Asturias, a relatively unknown region along the coastline of northern Spain, is heaven to travellers who seek diversity. There are plenty of picturesque villages, pristine beaches and breathtaking viewpoints. Further inland, you’ll also stumble upon mountains and beautiful mountain lakes, such as the Covadonga Lakes and Lagos de Saliencia. However, this travel blog focuses on the stunning coastline and the best locations between Luarca and Llanes. In this blog, I’ll uncover the hidden gems and the best beaches in Asturias to explore.
To explore the full coastline, I recommend spending about 2 nights in Luarca/Cudillero and 2 nights in Llanes.
The best places to stay in Luarca: Hotel Villa de Luarca (€65), Hotel Baltico (€70), Hotel Sol de la Blanca (€90) or La Casona de Pio (€105)
Where to stay in Llanes: Apartamentos Calle Mayor 23 (€110), Don Paco (€130), Miraolas (€120) or Hotel La Palma de Llanes (€135)
Prices are indicative and reflect shoulder season prices.
Read my full 7-day Asturias itinerary, day-by-day, here.
This travel map covers all my favourite locations in Asturias, that will support you in planning your trip. If you would like to know more about the best day-to-day planning for your trip to Asturias, check out my 7-day itinerary here (coming soon). For now, this map will support you in gaining a good understanding of the location of all hidden gems on the Asturian coast and the remainder of Asturias, including the best beaches.
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Your journey along the coast of Asturias, begins in the picturesque town of Luarca, often referred to as the “White Town on the Green Coast.” Luarca is located on the east side and is therefore the perfect location to start your exploration of the best beaches in Asturias. Nestled along a scenic harbour dotted with colourful fishing boats, Luarca exudes charm at every turn.
Hotel Villa de Luarca (around €65 in shoulder season) or Hotel Baltico (around €70)
A 25-minute drive from Luarca, brings you to one of the most famous beaches in Asturias: Playa del Silencio. Next to the amazing view from the viewpoint, overlooking the picturesque rock, it is well worth walking down towards the beach and admiring the pretty views of the coastline.
From Playa del Silencio, it is only a 15-minute drive towards Mirador del Sablon, one of the famous viewpoints overlooking the coast. Afterwards, you can walk approximately 20 minutes towards the next viewpoint Mirador Cabo Vidio. At the mirador, you can find La Soluneta, where you can sit down for a drink in the sun, to admire the beautiful coastal views. Also, exploring the eastern coast of Asturias on our first day of the trip, left us in awe of the beauty of Asturias straight away.
From the viewpoints, it is only a 15-minute drive to Cudillero, the most beautiful coastal town of Asturias. Also, make sure you arrive during lunchtime, so you can enjoy a nice lunch in Cudillero. Furthermore, don’t forget to hike up to the view point overlooking the cute and colourful houses of Cudillero.
If you still feel like exploring more beaches after Cudillero, you can continue your drive to Aguilar Beach. We haven’t visited this beach during our stay, however, it was pinned on my map based on the research I did prior to visiting Asturias.
Close to the coast, you can find multiple towns that give a good impression of Asturias’ vibe. Aviles is a mid-size town with a lovely town square, perfect for a morning coffee. Moreover, Gijon is one of the larger cities in Asturias, and well worth a stroll. Next to that, Gijon has a lovely beach, so you can combine exploring the city with a dip in the sea. Lastly, Tazones is a smaller fisherman’s village.
Lastres is located west of Gijon. Therefore, I would advise exploring all beaches and locations from this point on from Llanes or on your way to Lastres. Check out my 7-day Asturias Itinerary for a complete day-to-day overview of getting the most out of your time in Asturias.
San Roque Viewpoint was one of my favourite things to see in Asturias. The views over Lastres and the sea are beyond stunning. There is a small cafe located next to the viewpoint, if you would like to spend a little more time here. Of course, it is also possible to pay a visit to Lastres. However, when we were travelling in September, it seemed that many places had already closed and the village turned very quiet.
It’s time for the next beaches in Asturias on your coastal road trip. Unfortunately, we haven’t visited Playa de la Espasa, however, we spent our final day before going to the airport at La Vega beach, and I loved it! Next to the beach, there are multiple terraces and restaurants, so it is the perfect beach to spend a lovely day.
Often Cudillero and Ribedasella are mentioned together as the two key fishermans towns in Asturias. While Cudillero is located east of Gijon and the airport, Ribedasella is located west of Gijon. Even though Ribedasella is worth a quick visit, I have to admit I wasn’t too impressed with Ribedasella. Actually, I would even argue the town can be skipped when you are on a tight schedule. When we visited, we quickly concluded that we were happy with our decision to stay in Llanes over Ribedasella.
Between Ribedasella and Llanes, you can find multiple smaller and larger beaches and viewpoints that are worth a visit. Because we didn’t want to pack our itinerary too much with short stops, we decided to only visit Playa de San Antolin de Bedon. It was lovely to go for a quick stroll and watch some surfing. As we were visiting in September, it was rather quiet. However, I can imagine all of these beaches will be packed in summer.
When looking for the best things to do in Asturias, Playa Gulpiyuri is often on the list. Even though the beach is very special, I personally wasn’t too impressed. However, that is because we made a big mistake when visiting. Firstly, what makes Playa Gulpiyuri special, is the fact that the beach is not located directly at the shore, however, sea water comes to the beach through a cave. Therefore, it is important to visit when the tide is high when you want a beach experience. As you can see in the picture, we visited with low tide, resulting in limited sea water coming towards the beach.
Last but not least, the best beach in Asturias! Well, in my humble opinion. When arriving at Playa Torimbia, you first have to walk down towards the beach. The road down, starts near the viewpoint (Mirador sablera Torimbia), overlooking the beach on the one end and the beautiful lush green scenery of Asturias on the other. Also, the beach is perfect for surfers and we have seen many surfers running down to the beach when the sun started setting. Overall, this beach is one you can’t miss when in Asturias, even if it is just for the lovely views from the viewpoint!
Last but not least is Llanes, a coastal town in the west of Asturias and therewith the end of the coastal drive and exploration of the best beaches of Asturias. First of all, Llanes is the perfect base to explore the beaches and the coast on the west side of Gijon. Secondly, Llanes is a lovely town, packed with small bars and restaurants in itself. Therewith, you can explore beaches by day and visit a Sideria in Llanes in the evening.
My ultimate recommendation is to stay at Apartamentos Calle Mayor 23, which has the most amazing view for around €110 per night for an apartment. Alternatively, you can stay at Don Paco (€130), Miraolas (€120) or Hotel La Palma de Llanes (€135).
As you can see, the coast of Asturias has loads to offer. Next to beautiful coastal towns, there are multiple viewpoints overlooking the best beaches of Asturias. Moreover, you can enjoy a beach day at one of the lovely beaches itself. Hopefully, this travel guide gave you the perfect inspiration and overview of all locations to add to your travel route through Asturias.
