The Picos de Europa are three limestone massifs a short drive from the Bay of Biscay, cut by deep gorges and shared between Asturias, León and Cantabria, all inside a national park. From the Asturian side, Cangas de Onís is the gateway to Covadonga and its lakes, and Arenas de Cabrales to the Cares gorge, Bulnes and the cheese caves; on the Cantabrian side, Fuente Dé lifts you straight into the high mountains.
This page covers the shrine of Covadonga, the walk from the lakes to Vega de Ario, the Cares gorge, the funicular to Bulnes, the classic view of the Naranjo de Bulnes, the Fuente Dé cable car, Cabrales cheese, the bridge at Cangas de Onís and a canoe down the Sella, plus the bus up to the Lakes of Covadonga, linked below. The access rules matter here: private cars are banned from the lakes road and buses replace them at Poncebos on busy dates, and each entry has the rules, hours and prices checked in October 2026.
Climb to the Santa Cueva and the basilica of Covadonga
Santa Cueva and Basílica de Covadonga, Cangas de Onís
1 to 2 hoursFree
The cave shrine where Asturias places the start of its kingdom, 103 steps above a pool, with a pink limestone basilica nearby.
What it is
Covadonga is where Asturias places the beginning of its kingdom: tradition says that here, in 718 or 722, Pelayo and his Asturians defeated a Muslim force in the battle of Covadonga. The shrine is built into a cave in the cliff above a pool. Nearby stands the basilica, built entirely of pink limestone between 1877 and 1901 by Federico Aparici from a design by Roberto Frassinelli, with a bronze statue of Pelayo from 1964 in front.
How to do it
In the Santa Cueva, reached by 103 steps from the pool, you find the Virgin of Covadonga, known as la Santina, a 16th-century polychrome carving given by Oviedo Cathedral in 1778 after a fire destroyed the old church in 1777, and the tomb that tradition gives to Pelayo. Entry to both is free.
Good to know
The car ban on busy dates applies above Covadonga, on the road to the lakes.
Time needed
1 to 2 hours
Best time
Early morning, before the lakes buses fill the valley
Lakes of Covadonga (Lago Ercina) to Vega de Ario, Picos de Europa National Park
A full day, about 6.5 hours walkingBook ahead
Climb from Lake Ercina across limestone pastures and herders' huts to one of the highest summer pastures in the Picos.
What it is
The lakes are the start of the national park's best-known high walk. From Buferrera, by Lake Ercina, the waymarked PR-PNPE 4 climbs across limestone pastures and herders' huts to Vega de Ario, one of the highest summer pastures in the Picos, at about 1,600 m beside the Marqués de Villaviciosa refuge; the park puts the round trip at 15.2 km, 610 m of climbing and about six and a half hours. Strong walkers carry on to the Jultayu, at about 1,940 m, a little under an hour beyond the vega and a balcony over the Cares gorge.
How to do it
On restricted dates, which in 2026 ran from 1 June to 18 October with a few exceptions, private cars cannot go up: you reach the lakes by bus, booked at buslagoscovadonga.es for €9 return. Take the first bus, at 8:00, and note the last one down.
A path cut into the rock between 1915 and 1921, through tunnels and along ledges above a drop of more than 150 m.
What it is
The Ruta del Cares, waymarked PR-PNPE 3, follows the river Cares through the gorge that separates two of the three massifs, 12 km one way between Poncebos in Asturias and Caín in León. The path was cut into the rock between 1915 and 1921 to build a canal feeding the Poncebos power station, and it still runs beside the channel through tunnels and along ledges; at Los Collados, its highest point, it looks over a drop of more than 150 m to the river.
How to do it
It has no technical difficulty but needs fitness: most people walk from Poncebos to Caín and back, six to eight hours in all. The walk itself is free.
Good to know
In 2026, on busy dates from Easter to 12 October, the car park at Poncebos was kept for residents and buses, and buses ran there from car parks in Arenas de Cabrales, booked on ALSA's site.
Time needed
6 to 8 hours there and back
Best time
Start early from Poncebos; spring and autumn are cooler
Ride the funicular up to Bulnes, the village without a road
Funicular de Bulnes (lower station at Poncebos)
Half a dayNo booking needed
Bulnes has no road, so you ride a funicular entirely inside a tunnel, rising 402 m in about seven minutes.
What it is
Bulnes, tucked into a side valley under the central massif, has no road. Since 2001 a funicular has climbed to it from Poncebos entirely inside a tunnel under the Peña Maín: 2,227 m long, rising 402 m in about seven minutes. The top station is a short walk from the stone houses of the village.
