Everything you need to know before visiting the Picos de Europa

Published by Cass on 03/06/202603/06/2026

Where are the Picos de Europa?

The Picos de Europa span three autonomous communities in Northern Spain: Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla Y León.

The mountain range is ever so slightly bigger than the Picos de Europa National Park, a protected region that was named in 1918 (it was actually the first national park in Spain). In 2003, it also received UNESCO Biosphere status.

Getting to the Picos de Europa

✈ Nearest airports

There are three nearby airports: Bilbao in Euskadi (The Basque Country), Santander in Cantabria and Asturias airport in Asturias.

My friend and I flew into Bilbao so that we could enjoy a weekend in the city before starting our hiking adventure. This worked extremely well because Bilbao is an excellent city, especially if you love good cuisine.

🚌 Public transportation

There are public buses running between the bigger towns in the region as well as the more popular tourist spots.

👣 Taking a tour

You can find many professional hiking tours as well as shorter day trips from Santander and Oviedo.

What can I expect from the Picos de Europa?

Well, it’s a magnificently beautiful place, it’s a mountain range where you can hike or not hike, explore small villages, stay in tinier ones, marvel at spectacular views while trying not to cry, walk through valleys and meadows, admire lakes and rivers, and even try to spot a bear, or a wolf (we didn’t not see any).

The highest peak is the Torre de Cerredo, towering to 2,650 metres high, although you’re probably going to be more wowed by the Naranjo de Bulnes (photo on right).

Hiking here in the Picos de Europa, in my opinion is a great alternative to the Camino de Santiago. In fact my friend and I had actually originally planned to hike a week’s worth of the Camino (sadly we aren’t yet at the stage of having a month free to hike) but decided we’d rather spend our time in the mountains.

How long do you need?

As ever, whatever you’ve got free. I chatted with people spending weeks driving around in their camper vans, people visiting for a day or two, and then others like us who had a week to explore.

Ideally, I’d have liked a few extra days as this would have allowed us to get to the other side of the Picos too.

→ Read the full MexicoCassie 7 day itinerary for the Picos de Europa

How fit do you need to be?

This depends on what you want to do and how you want to experience the Picos de Europa. You could perfectly well enjoy the region without doing any hiking if this is what you’re looking for. You could base yourself in Potes and/or Las Arenas in very nice hotels, simply take it slowly, drive to small villages and miradors and never walk more than 30 minutes if you don’t want to.

And at the other end of the spectrum, there are some extremely beautiful and technically challenging hikes here.

My friend and I placed ourselves firmly in the middle. We are both extremely fit and love to hike but neither of us is an expert. We choose routes labeled as mid-level and while they were never technically challenging, they were certainly tiring.

Circular hiking or few day treks?

You can choose between long hikes between villages, carrying all your gear, or setting yourself up in a hotel and taking day hikes with just day packs. And of course, if you opt for a tour, you may well have a courier service for your luggage included.

We opted to have two bases, one in Las Arenas de Cabrales (Asturias) and one in Potes (Cantabria) to allow us to see two different regions. It worked well and I think it was a good choice.

When should you visit the Picos de Europa?

Personally, I’d say any season would work but there are of course, temperature fluctuations and weather conditions to keep in mind.

I visited in mid May and it was extremely warm. We hiked every day in shorts and t-shirt but carried rain gear and warm jacket sbecause up in the mountains you never know what to expect. On some hikes (outlined in my full itinerary article) we were exhausted by the heat. I can only imagine what these hikes must be like in full summer when there’s a stronger sun and really no shade at all. We enjoyed being able to see snow while hiking in t-shirts, and we even got to make snowballs to throw at each other in May.

High season is July to September – this is the busiest period and if you visit during this time you may well find yourself sharing hiking route and paths with more people than you expect.

Optimal hiking time is May – it’s warm but there’s still a good potential for snow, not too many people yet.

Autumn months – beautiful colours, cooler weather but higher risk of rain

Winter months – not all paths are open due to snow, stunning views but truncated hiking options

Can you/should you take the kids?

Where to stay in the Picos de Europa?

⭐️ Well, there are amazingly gorgeous little posadas (inns), and hotels all over the Picos including the one in the photo above where we stayed in Lon.

🏧 Stay in towns like Potes if you want access to facilities like banks, restaurants and shops

🌳 Stay in remote villages like Sotres if you value peace and quiet over everything

⛰ You can even stay in Bulnes, a village at the top of the mountain that is only accessible by foot or funicular

📲 Is there mobile coverage?

In the towns, yes. Hotels will generally have wifi. When you’re hiking, not always. If you’re coming from outside of Europe you may wish to get an e-sim to ensure you have easy coverage when you’re here.

What to do/see in the Picos de Europa

🥾 The most popular hike is the Ruta del Cares – 12km one direction, most people walk it in both directions

⛰ Check out the coolest peak, the Naranjo de Bulnes / Picu urriellu – there are great miradors both in Póo and Bulnes and serious trekkers can hike to its base. It’s not technically difficult although there is a 1km altitude gain so it’s considered a moderately difficult and long hike.

🚠 Ride the Fuente Dé cable car (must book in advance) and hike (or don’t) around up here, and/or the funicular to Bulnes

🧊 Visit the glacial Lagos de Covadonga

🧀 Learn about the cheeses of this region in Las Arenas or Sotres

🛶 Kayak on the rivers

🐻 Do you need to worry about bears? No.

Realistically, what should you take with you?

🦶🏽For your feet

👤 For your body

🎒 Day pack

If you have questions I’ve missed, feel free to drop me a line and let’s see if I can help. Have a great trip!