This is a land where the mountains start just behind the coast, with emerald green meadows and apple orchards in between.
Traveling through the region, you will find pre-Romanesque churches but also striking contemporary architecture; You can walk through spectacular scenery in the hills in the morning and relax on an idyllic beach in the afternoon.
Although it rains more here than in the south of the country, this is what creates those lush landscapes. In summer it is less oppressively hot than the south and east of Spain, meaning you can spend more of the day on the beach, and Asturias has suitable beaches, with crescents of white sand backed by cliffs. If you have only experienced the Spain of tourist packages in large resorts, you will feel like you are in a different country.
The cities
Forming a triangle in the center of Asturias, Oviedo, Gijón and Avilés have very different characters but each has its own charm. Elegant Oviedo, the regional capital, is unusually pristine for a city, with café terraces in pedestrian plazas in the medieval centre. However, at night it becomes lively, with people spilling out of the bustling cider houses into the streets. Stay in historic splendor at the five-star Eurostars La Reconquista (eurostarshotels.co.uk; double rooms from around £100).
On a coast with splendid urban beaches, Gijón is the largest city in Asturias with a large port and a dynamic gastronomic and cultural scene. Stroll through the old town on the Cimadevilla promontory that divides the bay and don’t miss the Atlantic Botanical Garden (botanico.gijon.es) and the vast Laboral cultural complex (laboralciudaddelacultura.com). The Santa Rosa hotel, with contemporary décor in a traditional building, is an unpretentious place to stay in a convenient location (bluehoteles.es/santa-rosa; double rooms from around £70).
After decades of being associated with the steel industry, Avilés now attracts many more tourists, both from Spain and abroad. Many come to see the Centro Oscar Niemeyer cultural center (centroniemeyer.es), a futuristic white spot designed by the prestigious Brazilian architect when he was 90 years old and which opened in 2011 when he was 103 years old.
The medieval heart of the city is remarkably well preserved, with opulent mansions, colorful fishermen’s houses, pretty squares and arcaded streets lined with tapas bars. The five-star Palacio de Avilés occupies a 17th-century palatial building in the city’s main square (melia.com; double from around £70).
the milestones
Prehistoric settlements have been discovered in caves in Asturias, with magnificent paleolithic art at Tito Bustillo (centrotitobustillo.com) near Ribadesella, Pindal on the cliffs near Ribadedeva, Buxu in Cangas de Onís and La Lluera in San Juan de Priorio.
Covadonga, in the Picos de Europa, is recognized as the cradle of Christian Spain, as it was here at the beginning of the 8th century that King Pelayo triumphed over the Moors, beginning the reconquest that would take another seven centuries to complete. This spectacular mountainous site is now a sanctuary, marked by a pink granite basilica (realsitiodecovadonga.com).
In the 9th century, King Alfonso II established his court in Oviedo while he ventured to the place that would become Santiago de Compostela, to see the tomb of Santiago. He was, therefore, the first pilgrim and the catalyst for the now world-famous pilgrimage to the Galician capital. The cathedral of Oviedo (catedraldeoviedo.com) has special importance as the starting point of the primitive path, as this original pilgrimage route is called.
On the outskirts of the city are the extraordinary pre-Romanesque churches of Santa María del Naranco, San Miguel de Lillo and San Julián de los Prados, and there are also others in the region (prerromanicoasturiano.es).
The coast
You could spend a week or two traveling along the coast, discovering pristine beaches (there are more than 200 to choose from) and staying in simple fishing villages and resorts.
Cudillero, with rows of pastel-painted cottages clustered on the hillside above the port, is a great place for a seafood lunch and is close to Playa del Silencio, one of the most spectacular beaches in the region, which looks like the crater of a volcano.
The stretch that goes from Villaviciosa to Ribadesella is known as the Jurassic Coast because numerous remains of dinosaurs and other reptiles have been discovered there. Head to La Griega beach to see giant footprints and fossils along the way, then stroll through nearby Lastres, where the Spanish version of the TV series Doc Martin was filmed.
