# Liébana and Potes

Potes, the Fuente Dé cable car, the monastery of Santo Toribio and the La Hermida hot springs. An hour and three quarters from Santander through the gorge.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/liebana-and-potes · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Liébana is a district enclosed by mountains: the Picos de Europa to the north, the mountain range to the south and west. You can only enter through a canyon or a pass. Inside there is a mild valley, with vineyards, holm oaks and market gardens, and a capital, Potes, where the rivers Deva and Quiviesa meet. In a day you see the essentials: the Fuente Dé cable car, the monastery of Santo Toribio and the old town of Potes. With a night, you can add a route over the Áliva passes or an afternoon in the thermal pools of La Hermida.

## How to get there from Santander

Take the A-8 towards Asturias as far as Unquera and then the N-621 towards Panes and Potes, which follows the river Deva up through the La Hermida gorge. It is about 110 km to Potes and 135 to Fuente Dé; allow an hour and three quarters to Potes without stops, because the last 45 minutes are bends. From Oviedo you reach it by the same A-8 as far as Panes, in a little over two hours. From León and Palencia you enter from the south, over the San Glorio and Piedrasluengas passes, mountain roads that may need chains in winter.

Without a car it is complicated: Fuente Dé, Santo Toribio and La Hermida are a long way from each other. This guide assumes you are travelling by car.

## Where to park

In Potes, in the car parks at the entrance to the town: the old town is narrow and in summer you cannot drive through it. At Fuente Dé there is parking next to the cable car, at the end of the road. Santo Toribio has space at the top, beside the monastery. At the La Hermida spa you park by the roadside.

## How long do you need?

A day is enough for the cable car in the morning, lunch in Potes, Santo Toribio in the afternoon and the return through the gorge. It is a long day from Santander, of about ten hours. With a night you can do it without hurrying: go up on the first cable car, walk down through Áliva, which takes about four hours, and leave the second afternoon for the spa. With two nights there is room for a via ferrata or a guided canyon descent.

## When to go

From May to October the cable car opens for longer hours and the routes at the top are free of snow. June has the meadows in flower and September and October bring the colours of the forest and fewer people. In August Potes and Fuente Dé fill up, and the cable car queue can be hours long: buy online a day ahead. In winter the valley is quiet, it snows at the top and there are guided snowshoe outings, but the Parador de Fuente Dé closes from the end of December to the end of February.

Notice for November 2026: the Fuente Dé cable car closes for works from 16 November, for a few weeks. Cantur will announce the reopening on its website. It also closes on any day of strong wind.

## What to do

The Fuente Dé cable car climbs 753 metres in under four minutes, €20 to €30 return. At the top begins the descent through the Áliva pastures, 14.5 km along a track between meadows and woodland. The monastery of Santo Toribio, 3 km from Potes, houses the Lignum Crucis and is the end of the Camino Lebaniego. Potes can be walked in an hour, among stone bridges.

In the La Hermida gorge are the spa's thermal cave, open-air pools at 38 °C from €30, and, with a guide from Potes, the via ferrata and the Navedo canyon.

## What to eat

Liébana's signature dish is cocido lebaniego: small chickpeas, cabbage, meats and stuffing, with the soup served first. In Potes it is served at Casa Cayo and the Asador Llorente, and on the way to Fuente Dé, at the Hotel del Oso and the parador. The district also makes cheeses, such as the picón de Tresviso, and orujo.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Picos de Europa, Cantabrian Coast
- Cerca: Cabrales (a 22.7 km), Alto Campoo (a 23.4 km), San Vicente de la Barquera (a 31.2 km), Llanes (a 31.5 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Fuente Dé Cable Car** (2 h · All ages · Desde 20 € adult return, low season): The cable car is the shortest way to get into the high mountains of the Picos de Europa without climbing anything: you go up in four minutes what on foot would be a whole morning of vertical rock face. At the top, at 1,823 metres, the landscape changes completely: grey limestone rock, meadows and, if the day is clear, the whole Cantabrian Range to the south.
What it is
Fuente Dé is the end of the road that leaves Potes through the Camaleño valley, in the heart of the Picos de Europa National Park. The lower station is at about 1,070 metres; the upper one, El Cable, at 1,823. The cabin carries 20 people, covers 1,450 metres of cable at 10 metres per second and takes 3 minutes 40 seconds. It is run by Cantur, the Cantabrian Government's public tourism company.
Below there is a café with 200 seats; above, the El Cable café, with 150, and next to it a south-facing viewing balcony. To the north are the summits of the central massif.
What it costs in 2026


