Hotel Castillo del Alba
Why we like it: A three-star medieval-style hotel in Pola de Somiedo, with 15 doubles and 2 suites with hydromassage, rooms with bunk beds for families and an Asturian restaurant.
From €60
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Duration2 nights
From Oviedo1 h 15
Best timeMay, June and September
Budget€220–300 pp
Getting thereBy car
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Friday evening: Saturday's bear outing is at 7:30. Book the guide before the hotel.
Friday
- 119:00Arrival in Pola de Somiedo
An hour and a quarter from Oviedo via Grado and the Pigüeña valley. Dinner at Casa Miño and early to bed.
Saturday
- 17:30Bears with a guide
Somiedo Experience leaves from Pola with groups of two to eight: waiting with a telescope first thing and an interpretive walk afterwards. About four hours, €50; ages 8 to 12, €25.
- 213:30Lunch in Pola
Casa Miño, with cabbage pot and meat from its own cows. Closed on Tuesdays.
- 316:30La Pornacal braña
From Villar de Vildas, 3.6 km to the best-preserved thatched-hut summer pasture in Somiedo, and back. If you have legs left, carry on to Los Cuartos.
Sunday
- 19:30Saliencia lakes
From the Alto de la Farrapona, at 1,708 m, a 7.6 km circuit past four glacial lakes. Ask the hotel for a picnic.
- 215:00Drive back
Via Pola and the Pigüeña. In Oviedo about 17:00.
Somiedo is one of the few places in Europe where you can see a wild brown bear, and the best time is dawn. That is why you have to sleep there. This plan arrives on Friday, goes out with a guide first thing on Saturday and splits the rest of the weekend between a braña of thatched huts and the glacial lakes.
Where to sleep
In Pola de Somiedo. The Hotel Castillo del Alba, three stars, has rooms with bunk beds for families and prepares picnics; it closes from 10 January to 10 March. Casa Miño has a hotel, apartments and the restaurant; it closes from 15 December to 1 March.
Getting around
By car: each valley has its own road and none crosses to the next, so everything goes through Pola. To La Farrapona you go up via Saliencia, a mountain-pass road.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Somiedo, 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 Somiedo
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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 valley at the end of the road
Somiedo is reached by car and from Pola de Somiedo roads lead to each valley: Saliencia and La Farrapona, Valle de Lago, the Pigüeña towards Villar de Vildas. They are narrow mountain roads. Sleep in the Pola and set out on a different route each day.
70–130 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepHotel Castillo del Alba, with…
- Getting aroundFrom Pola de Somiedo to…
- EatCasa Miño, open on Sunday…
- ServicesPark reception centre, in the…
Sleep
- Hotel Castillo del Alba, with family rooms
- Hotel Casa Miño, with restaurant and rural apartments
- Palacio Álvaro Flórez Estrada, April to December
Getting around
- From Pola de Somiedo to Villar de Vildas, along the Pigüeña valley
- To La Farrapona, via Saliencia: mountain-pass road
- In winter, check the state of the passes before going up
Eat
- Casa Miño, open on Sunday; closed on Tuesday
- Castillo del Alba picnic for the walk
Services
- Park reception centre, in the Pola, Wednesday to Sunday
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're driving
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Hotel
Hotel Casa Miño
Why we like it: Mountain hotel in Pola de Somiedo, renovated in 2019, with 15 rooms, rural apartments, a guesthouse and an Asturian restaurant serving beef from its own cows.
From €60
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Small hotel
Palacio Álvaro Flórez Estrada rural hotel
Why we like it: Rural hotel with ten rooms in a palace with a late-medieval tower, in Pola de Somiedo, with garden, pool and fireplace. Open from mid-April to early December.
From €80
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Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Pola de Somiedo | Hotels, restaurants, park centre, start of the guided routes | |
| Pigüeña valley | Villar de Vildas and the La Pornacal braña | |
| Saliencia and La Farrapona | High-mountain glacial lakes |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Somiedo
Casa Miño Restaurant
What to order: the pote de berzas and, for a main course, the meat from its cows
Hotel Castillo del Alba Restaurant
What to order: the gochu asturcelta, Asturias's native pig; for the walk, the picnic bag
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
If the morning outing doesn't suit you, the guide also goes out in the afternoon, around 17:30, and comes back at dusk.
We'd skip it
If you go in mid-winter: several hotels close and the passes may have snow.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is seeing a bear certain?
It isn't guaranteed: it depends on the weather and the animal. The best seasons are April to June and mid-August to mid-September.
From what age?
The bear outing, from age 8.
How much does it cost?
Two nights, the bear outing and meals, between €220 and €300 per person.
Can it be done from León?
Yes: via Babia and the Somiedo pass it is a little under two hours to Pola.