Located in northern Spain between the regions of Cantabria, Asturias and Castilla y León, the Picos de Europa National Park is an underrated area. An important shrine, spectacular lakes, a historic village, award-winning cheese and a spectacular viewpoint are great reasons to visit Europe’s peaks at least once.
Photo: Christian Grønne
1st Covadonga Shrine
At the bottom of the Picos de Europa National Park, in the heart of Asturias, the village of Covadonga is known for its national shrine, one of Spain’s most visited pilgrimage sites.
Even as you climb the mountain roads, you can spot the Covadonga Shrine with its Disney-like basilica with two spires towering above you. The complex, which consists of a basilica, a cave carved into a rock with an altar with a figure of Jonfru, a museum and a hotel, is beautifully situated at the foot of Mount Ausea with spectacular views of the landscape.
The Covadonga Shrine has enormous significance to the history of the Spanish and their history. Asturias’ founder, Don Pelayo (685-737), led a battle in 728-722 that is considered the beginning of the Christian reconquest of Spain.
After several unsuccessful attempts to defeat the Muslims, Peleyo and his soldiers hid in the mountains. As the Muslims moved into the canyon, the Virgin of Covadonga appeared to Pelayo, giving him a cross and telling him to attack without fear. Pelayo and his troops managed to defeat the Muslims as the first in the country, ensuring that Asturias remained under Christian control.
The Reconquest lasted for over 700 years until 1492, when the last Muslim bastion, the Alhambra in Granada, was recaptured.
The myth says that Pelayo was convinced that it was the apparition of the Virgin and the cross that caused the victory. The cross is called the “victory cross” and is today the symbol of Asturias. The jeweled wooden cross is located in the cathedral in the capital city of Oviedo.
In the small tunnel leading to the cave lie the remains of Pelayo and his wife. In the cave, which also houses a neo-Gothic stone chapel, the Virgin of Covadonga, also known as La Santina, sits on her altar, decorated with images referring to the battle and fragrant flowers.
Below the cave runs a spring, the water from which collects in a small well. From here, a 103-step staircase also leads up to the cave, which many pilgrims climb on their knees.
The esplanade in front of the basilica offers great views of the area, and at the entrance to the basilica is a statue of Pelayo with the victory cross. The basilica is built in neo-Gothic style, with walls in pink local limestone and was inaugurated in 1901. It was built to replace an old temple that was destroyed in a fire in 1777.
On the esplanade next to the basilica, the Basilica Museum is housed in a former hostel. Here you can see an exhibition about the history of Covadonga, the battle and the construction of the basilica. It is also home to the Pelayo Hotel, which was built in 1909 to accommodate the many pilgrims. For the best view of the basilica, climb the stairs above the grotto. There is also an impressive bell, which is three meters high and weighs 5000 kilos.
2. Covadonga Lakes
A visit to Covadonga also includes the Covadonga Lakes, located 12 kilometers further up in the winding mountain landscape. In high season, you can’t drive to the lakes by car, but a tourist bus leaves from the sanctuary. Along the way, you’ll meet cows and goats roaming the mountain landscape, as well as cyclists.
The Covadonga Lakes consist of two glacial lakes, Enol and La Ercina, which resemble a mirage and are among Asturias’ greatest natural wonders. When the lakes thaw, a third lake forms and disappears again when the sun dries it out.
Snow-capped peaks are reflected in the lakes. Under the 20 meter deep water of the lowest and largest lake, Lake Enol, hides a replica of the Virgin statue, which is hoisted every year on September 8th on her feast day.
At 1108 meters above sea level, Lake La Ercina is located where the views of the green grass meadows and mountains are most breathtaking. Here you can meet grazing cows and goats that complete the idyllic tableau. 
On the road towards and along the lakes, you can spot the names of professional cyclists written in yellow in several places. The area with the lakes is part of the Vuelta de España cycling race route, so it’s also visited by many cycling fans.
If you like hiking, there are countless hiking routes in Picos de Europa. The circular route around the Covadonga Lakes, which can be completed by the whole family, consists of a short (3 kilometers) and a long (5 kilometers) one. Here you will pass several viewpoints and a visitor center. Read more and see map.
3. City of Cangas de Onis
A 15-minute drive from Covadonga is the small town of Cangas de Onis, which has around 6500 inhabitants and is the capital of the parish of the same name.
The city was designated the first capital of Asturias by King Pelayo, and it served as the seat of Asturian rulers until 774.
Cangas de Onis is an ideal lunch stop. The many restaurants on the main street offer local Asturian cuisine, and you can also shop for local delicacies such as cheese and olive oil. Enol, a modern bistro with simple traditional dishes, is recommended for lunch.
Worth seeing is the city’s Roman bridge over the Sella River from the late 13th century. The bridge is picturesque and features three arches and a replica of the famous victory cross from the Covadonga shrine.
4. Cheese production in Cabrales
High up in the Picos de Europa, the Cabrales area is where Asturias’ famous and award-winning blue cheese is produced and aged in natural limestone caves.
Cabrales consists of 10 small parish villages, all of which have small cheese producers, and the area produces 500 tons of Cabrales cheese per year. In the highest town of Sostres (1050 meters above sea level), the producer Quesería Main, owned by the couple Javier Díaz and Jessica Lopez, is worth a visit. Queseria Main’s cabrales cheeses have D.O.P. certification and several of their cheeses have won awards.
The drive to Sostres is exceptionally beautiful and the views are stunning as you wind through the mountain roads with their sharp hairpin bends. About 15 minutes outside of Sostres are the natural limestone caves where Queseria Maín ages their cheeses.
A visit to Queseria Main begins in one of the cheese caves. You have to walk here from the village and there are only narrow paths, which means the couple transport their cheeses to and from the caves on mules and horses.
In the cramped, humid cave, the cheeses are neatly lined up on wooden shelves in a temperature of 6-10 degrees and humidity of 95%, which provides the best conditions for the blue mold that has built up over centuries in the cave to naturally develop in the cheese.
The visit continues at Queseria Main’s small cheese factory in the village, where the ingredients graze on the alpine pastures. Cabrales cheese is made with colostrum from the couple’s brown Asturian mountain cows, but others also add colostrum from goats and/or sheep.
At the factory, you can take a peek into the production process, where the raw milk is mixed with rennet and added salt before being placed in white cylindrical molds and stored for 20 days before being transported to the caves. Each cheese weighs 2.5 kilos and the couple produces new cheeses every week. In Sostres, the cheese-making profession is inherited, and the couple make the cheeses using recipes inherited from their grandparents.
After the tour, you get to taste the strong, slightly spicy and creamy blue cheese.
OBS! A tour of Queseria Main is conducted in Spanish, but the visual part of the tour is enough to get a good insight, so the tour is recommended even if you don’t understand Spanish. Alternatively, you can ask for a translator when booking on the website (can be done in English)
Quesería Main, Barrio la Eria, s/n, Sotres
5. Mirador del Fitu viewpoint
On one of Astuien’s most famous hills, Sierra del Sueve, you can enjoy spectacular views of the Asturian landscape from an old concrete watchtower at 1100 meters above sea level.
In a range of over 100 kilometers of rocky coastline and beaches, you can enjoy views of the Sueve Nature Reserve, Ponga Natural Park and the Picos de Europa National Park. You’ll also have views of the villages of Ribadesella, Caravia, Colunga and Villaviciosa, and on clear days you can spot the city of Gijón. as well as Covadonga and the town of Cangas de Onís.