How to do it
Residents of Bulnes ride free; everyone else pays €22.16 return or €17.61 one way, and children from 4 to 12 pay €6.71 return. You can buy online on ALSA's site, but the online ticket only serves as proof and must be exchanged at the office at the entrance, which opens at 9:30.
Good to know
The funicular runs every 30 minutes from 10:00 to 19:00 in low season and to 22:00 in high season, which in 2026 included 1 June to 12 October.
See the Naranjo de Bulnes from the Pozo de la Oración
Mirador del Pozo de la Oración, Poo de Cabrales (AS-114)
30 minutesFree
A 2,519 m limestone tower with sheer walls on every side, framed at the head of the valley from a roadside viewpoint.
What it is
The Naranjo de Bulnes, Picu Urriellu in Asturian, is a 2,519 m tower of limestone with sheer walls on every side. It is not the highest peak in the Picos, but it is their emblem, and the name may come from the orange tone its rock takes on. It was first climbed on 5 August 1904, up the north face, by Pedro Pidal, Marqués de Villaviciosa, and Gregorio Pérez, 'El Cainejo', a shepherd from Caín.
How to do it
The classic roadside view is from the Mirador del Pozo de la Oración, a signposted car park on the AS-114 just before Poo de Cabrales, between Arenas de Cabrales and Carreña, where the peak stands framed at the head of the valley. The viewpoint is free and always open.
Good to know
Bring binoculars: griffon and Egyptian vultures and red kites can be seen from the viewpoint.
Time needed
30 minutes
Best time
A clear morning or late afternoon, when the rock glows
Ride the Fuente Dé cable car to the Mirador del Cable
Teleférico de Fuente Dé, Camaleño (Liébana, Cantabria)
2 to 4 hoursBook ahead
A cable car lifts you 753 m up a sheer rock wall in under four minutes to a viewpoint looking straight down to the valley.
What it is
On the Cantabrian side, at the head of the Liébana valley, the Fuente Dé cable car lifts you up a sheer rock wall into the central massif. Open since 21 August 1966, it climbs 753 m, from the lower station at 1,070 m to the upper one at 1,823 m, in under four minutes. At the top, the Mirador del Cable viewpoint looks straight down the wall to the valley, and paths lead on into the high massif.
How to do it
A 2026 ticket agency listed returns at €20 in low season and €30 in high season (1 July to 30 September, Easter and national holidays), €8 or €15 for ages 6 to 12, free under 6; returns are valid only for the day on the ticket.
Good to know
In must30's view, arrive for the first cabins in summer, and come only on a clear day: in cloud you see nothing.
Time needed
2 to 4 hours
Best time
First cabins of the day in summer; clear days only
Cueva del Quesu (Cueva-Exposición Cabrales), Arenas de Cabrales
About 45 minutesBook ahead
Walk into a natural cave to see how Cabrales blue cheese matures, then taste it at the end of the visit.
What it is
Cabrales is the blue cheese of these mountains, made from raw cow's, goat's or sheep's milk, or a mix, and matured for two to four months in natural caves at around 90% humidity, where Penicillium moulds draw its blue-green veins. It has had a protected designation of origin since 1981.
How to do it
In Arenas de Cabrales, the Cueva del Quesu run by the Fundación Cabrales explains it in a guided visit of about 45 minutes, first inside a natural cave and then with an audiovisual, ending with a tasting. Visits start on the hour, in the morning from 10:15 and in the afternoon from 16:15; groups are small, so book ahead, and bring a layer, as the cave stays at 10 to 15 °C.
Good to know
On the last Sunday of August, Arenas holds the Cabrales cheese fair, whose auction sold the winning cheese for €37,000 in 2025.
Time needed
About 45 minutes
Best time
A rainy day; the last Sunday of August for the cheese fair
Cross a steep, hump-backed bridge over the Sella with a large copy of the Cross of Victory hanging in its central arch.
What it is
Cangas de Onís, the small town at the foot of the western massif, was the first seat of the kingdom of Asturias, and Pelayo died here in 737. Its symbol is the steep, hump-backed bridge over the Sella that everyone calls the Puente Romano. It is in fact medieval, built in the reign of Alfonso XI of Castile in the first half of the 14th century, on an earlier crossing that may have been Roman; it once had seven arches and keeps three, with the great central arch rising high over the river. Since 1939 a large copy of the Cross of Victory, the jewelled cross that is Asturias's emblem, has hung in the middle of that arch.
How to do it
The bridge has been a protected monument since 1931 and is free to cross at any hour.