TicketLow seasonHigh season


Adult, return€20€30
Adult, single journey€13€17
Child aged 4 to 12, return€8€15
Pet in a carrier, return€10€10


Up to age 3 they do not pay. High season runs from 1 July to 30 September, at Easter and on all national public holidays and long weekends; the rest of the year is low season. Mountaineering-federation members have their own rate with their card, and people with a disability of 33% or more get a 50% discount at the ticket office.
Hours and closures
From mid-October to the end of the year it is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 17:00. In summer the hours are extended: check those for your date on the official website. The last ride up is a little before closing and the last ride down, ten minutes before; if you stay up top with no margin, there is no other way down than on foot.
Note for 2026: the installation closes for improvement works from Monday 16 November 2026, for a few weeks. Cantur will announce the reopening on its website. It also closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 and 6 January, and at any moment in strong wind: in November 2026 it already stopped for a day because of gusts in the valley.
How to buy the ticket
At the ticket office, the same day, subject to availability, or online at least a day ahead. The ticket carries a 30-minute window for going up; the descent is open, in order of arrival, the same day. In summer and on long weekends buy in advance: the queues at Fuente Dé are long. If the day dawns foggy, think twice: they do not refund for lack of visibility.
Getting there and parking
Fuente Dé is at the end of the road that leaves Potes through the Camaleño valley. From Santander you take the A-8 to Unquera and the N-621 through the La Hermida Gorge to Potes: the Parador de Fuente Dé gives 135 km from Santander. There is parking next to the lower station.
With a dog, with children
Dogs go up only in a closed carrier, and a supplement is charged. Up top you are in the National Park: always on a lead. With children it works very well: the ride is short, the viewpoint is a few steps away and there is an easy track walk towards Áliva.
- **Walk Down Through the Áliva Pastures** (4 h 15 · 14.5 km · Used to walking · Short out-and-back for families · Free; you pay only for the cable car up, from €13): It is the way to return from the Fuente Dé cable car without taking the cabin down: you go up to El Cable, at 1,823 metres, and come back on foot through the Áliva meadows, between the central and eastern massifs of the Picos de Europa. It is 14.5 km and 974 metres of descent, all downhill, in about four and a quarter hours. The cable car's own listing rates it low difficulty: almost all of it is a wide track.
Note for November 2026: the cable car closes for improvement works from Monday 16 November, for a few weeks. Without the cabin there is no comfortable way of starting at the top; Cantur will announce the reopening on its website.
One-way ticket up
If you are going to walk down, buy a single journey. In 2026 an adult pays €13 in low season and €17 in high; children aged 4 to 12, €6 and €8, and under-4s do not pay. High season runs from 1 July to 30 September, plus Easter, national public holidays and long weekends. A dog goes up only in a closed carrier, which you bring yourself, for €6 each way.
In autumn and winter, until the end of the year, the cabin runs Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and at weekends from 9:00. The last ride up is half an hour before closing. With a good four hours of descent ahead, go up as early as possible: in November it gets dark early.
From the Horcadina de Covarrobles to the portillas
From the upper station there is a short climb to the Horcadina de Covarrobles, the pass from which Áliva opens out. From there on it is all downhill on a track, among the high pastures of the puertos. You pass near the Áliva hotel refuge and continue to the portillas, where a cattle grid cuts the track.
The Valdecoro wood and the new stretch
Past the portillas, the route leaves the track and enters by a path into the woodland on the south slope of Valdecoro peak, which ends in a wide, easy track to Fuente Dé. This final stretch was opened recently as an alternative to the old descent via Espinama, which used to be the most used and left you far from your car: from Espinama you have to climb 2.5 km along the road to the cable car car park.
Two hours with children: to the refuge and back
If you are with children or short of time, the cable car proposes a short version: walk from El Cable to the Áliva hotel refuge and return the same way, a little under two hours in all, and come down in the cabin. Then the return ticket is the one you want, €20 in low season and €30 in high for an adult.
Fog, snow and dogs
Fog can come in on any day of the year, August too: do not leave the marked path. Mountain boots and enough water, because the official listing gives no springs along the route, and a warm layer for the top. With snow, this route stops being a stroll; in winter, in Liébana there is guided snowshoeing. The whole route is inside the Picos de Europa National Park: dogs must always be on a lead.
- **Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana and the Lignum Crucis** (1 h · All ages · Free admission): Santo Toribio is a Franciscan monastery on the slope that climbs from Potes towards Fuente Dé, and a short visit: a 13th-century church, a cloister and a Baroque chapel where the Lignum Crucis is kept, which the monastery presents as the largest surviving fragment of the cross of Christ. Here the monk Beatus wrote, in 776, his Commentary on the Apocalypse, and here the Camino Lebaniego ends. Entry costs nothing; what you have to work out is the chapel's opening hours.
The chapel opens two hours a day
The hours the monastery publishes in November 2026:


