Visit to a Cabrales dairy and its cave, in Sotres or Arenas

The cave exhibition in Arenas tells the story of the cheese; here you see it being made. Two dairies in the council open their doors with guided visits, and they are two different experiences: one high up, with a walk to the cave where the pieces ripen, and another in the valley, with the livestock and the milking.

In Sotres: the real cave

Quesería Maín is a house in Sotres, the highest village in Cabrales, which ripens its cheese in four caves in the mountain. The visit lasts about two hours: it starts in the workshop, continues with a quarter-hour walk through the village, with steep slopes, to one of the caves, between 6 and 10 degrees, and comes back to end with a tasting of its three raw-milk cheeses with natural cider. It costs €12.50 and under-4s do not pay. You book only on their website, in Spanish, and the amount is not refunded, although you can change the day once with 24 hours' notice. They do not recommend it for under-6s or for anyone who has trouble walking uphill. In November 2026 it warns that it is closed for holidays until December.

In Arenas: the livestock and the milking

Vega de Tordín, at the entrance to Arenas, shows the whole journey of the milk: the cows and robotic milking, the curdling, moulding and drying before going to the cave. Children play farmers for a while, with tools their size. It is about 45 minutes with a tasting of Cabrales and its cheese cream, for €8 for adults and €5 for children. At Easter and in summer there are visits from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00; the rest of the year, call first.

Which to choose

With small children or little time, Vega de Tordín: it is in Arenas and short. If you want to see a ripening cave with the pieces covered in mould, go up to Sotres and combine it with the walk to the Vega de Urriellu or with lunch at Casa Cipriano.