Good to know
Cangas is also the practical base for the area: the lakes buses leave from its bus station car park.
Paddle down the Sella below Arriondas, Asturias's classic canoe trip, and let the bus bring you back from the end point.
What it is
The river Sella runs from the Picos to the sea at Ribadesella, and the stretch below Arriondas is Asturias's classic canoe trip.
How to do it
Companies in Arriondas rent single, double or triple canoes with paddles and life jackets and bring you back by bus from the end point. Operators' listings give three usual routes: about 7 km to Toraño, one to two hours; about 12 km to Llordón; and about 15 km to Llovio, near the river mouth, around four hours. Most set a minimum age of about six, so check with the company if you bring children.
Good to know
The same water hosts the Descenso Internacional del Sella, a 20 km canoe race from Arriondas to Ribadesella held on the first Saturday of August after the 2nd, a festival of International Tourist Interest since 1980 that fills both towns. By that rule, the 2027 race falls on Saturday 7 August.
Time needed
2 to 5 hours
Best time
Summer weekdays; the first Saturday of August after the 2nd for the race
Two mountain lakes, Enol and Ercina, at the top of a road above Covadonga, linked by an easy loop.
What it is
The Lakes of Covadonga sit in the Asturian Picos de Europa. At the top, the national park's PR-PNPE 2 loop from the Buferrera car park links both lakes: about 5 km and 2.5 hours, rated easy.
How to do it
On busy dates private cars are banned from the road for 24 hours; in 2026 that meant Easter, May weekends, 1 June to 18 October and some December dates. On those days you park at Cangas de Onís or one of the car parks below Covadonga (€3 a day) and take the bus, €9 return for adults, booked ahead on buslagoscovadonga.es for a set departure time.
Good to know
From October to early December the first bus goes up at 8:00 and the last at 16:00.
You need a car to move between the valleys; buses reach Cangas de Onís and Arenas de Cabrales from Oviedo, but the trailheads are far apart. Base yourself in Cangas de Onís for Covadonga, the lakes and the Sella, in Arenas de Cabrales for the Cares, Bulnes and the cheese cave, and in the Liébana valley around Potes for Fuente Dé, which is on the far side of the massifs and a long drive round by road.
The Lakes of Covadonga rules
On busy dates private cars may not drive the road from Covadonga up to the lakes. In 2026 that meant Easter, May weekends, 1 June to 18 October, 24, 25 and 31 October, 1 and 2 November and 1 to 8 December. Park at Cangas de Onís bus station or the car parks at El Bosque, Muñigo, El Repelao or Covadonga, all €3 a day, and take the bus: €9 return for adults, €3.50 for ages 4 to 11, free under 3. Tickets are limited and sold online at buslagoscovadonga.es for a set departure; you must stay at the lakes at least 2 hours 30 minutes, and there are no refunds for rain or fog. From October to early December the first bus goes up at 8:00 and the last at 16:00.
Poncebos, the Cares and Bulnes
Poncebos, the start of the Cares route and the Bulnes funicular, has a similar plan. In 2026, at Easter, on 1 to 3 May, at May weekends and from 1 June to 12 October, buses ran roughly hourly from Arenas de Cabrales to Poncebos, with car parks in Arenas; the car park by the funicular is reserved for Bulnes residents and the buses. Buy the tickets ahead on ALSA's site.
When to go
June and September are the best months, with long days and fewer people than July and August, when both access plans run every day. Snow can close high paths from late autumn to spring, and fog often hides the lakes even in summer, so keep a flexible day. 8 September is the feast of Covadonga and the Day of Asturias, when the shrine fills with pilgrims.
Questions travellers ask
Can I drive to the Lakes of Covadonga?
Only outside the restricted dates. In 2026 cars were banned from the lakes road at Easter, May weekends, 1 June to 18 October, some late October and early November days and 1 to 8 December. On those days you park below and take the bus, €9 return, booked at buslagoscovadonga.es.
How long is the Cares route?
12 km one way between Poncebos in Asturias and Caín in León, so 24 km if you walk there and back. It has no technical difficulty but needs fitness: allow six to eight hours for the round trip.
Do I need to book the Bulnes funicular?
No booking is needed, but you can buy online on ALSA's site; online tickets only serve as proof and must be exchanged at the office at the entrance, which opens at 9:30. A return costs €22.16 for adults.
Where should I stay in the Picos de Europa?
Cangas de Onís for Covadonga, the lakes and the Sella; Arenas de Cabrales for the Cares, Bulnes and the cheese cave; Potes for Fuente Dé. With three or four days, split the stay between two of them.
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