WhatDaysHours


Church and cloisterEvery day10:00–13:00 and 16:00–18:00
Lignum Crucis chapelMonday to Saturday11:00–12:00 and 16:00–17:00
ShopEvery day10:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00
Pilgrim's MassEvery day12:00


On Sunday the chapel does not open, so the relic is not seen. If you go in the afternoon on a weekday, arrive before 17:00. Monastery telephone: 942 730 550; email, monasterio@santotoribiodeliebana.es.
The cypress wood in its silver reliquary
The Lignum Crucis is in the centre of the chapel, under a baldachin. According to the monastery, it came from Jerusalem to Astorga with Santo Toribio, bishop of that city, and in the 8th century it was brought to Liébana to keep it safe from the Muslim advance. The vertical beam measures 63 cm and the crosspiece 39, with a thickness of 3.8 cm, and it is held in a gilded silver reliquary in the shape of a cross, in Gothic style, made in a Valladolid workshop in 1679. A 1958 analysis identified the wood as cypress. The chapel was built in the 18th century, in Baroque style, with a donation from Francisco de Cossío.
The church and the Door of Forgiveness
The church is from the 13th century, a transition from Romanesque to Gothic and Cistercian in style. Look at the Door of Forgiveness, a Romanesque remnant of an earlier church: it is opened only in the Lebaniego Holy Years. Since 1512, by privilege of Pope Julius II, it is a Holy Year when 16 April, the feast of Santo Toribio, falls on a Sunday. By that rule, the next will be 2028.
The Benedictines who lived here for centuries left with the confiscation of 1834; the Franciscans arrived in 1961 and are the present community.
End of the Camino Lebaniego
From San Vicente de la Barquera the Camino Lebaniego is 72 km, and the last stretch is about 3 km uphill from Potes. On arrival they stamp your credential and give you the Lebaniega, the pilgrim's diploma, signed and stamped by the Franciscans. It can be linked with the Camino del Norte, along the coast, or with the Camino Francés.
Going up and extending the walk to the chapels
By car, from Potes, it is about 3 km along the CA-185, the Fuente Dé road, with a signposted turn-off to the monastery. On foot, the climb follows the Camino itself. If you have time left, the monastery suggests a short route round the surrounding hermitages: San Miguel, with a view over the valley; the Cueva Santa, a small building of pre-Romanesque origin; the ruins of Santa Catalina and the hermitage of San Pedro.
- **Walk Round Potes, Between the Deva and the Quiviesa** (1 h · All ages · Free): What it is
Potes is the capital of Liébana and the village where the whole valley does its shopping. Its historic centre is a Site of Cultural Interest and can be walked in an hour: stone streets beside the río Quiviesa, arched bridges that cross it, houses with wooden balconies and the medieval tower in the centre. The Quiviesa joins the Deva as you leave the village.
It has a history of lordship: in the 14th century it belonged to the infante Tello, son of Alfonso XI of Castile, and from 1445 to the Marquis of Santillana and his descendants, the Dukes of the Infantado. Hence the name of its main monument, the Torre del Infantado, a fortified 15th-century building that was the town hall until recently.
The route
Leave the car in one of the car parks at the entrance, because the centre is narrow. Start at the Torre del Infantado and continue to the tower-house of Orejón de la Lama, a Baroque manor house. From there cross the bridge over the Quiviesa into the old quarter, the one with the strongest medieval character, and lose yourself in its alleys. The village's two old bridges are San Cayetano and La Cárcel; cross both to see the village from the river. On the way you will see the parish church of San Vicente, with parts from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and many manor houses with coats of arms: the tourist office suggests a route of the coats of arms with the Osorio tower, the Calseco one or the Capitán house.
It works well with small children: the lower part is flat and there are benches by the river. With a pushchair, the alleys of the old quarter are sloping and cobbled.
The Monday market
Every Monday Potes holds its traditional market, a meeting point for the people of Liébana and the best place to buy what the valley produces: cheeses with designation of origin, Quesucos de Liébana and Picón Bejes-Tresviso, wild boar and deer cured meats, honey, fruit, nuts and orujo, the village's best-known product. If you want a spoon dish, the district's speciality is cocido lebaniego, made with chickpeas.
When
