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What to Do in Asturias: The Best Activities in Spain's Green and Mountainous North

Sep 27
5 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Asturias is the part of Spain that was never conquered by the Moors — the mountains were too steep and the weather too wet — and it has operated on its own cultural terms ever since. The food is different, the drink is different (cider, not wine, poured from a height), the landscape is different. The Picos de Europa are some of the most dramatic mountains in Western Europe. The coast is Atlantic and green and completely unlike the Mediterranean coasts most people picture when they think of Spain.

December and winter are quieter and the mountains are at their best for drama if not hiking. The cider houses are full. Here's what to book.

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Best for First-Timers: Asturian Cider House Experience

Asturian cider — sidra natural — is poured from above the head in a thin stream to aerate it, drunk immediately in a small glass before it goes flat, and ordered by the bottle rather than the glass. This is not a novelty. It's how Asturians drink, it's what the sidrería culture is built around, and experiencing it properly requires a guided visit to a working cider house rather than a tourist tasting.

The cider house experience includes the history of Asturian cider production (some of these houses have been operating for centuries), a tour of the production facilities, and a proper cider house meal — fabada asturiana (the bean and chorizo stew), grilled meats, local cheese. December is genuinely the right time for it: the new vintage is ready, the houses are warm, and the atmosphere is exactly what it's supposed to be.

Best for Families & Kids: Picos de Europa Day Trip from Oviedo

The Picos de Europa sit between Asturias, Cantabria, and León — three limestone massifs that rise to nearly 2,650 metres and drop into gorges so deep they generate their own weather. The Cares Gorge, the most famous walk in northern Spain, cuts 12 kilometres through the rock with a drop of 1,000 metres to the river below. In winter, the high peaks are snow-covered and the lower paths are clear.

A guided day trip from Oviedo covers the main viewpoints, the village of Covadonga (site of the first victory of the Reconquista, according to Spanish history), the Covadonga lakes, and usually a stop in a mountain village for lunch. For families with kids old enough for the drive: the landscape is one of the most impressive things you'll see in Spain.

Best if You Only Have a Few Hours: Oviedo Old City Walking Tour

Oviedo is a small city that punches well above its weight architecturally — pre-Romanesque churches built before the 9th century that UNESCO lists separately from the medieval heritage, a fine arts museum with an outstanding Asturian collection, a covered market that sells the same products that have been sold there for generations, and a cathedral that took 500 years to finish. The old city is compact and walkable in about three hours.

The food side of the walking tour matters here specifically: Oviedo has a street — Calle de la Gascona, unofficially called the Boulevard of Cider — lined with cider houses. Walking through in December with glasses being poured on every side is one of the more enjoyable hours you'll spend in northern Spain.

Most Unique: Prehistoric Cave Art Tour — Altamira & the Painted Caves

Asturias and Cantabria have the densest concentration of Palaeolithic cave art in the world. The original Altamira cave (now closed to the public to preserve the paintings) has a full replica museum in Santillana del Mar that is genuinely worth visiting — the facsimile of the main painted ceiling is produced to the exact dimensions and colours of the original. But Asturias also has its own painted caves, several of which are still open to limited guided visits.

The Cueva de Tito Bustillo in Ribadesella and the Cueva del Pindal near Llanes take small guided groups through galleries of 20,000-year-old paintings. You need to book ahead — capacity is limited and these genuinely sell out. For worldschooling families or anyone interested in prehistory, this is the real reason to be in Asturias.

Best Guided Experience: Fabada Cooking Class & Asturian Gastronomy

Fabada asturiana — the slow-cooked stew of white beans, chorizo, morcilla, and lacón — is one of the great dishes of Spain, and Asturias takes its preparation seriously. A cooking class focused on the fabada and wider Asturian gastronomy (cachopo, cheese, cider) gives you something to take home that isn't in a shop.

The best format combines the market visit (choosing the right beans, the right sausages) with the cooking and the eating. Several operators in Oviedo and Gijón run this format. In December, with the new cider vintage available, the pairing element of the class is particularly good.

Looking for Somewhere to Stay?

Oviedo is the practical base — good transport links, the full range of accommodation, walkable to the cider houses. Gijón is the beach and port city, 30 minutes away, worth a night if you want the Atlantic coast feel. For the Picos, stay in Cangas de Onís or Arriondas. Browse hotels in Asturias →

More on Asturias and December in Spain

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