Travel Tips for Asturias

 

We get a lot of questions from people who want to go on holiday to Asturias from the Netherlands. Whether or not to see if they can also emigrate here. So a ‘search holiday’ actually.
But why Asturias? Well that is easy…. Asturias is a principality in Northern Spain with beautiful nature, and a pretty good climate. We don’t have earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts or serious natural disasters here (yet). There is enough water, enough rain, and enough space.

 

But here too there are areas where you better not live or go on holiday. For example, between Gijon and Aviles there is an area with heavy industry (furnaces of Acelor Mital, oil refineries etc.), and you should definitely not buy a house near Trubia.

Fortunately, we are far enough away from these places in Quiros, but on the other side of the mountain they are reopening an old mine. That is also far enough away, and we live in a nature park, which means that large-scale economic activities such as mining are not allowed.
To be honest, this is pure luck: we didn’t really do any research into this beforehand. Maybe we just didn’t expect it; heavy industry in such a beautiful environment…

 

But let’s take a step back. Traveling to Asturias; how do you go about it? It is important to know that Asturias is an extremely popular holiday destination for the Spanish themselves. Many people from Madrid also have a second home in the north of the country to escape the heat in the city. Because almost all tourists are Spanish tourists, everything is geared towards them. 

In some areas there are more  international tourists, especially in the Picos de Europa, and also along the Camino del Norte – the northern pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela that runs along the coast. But otherwise the tourists here are mainly Spanish.

 

It is therefore smart to do as the Spaniard does on holiday: have an extensive lunch at 2 p.m., and only do something after 4 p.m. Museums and shops are generally closed between 2:00 and 4:30 PM. Supermarkets and shops in the city centres can be open all day.
The high season runs from the end of June to mid-September, and outside of that many restaurants and campsites are closed. So the money is earned in a short time here. The week before Easter – Semana Santa – is also high season, when all the Spanish go on holiday.

 

The climate: We see the sun regularly, almost every day, and when the sun breaks through it is much warmer than in the Netherlands, even in winter. That makes it particularly pleasant here. Of course there are also days when the weather is not so good; it can also rain terribly hard and it sometimes freezes in winter. The bad weather is usually in spring, then it rains more and it is more cloudy. But here there are certainly no weeks and weeks of grey weather like in the Netherlands. Another advantage: we have an hour longer of daylight. That is really nice in winter!

 

Back to travel and practical issues: By car you can drive to Asturias from The Netherlands in 2 days. You can then spend the night in the area around Bordeaux, or near Biarritz. If you are travelling with a campervan and want to take it a bit more slow, you can stop in Le Mans, Biarritz, Zarautz in the Spanish Basque Country, and then continue via Bilbao to Asturias.

You can also fly directly from Schiphol to Asturias (Oviedo Airport) twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays . It is also possible to fly to Madrid and then take the high-speed train to Asturias. This train connection was opened last year, and is very affordable (from 19 euros). You can also take the train from the Netherlands, but it is quite expensive and it becomes difficult from Hendaye onwards. From Hendaye, the bus is a good alternative: Alsa runs regularly between all cities.

 

Because there is no (international) mass tourism in Asturias yet, there are not many holiday homes or hotels available. Especially during the high season it is therefore wise to book well in advance.

 

Where to go and what to do/see in Asturias?
We especially like the coast from Llanes to Villaviciosa. It is definitely worth spending a few days there. The Camino del Norte also runs along the coast there, and it is of course very nice to walk or cycle part of it (mountain bike required!). You can also surf very well in many places here, especially Playa de Vega is recommended. Or Ribadesella. You can also sup at Villaviciosa.

The Picos de Europa is also beautiful, but quite touristy. In Fuente De there is a cable car to the top; a bit terrifying when you are afraid of heights (like me), but given the destination definitely recommended. Keep in mind that you have to book that cable car in advance. There are many hiking trails and mountain sports opportunities in the Picos, and in Cangas de Onis you can rent a canoe and paddle towards the sea. In Asturias you can also admire a number of prehistoric caves, and also fossilized dinosaur legs on the beach at Colunga. There are churches, museums and cities where you can eat well. Also on the coast there are a number of villages that are worth a visit and where you can enjoy a good lunch after a nice hike along the coast: Cudillero and Tazones.

 

We are in a mountainous area just west of the Picos. It is much less touristy here and not every house is a holiday home for Madrilenians. This has the advantage that the villages are not deserted in winter. There are always people on the streets in Barzana, and all kinds of things are organized, all year round. There are also quite a few enterprising people from different parts of Spain and from abroad living in the valley, all of whom try to live as sustainably as possible in their own way. There are a number of WhatsApp groups  – for example one for exchanging home-grown food-, there is a foundation that can help start up projects that are beneficial to the valley (it goes from clearing hiking paths to helping entrepreneurs start up their businesses), and there are regular meetings and local markets. All of these things make it very pleasant to live here!

 

Would you also like to discover the beauty of Asturias? And would you like us to make a proposal for an itinerary and accommodation in Asturias? Please contact us at info@backto.earth