Any day. The village fills up in August and on long weekends. In November it celebrates the Fiesta del Orujo, 13 to 15 November in 2026, and that month also hosts one of Cantabria's great livestock fairs. Out of season is when you most notice that it is a living valley village and not a stage set.
Getting there and what to combine
You arrive along the N-621 from the coast, through the La Hermida Gorge. Less than a kilometre away, along the CA-185, is the turn-off to the Santo Toribio monastery, and the same road continues to the Fuente Dé cable car. The Town Council is at Calle San Roque, 7, telephone 942 730 006.
- **Driving the La Hermida Gorge** (45 min · Everyone · Free): What it is
The N-621 is Liébana's natural gateway from the coast. It leaves Unquera, beside the Tina Mayor estuary, crosses a short stretch of Asturias through Panes and returns to Cantabria to follow the río Deva upstream between limestone walls. The Cantabrian Government's leaflet of driving routes describes the gorge as a ravine of about 20 kilometres cut by the Deva into the rock of the Picos de Europa, which in some stretches reaches up to 600 metres deep. It is the only direct road from the coast to Potes, and almost everything worth seeing is at the roadside.
Before entering, Unquera is an almost obligatory stop: the same leaflet recommends it for trying its corbatas, the village's puff-pastry sweet, and in season, eels.
Stops along the way
Going up towards Potes, the first named stop is Urdón: from here sets off the walk from Urdón up to Tresviso, a mountain path that ends in the village of Tresviso, known for its picón cheese. A few kilometres further up is La Hermida, with its spa: the water rises from three springs at over 60 degrees. From the village the CA-282 leaves towards the Lamasón valley and, in the other direction, the road to Bejes, which shares with Tresviso the designation of origin for Picón Bejes-Tresviso cheese. If you have half an hour to spare, go up to the Santa Catalina viewpoint, between Cicera and Piñeres, from where you see the whole gorge and the village of Tresviso.
On leaving the canyon, Lebeña appears, on the banks of the Deva, with the Mozarabic church of Santa María, from the 10th century, one of the jewels of the region's architecture. Shortly afterwards, at Ojedo, the valley opens out and you reach Potes. If you have time left, from Ojedo the CA-184 leads in about 8 kilometres, through Frama and Cabezón de Liébana, to Piasca, where the monastery of Santa María is preserved, one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Cantabria.
How to do it
From Santander, take the A-8 to Unquera and the N-621 towards Panes and Potes; the Parador de Fuente Dé, at the end of the valley, gives 135 kilometres from Santander. The road is good but winding: allow about 45 minutes from Panes to Potes without stops, and a whole morning if you stop at Urdón, La Hermida and Lebeña. Stop only in the wide spots and car parks, never on the bends for a photo.
Worth knowing
In summer and on long weekends there is a lot of traffic and lorries. Drive with lights on and unhurried. If you want something more than looking from the car, in the same gorge you have the La Hermida via ferrata, the Navedo canyon and the La Hermida thermal cave. On arrival, finish with a walk round Potes, and if it is Monday, with its market.
- **Thermal Cave and Circuit at La Hermida Spa** (1 h 30 · Adults; thermal cave for children from age 3 · Desde 30 € per person, 90-minute thermal cave): At La Hermida, halfway through the gorge between Panes and Potes, the water comes out of the rock at almost 60 °C. The spa cools it to 38 °C and shares it between two baths anyone can use, without staying: an open-air thermal cave, opened in November 2021 beside the main building, and a covered circuit of eleven stations. You can pay for one of the two or combine them in a day pass.
Pools at 38 °C beneath the gorge wall
The cave is an outdoor space, at the foot of the mountain, with several hot-water areas around a hollow in the rock. The session lasts 90 minutes. It costs from €30 per adult and from €20 for children aged 3 to 7, so it is the bath that works for going as a family. Outside it is as cold or hot as the day, and in the water you are at 38 °C: in winter, with mist in the canyon, is when you notice it most.
Capacity is limited and the spa advises booking, online or by telephone. There is a version with a meal at the hotel restaurant, the Río Deva, serving Liébana cooking.
The night session, adults only
At night the cave opens from 23:00 to 01:00, for adults only, from €45 per person. Until 30 September it runs every day except Sunday; the rest of the year, only Friday and Saturday. Capacity is also limited: book beforehand.
The covered circuit, station by station
It is 80 minutes, from €39 and from age 6, with compulsory prior booking. The route goes in this order:

