Most beautiful villages in Asturias

Asturias packs two worlds that eye each other warily into a small space: the Cantabrian Sea, with its cliffs and fishing harbours, and the mountains, which find their most commanding expression in the Picos de Europa. The prettiest villages in Asturias include seafaring towns, high-mountain hamlets and settlements whose historical weight far exceeds their size, all bound together by the green of the meadows, the stone and a very close relationship with the landscape around them.

Cangas de Onís is the best starting point for understanding the region's history. It was the first capital of the Kingdom of Asturias, it overlooks the River Sella with its famous medieval bridge, and it serves as the natural gateway to Covadonga and the Picos de Europa. Not far away, in the municipality of Cabrales, Bulnes shows the other face of the Asturian mountains: a hamlet wedged between peaks, recognised since 2021 as one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain, and a place best explored at a leisurely pace.

On the coast, Cudillero shows how the sea has shaped Asturian life for centuries. Founded in the 13th century around its harbour, this seafaring town has kept its fishing tradition alive, has the remains of pre-Roman hill forts nearby, and offers an unexpected counterpoint in the Quinta de Selgas, a lavish 19th-century palace. From harbour to summit, each of these villages tells a different part of the story of Asturias.