The eastern coastal town of Llanes is a popular base, with colorful mansions built by wealthy emigrants returning from America in the early 20th century. The numerous beaches in and around the resort include Torimbia, a truly magnificent stretch of fine sand that is one of the best in Spain.
Inside
Head inland from the coast and drive through bucolic landscapes of hills, apple orchards and green meadows dotted with granaries, the raised granaries also seen in Galicia; The difference is that in Asturias they are made of wood instead of granite. While this is a wonderful region to explore by car, you need to put on hiking boots or ride a bike to get the most out of the experience. Asturias attracts many professional mountaineers and cyclists, but there are routes for all levels and ages.
The three massifs of the Picos de Europa, Spain’s first national park, separate Asturias from the rest of Spain. With spectacular jagged peaks, lakes and flower-filled valleys, the landscape is nothing short of stunning and the mountain range is, unsurprisingly, one of the top destinations for nature lovers in Spain. Cangas de Onís is a good base for all sorts of activities, with a particularly attractive Parador in a former monastery (telegraph.co.uk/paradordecangasdeonis; double from around £80).
Asturias is also one of the few places in Europe where you can see brown bears in the wild. The best place to see them is the Somiedo Natural Park, where you can also come across wolves, as well as griffon vultures, golden eagles and a wide variety of butterflies.
You can get more information at the Fundación Oso Pardo information center (fundacionosopardo.org) in Pola de Somiedo, and book a bear watching excursion with Somiedo Experience (somiedoexperience.com). Stay at the family-run Palacio Flórez-Estrada (telegraph.co.uk/palacioflorezestrada; double rooms from around £70).
Food and drink
With a wide variety of magnificent products from the sea, mountains, rivers and lush landscape, Asturias is one of the main gastronomic regions of Spain. Stop anywhere along the coast for a seafood lunch that may include clams, crabs, hake or monkfish. Keep an eye out for sea urchins (urchins), which are one of the many specialties. If you don’t feel like facing these spiky creatures, try the delicious pâté on a slice of bread.
After a morning of hiking in the hills, you’ll be ready for your fabada, the region’s signature stew, made with a local variety of beans, pork, blood sausage, and chorizo. If you’re really hungry, order a cachopo, which is two schnitzels (often the size of a plate) stuffed with ham and cheese, covered in breadcrumbs and fried.
I’m certainly not alone in my passion for Asturian cheeses: there are around 40 to choose from. The best known is the spicy blue Cabrales, which is made in small dairies and matured in caves. You can visit some of them in Arenas de Cabrales and its surroundings, a must-see for turophiles.
Although some wine is made in the Cangas de Narcea area, cider is the regional drink, poured from above to create a bit of effervescence. Although it is served in thick glasses, you only get an inch or two at a time, which is drunk quickly before it flattens.
Where to stay
Asturias was a pioneer in rural tourism in Spain and you can stay in small places with character throughout the region. Rustical Travel (rusticaltravel.com) and Caminos by Casas Cantabricas (caminos.co.uk) have a good selection of self-catering properties. Casonas Asturianas (casonasasturianas.com) brings together hotels in traditional buildings, from farmhouses to large Casas de Indianos.
Get there
By air: Vueling (vueling.com) flies from Gatwick to Asturias Airport, which is 10 miles from Avilés and 28 miles from Oviedo and Gijón. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies there from Stansted. You can also fly to Santander with Ryanair, or to Bilbao.
Boat: Brittany Ferries (brittanyferries.com) sails from Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cork to Santander and from Portsmouth to Bilbao. The journey along the coast to the border with Asturias takes 45 minutes from Santander and one hour and 45 minutes from Bilbao.
By rail: You can book tickets for the new high-speed train from Madrid to Oviedo at thetrainline.com.