cleansing shower and wet steam bath;
foot walkway with water at two temperatures;
Finnish sauna and cold-plunge bath;
Hermida steam-and-water bath, cold mist and the spring's vaporarium;
jacuzzi and two-temperature shower;
and, at the end, the dynamic pool: hydromassage beds, jets at several heights, neck massage, a bubble volcano, counter-current swimming and water curtains.

The day pass and what it all costs
The Hermida Experience Pass combines the cave (90 minutes) and the circuit (80) for €65 per person; the restaurant menu adds €35 and a half-hour massage, €45. It cannot be combined with other offers and depends on capacity. If you are going with small children, the pass is no use: the circuit starts at age 6.
What to bring and what you pay for there
Swimsuit, cap, flip-flops and towel or bathrobe are compulsory. If you are missing something, at reception they hire the bathrobe for €6, with a €20 deposit per garment; flip-flops are not hired, they are sold at €6.50, and the cap costs €4.50. Bring your own and you save almost €11.
Getting to the spa
It is beside the N-621, the La Hermida to Potes road, in the municipality of Peñarrubia, about 90 km from Santander airport. Potes is about 20 km up the road. In the café, open to customers and visitors, there is a terrace over the río Deva for the coffee afterwards.
- **La Hermida Via Ferrata with a Guide** (4 h · Fit people; Camaleño for beginners · Desde 70 € per person, group of 3 or more): A via ferrata is a rock face equipped with steel rungs and staples and a lifeline cable you are clipped to the whole time. The La Hermida one climbs the limestone walls of the Deva gorge, on the Panes to Potes road, and its guide in Liébana classifies it as intermediate level: you do not need to have climbed before, but you do need to be fit and exercise regularly. It is done with a qualified guide, in a group that is only yours.
Pablo Alonso and his support rope
Liébana Aventura is the trading name of Pablo Alonso, a professional guide based in Potes, with the TD2 and UIMLA qualifications and number 1107 of the Spanish Association of Mountain Guides. He has been working in the Picos for more than fifteen years. On the ferrata, as well as the cable you are attached to, he carries a rope to belay you or help you at the passages where it is needed. He decides the timetable according to that day's weather.
What you pay and what is included


GroupLa Hermida, intermediateCamaleño, basic


2 people€90 per person€70 per person
3 or more€70 per person€60 per person
Family with minors—€50 per person


The price includes VAT, the guide, all the technical equipment, civil liability and accident insurance and a photo album of the activity. They do not mix you with other customers: the outing is private.
If you have never done a ferrata
The guide himself advises starting on the Camaleño one, at basic level, and leaving La Hermida for the second. It is also the only one of the three with a family rate. At the other end, the Valdeón one, already on the León side of the Picos, is intermediate to advanced and costs €100 to €150 per person depending on the group.
Booking with a guide who has no signal
Write on WhatsApp to +34 657 111 194 or to info@liebanaaventura.com. The guide spends many hours in the mountains with no signal, so WhatsApp is what he answers soonest. The website does not publish the meeting point, duration or minimum age for this route: ask when you book, along with the footwear and clothing you should bring.
- **Navedo Canyon, in the La Hermida Gorge** (3 h · Beginners; children from about age 8 who are at ease in the water · Desde 60 € per person, families with minors): What it is
The Navedo, which the guide's website also spells Naveo, descends through beech woods and enormous chestnut trees in the heart of the La Hermida Gorge, next to the Picos de Europa National Park. It has a short approach and a basic level, so it is the canyon to start on: jumps, natural slides, abseils and swimming stretches for two or three hours in the water. No experience is needed; you do need to be comfortable in the water and not mind getting wet from head to toe. As the N-621 is the only direct road from the coast to Potes, the canyon is handy whether you come from the sea or are sleeping in Liébana.
With whom and how much
It is guided by Liébana Aventura, from Potes, with guides qualified by the Spanish Association of Mountain Guides and the UIMLA. The rates it publishes are per person:

