# A weekend in Llanes and the eastern Asturian coast, an hour from Santander

Two nights in Llanes to kayak between coves and caves, go down to the shell-shaped beach of Torimbia, stroll the San Pedro cliff and hear the blowholes roar. An hour from Santander and two from Bilbao.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/llanes/itineraries/llanes-eastern-asturian-coast-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Llanes

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.

WhatHow muchNote

Sea kayak with an instructorFrom €25 pp in a double2–3 h, from age 4

Surf lesson€352 h, from age 9

Torimbia, San Pedro, Cubos, blowholesFreeBlowholes 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.

## El plan

### Friday · 19:30 · Arrival 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.

### Friday · 21:00 · Cider-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 · 10:00 · Sea 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.

### Saturday · 14:00 · Picnic 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 · 10:30 · Los 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.

### Sunday · 13:45 · Lunch 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.

### Sunday · 16:30 · Pría 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.

## Un consejo más

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.

## Cuándo no ir

The bandos festivals in July and August, if you want calm: the centre of Llanes fills up and parking is hard.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **La Posada del Rey**: The house where Charles I slept
La Posada del Rey is at number 11 calle Mayor, the shopping street of the historic centre of Llanes. The name goes back to 1517: Charles I, on his way to his coronation, landed at Tazones, worked his way down the coast and on 26 September entered Llanes, where he spent two nights in the house of Juan Pariente. According to the hotel, that house is today number 11; of the original only the round-arched doorway remains, and there is a plaque on the façade recalling it. From 1830 it was an independent house and, as far as the family knows, always the town's tailor's shop. It was restored in 2000, respecting the stone and the wood.
Today it is a two-star family hotel with just six rooms. The street is part of the Camino de Santiago.
Six rooms on three floors
The rooms are spread over three floors with a lift, and those on the top floor have slightly sloping ceilings. There is a twin double, a double with a double bed, a double for single use and a double with the option of an extra bed or a cot. They are rustic in style, with stone, wood and warm colours. All have a private bathroom, heating, hairdryer, toiletries, safe, television and free wifi, and a small kitchenette with a mini fridge, microwave and basic utensils.
Breakfast comes up in a box
There is no breakfast room: the house prepares a box with a continental breakfast, which you can customise, and brings it up to your room at the time you say. You order it when you book or at reception the day before. For a special occasion they also prepare a brunch in a corner of the house. When booking, ask whether your rate includes the box.
The car stays at El Sablón
The old town is largely pedestrianised and there is nowhere to leave the car at the door. The hotel itself says the best area to park is the El Sablón beach area, about 200 metres away, with a white zone and a free municipal car park; the blue zone only operates in high season. If you come by train or bus, the station is about five minutes on foot, and from here El Sablón beach, the San Pedro walk and the harbour with the Memory Cubes are a stroll away. For a meal, Sidrería El Antoju is on the same calle Mayor. La Boriza golf course is two kilometres away.
Booking and cancelling
You book on its website, by phone on 985 401 332, on the mobile 621 152 486 or by WhatsApp. Cancellation is free up to 15 days before arrival; between 15 days and 48 hours before, the first night is charged, and with less than 48 hours' notice, if you do not show up or if you leave early, the full amount. The same management runs Apartamentos Santana, in the Cotiello district, for anyone who needs a full kitchen.
- **Hotel Sablón**: A staircase down to the sand
Hotel Sablón is built on the cliff above El Sablón beach, the town beach of Llanes, with direct access to the sand. It is about 150 metres from the historic centre and the basilica of Santa María, with views of the Cantabrian Sea and the San Pedro walk. It has private parking, so you arrive, leave the car and see the town on foot: the harbour, calle Mayor and the bars of the old quarter are a short stroll away.
Turismo Asturias lists it as a three-star apartment hotel, with one apartment unit for five people as well as the rooms.
Four room sizes
There are 34 rooms: doubles, singles and a suite, and 17 have views of the beach. The double measures 12 m², with a double bed or two single beds; the double with sea views, 14 m²; the suite, 20 m² with a double bed; and the single, 10 m². All have a bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries, television, telephone, safe, wardrobe, heating and wifi; the singles have no desk, minibar or views. Smoking is not allowed and pets are not accepted.
Children who sleep with their parents have special prices depending on age, and in some cases do not pay. The website does not publish rates: the best price, according to the hotel, is on its own website or by phone, on 985 400 787. Turismo Asturias gives a guide of €66 to €165 a night, with high season from 10 July to 10 September.
Breakfast on the terrace above the sea
The restaurant cooks local produce, with fish and seafood, Asturian meat and local cheeses, and has a wine list. The cafeteria serves the breakfast buffet and afternoon snacks, and its large terrace is above the sea: that is where you have breakfast or dine à la carte looking at the beach. According to Turismo Asturias, the restaurant opens only in mid and high season; its phone number is 676 639 462.
Before you book
The building has no facilities adapted for people with reduced mobility, and the hotel asks you to check with them if you have specific needs. According to Turismo Asturias, it closes from 1 November to 31 January. Guests get discounts at the Llanes golf course, about 3 km away.
To eat without a car, Sidrería El Antoju is on calle Mayor, in the old quarter.
