La Posada del Rey
Why we like it: Family-run six-room hotel in a historic house on calle Mayor in Llanes, with breakfast in a box brought to your room and everything within walking distance.
Duration2 nights
From Santander1 h on the A-8
From Bilbao2 h 10
Best timeJune · September
Budget€190–300 pp
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Friday evening and sleeping two nights in Llanes. Saturday is about the sea and depends on it: book the kayak with the company and let them tell you the time according to the tide and the swell.
Friday
- 119:30Arrival and the San Pedro promenade
An hour from Santander. Leave the car at your accommodation and climb to the San Pedro promenade, the grass path of 1847 above the cliff, with the town and the Sierra del Cuera behind. At sunset is when most people walk it.
- 221:00Cider-house dinner on Calle Mayor
Sidrería El Antoju, in the old town, cooks homestyle Asturian food and big cachopos. It doesn't take reservations: arrive early.
Saturday
- 110:00Sea kayak from Celorio
With Naturasturias, a guided route of two or three hours along the Llanes coast: coves, caves and islets. From €25 per person in a double kayak and €30 in a single, from age 4 and no experience needed.
- 214:00Picnic and afternoon at Torimbia
Bring food from Llanes and go down to Torimbia, near Niembro: a closed shell of pale sand between the hillside and the sea. You leave the car at the top and walk down a tarmacked path. It has been a nudist beach since the sixties and has no facilities.
Sunday
- 110:30Los Cubos and the old town
The harbour, the San Antón promenade above the Cubos de la Memoria by Agustín Ibarrola, the lighthouse and Toró beach. Then the 13th-century wall and the basilica of Santa María del Concejo.
- 213:45Lunch at Le Bistró de El Retiro
In Pancar, five minutes away. The informal side of Ricardo González Sotres's restaurant, with a Bib Gourmand: fabada, tripe or line-caught squid in its ink. Book by phone.
- 316:30Pría blowholes and the drive home
With a swell and high tide, the water shoots out of the chimneys in the Llames de Pría cliff in columns several metres high. From there, back along the A-8.
Llanes is an hour from Santander on the A-8 and a little over two from Bilbao, and it is the natural base for the eastern coast of Asturias: almost thirty beaches in the municipality, a coastal path and the Picos de Europa half an hour away. This weekend stays on the coast. On Saturday you kayak between coves, caves and islets and go down to the shell-shaped bay of Torimbia; on Sunday you walk round the town, eat at the El Retiro bistro and, if there is a swell, finish at the blowholes of Pría.
When to go?
June and September, with quiet beaches and long days. In July and August Llanes fills up with the bandos festivals and a car is a nuisance in the centre. From October to March kayaking depends heavily on the sea, but that is when the blowholes blow hardest, and the town is left to the locals.
| What | How much | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sea kayak with an instructor | From €25 pp in a double | 2–3 h, from age 4 |
| Surf lesson | €35 | 2 h, from age 9 |
| Torimbia, San Pedro, Cubos, blowholes | Free | Blowholes only with a swell |
Where to sleep?
In the heart of the old town, La Posada del Rey is a small hotel in a historic house on Calle Mayor, a few minutes' walk from El Sablón, San Pedro and the harbour. The Hotel Sablón sits on the cliff above the beach of the same name, with direct access to the sand, 34 rooms, half with sea views, and parking. For a tent, caravan or bungalow, Camping Las Conchas de Póo is 2 km from the centre and 200 metres from Póo beach, beside the coastal path.
With teenagers or a rough sea
With teenagers, swap the kayak for a two-hour surf lesson at Palombina, Torimbia or San Martín, from €35 with board and wetsuit and from age 9. If the sea doesn't allow kayaking, Saturday stays on land: the coastal path from Llanes to Celorio, 7.6 km with five beaches on the way and a return by train or bus, and the blowholes in whatever sea there is.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Llanes, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Llanes
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
A Base with Beaches and the Picos Close at Hand
Llanes can be seen on foot, but the beaches further out, the blowholes and the Picos call for a car. Sleep in the town or in Póo, leave the car parked in the morning and use it for one excursion a day.
80–140 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Sablón, above the beach…
- Getting aroundPría blowholes and Torimbia, about…
- Where to eatLe Bistró de El Retiro…
- ServicesTourist office in the old…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Sablón, above the beach, with private parking
- La Posada del Rey, on calle Mayor, for doing everything on foot
- Las Conchas campsite, in Póo, 2 km away, with bungalows
Getting around
- Pría blowholes and Torimbia, about 20 minutes to the west
- Ribadesella 25 minutes away; Cangas de Onís and Arenas de Cabrales, about 40
- The Lakes of Covadonga, a little under an hour; in season, by bus from Cangas
Where to eat
- Le Bistró de El Retiro, in Pancar; closed Monday and Tuesday outside summer
- El Antoju cider house, on calle Mayor, no bookings
Services
- Tourist office in the old fish market at the harbour
- Train and bus station in the centre
Fly to Asturias or Santander and Hire a Car
Llanes can be reached by air through two airports at almost the same distance: Asturias, about 130 km away, and Santander, about 90, according to Las Conchas campsite. Both have direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From either, the practical thing is to hire a car there and arrive by the A-8 in a little over an hour.
- Getting thereAsturias Airport (OVD), in Castrillón
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to sleepHotel Sablón, with parking, to…
- ServicesLlanes train and bus station
Getting there
- Asturias Airport (OVD), in Castrillón
- Santander Airport (SDR), on the other side, in Cantabria
- Without a car: bus from Asturias airport to Oviedo and, from there, the coastal train or a bus to Llanes
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport, for the beaches and the Picos
- Coastal train for the town and the coastal path
Where to sleep
- Hotel Sablón, with parking, to leave the car on arrival
- La Posada del Rey, if you arrive by train
Services
- Llanes train and bus station
- Tourist office at the harbour
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Sablón
Why we like it: Hotel on the cliff above El Sablón beach, with direct access to the sand and 34 rooms, half with sea views. Closed from November to January.
Las Conchas de Póo Campsite
Why we like it: Campsite 2 km from Llanes and 200 m from Póo beach, beside the coastal path, with pitches, bungalows, mobile homes and glamping.
From €60
View details
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Llanes
Le Bistró de El Retiro
What to order: line-caught squid in its ink, fabada or tripe, and the caramelised rice pudding
El Antoju Cider House
What to order: an L cachopo for two or tortos with picadillo, and frixuelos or rice pudding for dessert
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Ask the kayak company the day before. It sets the time by the tide and the swell, and if it cancels it tells you before you set out.
We'd skip it
The bandos festivals in July and August, if you want calm: the centre of Llanes fills up and parking is hard.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Santander?
An hour on the A-8. From Bilbao, a little over two hours; from Oviedo, an hour and a quarter.
Do I need experience for the kayak?
No. The route is with an instructor, from age 4, in a double or single kayak.
When do the blowholes work?
With a swell and high tide, especially in autumn and winter. In calm seas nothing happens.
Can I bring a dog?
Around Los Cubos and the San Pedro promenade, yes, on a lead. Le Bistró de El Retiro does not admit pets.
Where is it best to sleep?
In the old town, if you want to do everything on foot. At El Sablón, if you want a beach below you. At Póo, if you are camping or with children.