€80 if there are two of you.
€70 from three people.
€60 for families with minors.

The price includes civil liability and accident insurance, the guide, all the technical equipment (harness, helmet and full wetsuit), transport from the meeting point for groups of four, VAT and high-definition photos of the descent. The meeting point is agreed when you book.
On age, the website gives two figures: the Navedo listing admits families with children from age 5 and the FAQs speak of family activities from about age 8, always with an adult. Confirm when you book according to the child.
What to bring
Swimsuit, trainers or boots with a good sole that can get wet, a towel and a change of clothes for afterwards. The guide provides the rest, and the photos too, so your phone and anything that must not get wet stay in the car. If anyone in the group is not a confident swimmer, tell the guide when you book: it is the first thing they need to know to decide whether the Navedo is their canyon.
When
The season normally runs from spring to early autumn. Dates may change because of rain or the flow: if the day is not safe, the guide offers another date or an alternative canyon. Book on 657 111 194, also by WhatsApp, or at info@liebanaaventura.com.
If you already have experience
The same guide runs the Cicera canyon, intermediate level and more technical, in sandstone and limestone, five to six hours: €100 per person if there are two of you and €90 from three. For the rest of the day, in the same gorge you have the La Hermida thermal cave to warm up, the via ferrata and, once in Potes, the walk round the old town. In winter, the same company runs snowshoeing.
- **Guided Snowshoeing in Liébana and the Picos** (5 h · All audiences with some fitness): Which routes it runs
When snow covers the high passes, Liébana Aventura, a mountain-guide company based in Potes, goes out with small groups to walk in snowshoes. Its website lists four itineraries: the Lloroza lakes circuit, above Fuente Dé; the Fuente Escondida circuit to the Hoyo sin Tierra; and two outings from the San Glorio pass, one towards the Llesba pass and the Peña Gustal summit, at 1,947 metres, and another, more demanding, to the summit of Coriscao, at 2,234 metres. It adds that there are more routes and that the guide may change the day's route because of the weather or other reasons. In snowshoes, what rules is the state of the snow and the avalanche risk, not the plan you brought from home.
What is included and who guides
The outing comes all-inclusive: qualified guide, the activity's technical equipment, which is the snowshoes and poles, and civil liability and accident insurance. Each booking is private for the group that makes it, so you do not share the day with strangers and the pace is set by your group. The guide the company presents is Pablo Alonso, a level-2 sports technician, UIMLA guide and member of the Spanish Association of Mountain Guides with number 1107.
The website does not publish prices, the duration of each route, ascent or minimum age. Ask for them when you book on 657 111 194, also by WhatsApp, or at info@liebanaaventura.com, and say honestly what the group is like: a circuit round the lakes is not the same as climbing a summit of over two thousand metres.
When and what to bring
The season is winter and depends on there being enough snow; there are no fixed dates, so the booking is closed by looking at the week's forecast. As the company does not publish a personal equipment list, count on the basics of winter mountaineering: waterproof mountain boots, layered clothing, gloves, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, because snow reflects a lot of light. Bring water and something to eat, and ask the guide if the chosen route needs anything else.
Before you go
If the day's route starts from the top of the Fuente Dé cable car, confirm first that it is running: Cantur announced that it would close on 16 November 2026 for improvements to the installation, for a few weeks, and the reopening will be announced on its website. The cable car also stops when there is strong wind. To go up to San Glorio in winter, bring chains in the car and set out with margin.
The natural base for sleeping and eating is Potes, a few kilometres from the departures. If you are travelling with teenagers, mention it when you book: the website sets no minimum age and the guide will tell you which route suits them best. If there is no snow, in summer the same company guides the Navedo canyon.