- **Las Conchas de Póo Campsite**, desde 60 € / night: Between the beach and the Sierra del Cuera
Las Conchas is in Póo, less than 2 km from Llanes, about 20 minutes on foot, beside the coastal path and with views of the Sierra del Cuera. It is a second-category campsite with room for more than 800 people. The path to Póo beach, 200 metres away, starts from the campsite itself; at high tide the beach turns into a calm lagoon, good for children. Ten minutes on foot along the same path is San Martín beach, a more secluded cove where people surf.
Accommodation and prices
There are pitches for tents, caravans or campervans, bungalows and mobile homes with one to three bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, and glamping tents. In 2026, bungalows and mobile homes cost from €60 a night for two people in low season and from €110 in July and August, with a minimum stay of five nights in high season and three at Easter. Animals are not allowed in bungalows and mobile homes.
Facilities include a cafeteria with wifi, a shop in July and August, toilets and showers, a children's area, sports areas, barbecues and a picnic area, laundry, electric hook-ups, an adapted bathroom, baby baths and internal parking for pitches without car access.
When it opens
From April to June, at weekends and bank-holiday weekends; from 15 June to 15 September, every day; and from 15 September to 10 December, again at weekends and bank-holiday weekends. Reception opens from 9:00 to 21:00 in high season. If you arrive without a car, there are trains and buses to Llanes all day.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **La Posada del Rey**: The house where Charles I slept
La Posada del Rey is at number 11 calle Mayor, the shopping street of the historic centre of Llanes. The name goes back to 1517: Charles I, on his way to his coronation, landed at Tazones, worked his way down the coast and on 26 September entered Llanes, where he spent two nights in the house of Juan Pariente. According to the hotel, that house is today number 11; of the original only the round-arched doorway remains, and there is a plaque on the façade recalling it. From 1830 it was an independent house and, as far as the family knows, always the town's tailor's shop. It was restored in 2000, respecting the stone and the wood.
Today it is a two-star family hotel with just six rooms. The street is part of the Camino de Santiago.
Six rooms on three floors
The rooms are spread over three floors with a lift, and those on the top floor have slightly sloping ceilings. There is a twin double, a double with a double bed, a double for single use and a double with the option of an extra bed or a cot. They are rustic in style, with stone, wood and warm colours. All have a private bathroom, heating, hairdryer, toiletries, safe, television and free wifi, and a small kitchenette with a mini fridge, microwave and basic utensils.
Breakfast comes up in a box
There is no breakfast room: the house prepares a box with a continental breakfast, which you can customise, and brings it up to your room at the time you say. You order it when you book or at reception the day before. For a special occasion they also prepare a brunch in a corner of the house. When booking, ask whether your rate includes the box.
The car stays at El Sablón
The old town is largely pedestrianised and there is nowhere to leave the car at the door. The hotel itself says the best area to park is the El Sablón beach area, about 200 metres away, with a white zone and a free municipal car park; the blue zone only operates in high season. If you come by train or bus, the station is about five minutes on foot, and from here El Sablón beach, the San Pedro walk and the harbour with the Memory Cubes are a stroll away. For a meal, Sidrería El Antoju is on the same calle Mayor. La Boriza golf course is two kilometres away.
Booking and cancelling
You book on its website, by phone on 985 401 332, on the mobile 621 152 486 or by WhatsApp. Cancellation is free up to 15 days before arrival; between 15 days and 48 hours before, the first night is charged, and with less than 48 hours' notice, if you do not show up or if you leave early, the full amount. The same management runs Apartamentos Santana, in the Cotiello district, for anyone who needs a full kitchen.
- **Hotel Sablón**: A staircase down to the sand
Hotel Sablón is built on the cliff above El Sablón beach, the town beach of Llanes, with direct access to the sand. It is about 150 metres from the historic centre and the basilica of Santa María, with views of the Cantabrian Sea and the San Pedro walk. It has private parking, so you arrive, leave the car and see the town on foot: the harbour, calle Mayor and the bars of the old quarter are a short stroll away.
Turismo Asturias lists it as a three-star apartment hotel, with one apartment unit for five people as well as the rooms.
Four room sizes
There are 34 rooms: doubles, singles and a suite, and 17 have views of the beach. The double measures 12 m², with a double bed or two single beds; the double with sea views, 14 m²; the suite, 20 m² with a double bed; and the single, 10 m². All have a bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries, television, telephone, safe, wardrobe, heating and wifi; the singles have no desk, minibar or views. Smoking is not allowed and pets are not accepted.
Children who sleep with their parents have special prices depending on age, and in some cases do not pay. The website does not publish rates: the best price, according to the hotel, is on its own website or by phone, on 985 400 787. Turismo Asturias gives a guide of €66 to €165 a night, with high season from 10 July to 10 September.
Breakfast on the terrace above the sea
The restaurant cooks local produce, with fish and seafood, Asturian meat and local cheeses, and has a wine list. The cafeteria serves the breakfast buffet and afternoon snacks, and its large terrace is above the sea: that is where you have breakfast or dine à la carte looking at the beach. According to Turismo Asturias, the restaurant opens only in mid and high season; its phone number is 676 639 462.
Before you book
The building has no facilities adapted for people with reduced mobility, and the hotel asks you to check with them if you have specific needs. According to Turismo Asturias, it closes from 1 November to 31 January. Guests get discounts at the Llanes golf course, about 3 km away.
To eat without a car, Sidrería El Antoju is on calle Mayor, in the old quarter.