## Dónde comer
- **Casa Cayo Restaurant** (Restaurant, Potes, €€). Qué pedir: the cocido lebaniego, and if there are several of you, the roast suckling lamb; for something quick, portions at the bar
- **Asador Llorente** (Restaurant, Potes, €€€). Qué pedir: cocido lebaniego to start and charcoal-grilled red meat; for dessert, the cheesecake
- **Parador de Fuente Dé Restaurant** (Restaurant, Fuente Dé, €€€). Qué pedir: the cocido lebaniego or the sirloin with Tresviso cheese, and the cheese board
- **Hotel del Oso Restaurant** (Restaurant, Cosgaya, €€). Qué pedir: the cocido lebaniego (€14) or the montañés; for a main, the mushroom-stuffed trotters, and for dessert the rice pudding or the Liébana fresh-cheese tart

## By car: By car, the only practical way
Liébana is explored by car: Potes, Santo Toribio and Fuente Dé are all on a single road, and the La Hermida spa is on the road in. You enter through the gorge from the coast, or over the San Glorio or Piedrasluengas passes from Castile.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Fuente Dé** (Hotel): Where the Camaleño valley road ends, inside the Picos de Europa National Park and a few steps from the cable car's lower station, is the Parador de Fuente Dé. It is a modern mountain building, with warm interiors, spacious rooms and lounges that look onto the walls of the Fuente Dé cirque. At night, when the cable car closes and the cars leave, Fuente Dé falls silent.
At the foot of the cable car and the Áliva route
The reason to sleep here is to be at the door of the mountain. In the morning you walk to the cable car ticket office before the cars from Potes arrive; from October to the end of the year it opens at 10:00 on weekdays and at 9:00 at weekends. At the top begins the descent through the Áliva pastures, 14.5 km that end again at Fuente Dé, at the parador's door.
In November 2026: the cable car closes for works from 16 November, for a few weeks. If you book for those dates, count on there being no ride up.
With a dog, a bike, an electric car
The parador admits pets, with conditions to read when booking. Note that in the National Park the dog must always be on a lead and that on the cable car it goes up only in a closed carrier, with a supplement. It is set up for cycle tourists and has an electric-car charging point.
Dining without going down to the valley
The parador restaurant serves Liébana cooking: cocido, Liébana cheeses, sirloin with Tresviso cheese and local meats. It is also open to those who are not staying, so in summer it is wise to book a table even if you are sleeping in the building.
The road to the very end
From Santander it is 135 km: the A-8 to Unquera, the N-621 through the La Hermida Gorge to Potes and, from there, the Fuente Dé road until it runs out. The last kilometres climb the Camaleño valley through Cosgaya and Espinama.
Closed in the harshest winter
It closes from 22 to 31 December 2026 and from 1 January to 23 February 2027. For summer and long weekends, book in good time. Telephone, 942 736 651; email, fuentede@parador.es. Tourist registration number: G-5129.
- **Hotel del Oso** (Hotel, desde 87 € / night): Two mountain-style buildings, of ashlar stone and timber, with 50 rooms between them: that is the Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, a village in the Camaleño valley on the road that climbs from Potes to Fuente Dé. It is run by the Rivas family. For those travelling with children, the useful part is inside the grounds: a garden with a pool, a tennis court and a play area.
Cosgaya, between Potes and the cable car
Sleeping here leaves you halfway between the two things people come to Liébana to see: the Fuente Dé cable car, up the road, and Potes with the Santo Toribio monastery, down the road. To get around the valley you need a car. Note that the cable car closes for works from 16 November 2026 for a few weeks.
Double, family and connecting rooms
Most are doubles; there are also singles, family rooms and connecting rooms. Ask how many people fit in each when you book. All have television, telephone, a safe and a hairdryer, and views of the surroundings. For babies a cot is available on request.
What each season costs


RoomLowJune and SeptemberEaster, July and August


Double€87€98€115
Single€77€82€95
Family€130€140€162
Connecting€145€155€176
Extra bed€28€32€36


Prices per night with VAT included. Breakfast is paid separately: the buffet costs €14 per adult and €7.50 for children up to age 10, and at the bar there is a mini breakfast for €7.50.
Pool, tennis and a hórreo to play in
The garden has an outdoor pool and a tennis court. The children have their own play area, with a little house and an hórreo (granary). The terrace looks onto the river and the village church, and inside there are several stone-and-timber lounges, with a fireplace for winter.
Dining without taking the car
For dinner you do not have to go anywhere: its restaurant publishes the menu with prices, with the cocido lebaniego at €14, mushroom-stuffed trotters and homemade desserts at €7.
- **Posada San Pelayo** (Small hotel, desde 90 € / night): Posada San Pelayo is a traditional stone manor house in the centre of San Pelayo, a hamlet in the Camaleño valley 5 km from Potes in the direction of Fuente Dé. It has 13 rooms, a garden of about 2,000 m² with local trees and plants, crossed by the Purón stream, and an outdoor pool with the Picos de Europa as a backdrop. It is run by a family, and is away from the bustle of Potes but 5 km from its restaurants.
The San Pelayo turn-off
You leave Potes along the Fuente Dé road and, after about 5 km, turn right where it says San Pelayo; the inn is in the middle of the village. From here, the Santo Toribio monastery is also 5 km away and the Fuente Dé cable car, 15. To go to the coast, San Vicente de la Barquera is 57 km away, the El Soplao caves 60 and Santander 113.
Balcony or attic
The 13 rooms differ in size, shape and decoration. Many have large windows or a balcony onto the National Park and the garden. All have satellite television, telephone, heating, a kettle and a full bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries. The price depends on whether it has a balcony or is an attic room:


DoubleLow seasonJune and SeptemberJuly, August, Easter and long weekends


With balcony€100€110€120
Attic€90€95€105


Prices per night with VAT. Breakfast is charged separately, at €12 per person.
The house inside
Downstairs there is a reading and games room with a library, a rest corner with a fireplace and free internet, and a bar-café. There is wifi throughout the house, room service, luggage storage and tourist information. Parking is private and free.
Deposit, arrival and cancellation
You check in from 16:00 and leave the room by 11:30. To confirm the booking they ask for a deposit of at least the price of the first night. If you cancel or change between 30 and 7 days before arrival, they may keep half the deposit; with less than 7 days, all of it. If you shorten your stay once there, you pay for the nights used and the deposit is not returned.
The website says nothing about pets or children's beds: ask on 942 733 210 or 615 604 895, or at informacion@posadasanpelayo.com.
- **Hotel Balneario La Hermida** (Spa hotel): The Hotel Balneario La Hermida is at the bottom of the gorge of the same name, beside the Panes to Potes road, in the municipality of Peñarrubia. It is a four-star, 57-room hotel built over baths that have been used since the 18th century: the water rises from three springs at about 60 °C, at eight litres per second. What sets it apart from sleeping in Potes is that, with the room, you have the thermal circuit every day and the outdoor thermal cave a few steps away.
The circuit comes with the room
According to the listing for its rooms, the guest can use the thermal-leisure circuit for 80 minutes a day, booking a time. It is the covered circuit of eleven stations, with sauna, steam, cold bath, jacuzzi and a dynamic pool of jets and water beds. The outdoor thermal cave, with pools at 38 °C at the foot of the rock, is paid separately; there are half-board packages that include the night session, from 23:00 to 01:00, for adults only.
Three types of room, all exterior
The rooms are classic: standard, white-zone and attic. The standard is 20 m², and all face outside, with a view of the canyon landscape. They have air conditioning, a minibar, a flat-screen television, a hairdryer and wifi. The hotel has a lift and a gym. Smoking is not allowed in the rooms. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times: ask when you book.
Río Deva and the café with a terrace over the canyon
The restaurant, Río Deva, serves home-style Liébana cooking: cocido montañés, local meats and a good variety of cheeses, with a daily thermal menu and a seasonal menu of meats, game, fish and vegetables. The cellar combines young wines with well-known Riojas and Riberas.
The café is open to customers and visitors, with a terrace and chill-out area facing the gorge and the río Deva, a fireplace, board games and sports on screen.
Midweek packages in autumn
From 26 September to 22 December the spa sells packages of one to three nights (Special, Premium, Indian, Combo) that are not valid for Fridays, Saturdays or long weekends. The treatment menu runs from the 20-minute craniofacial massage, at €45, to the 90-minute Indian ritual, from €129.
Getting there and parking
Address: carretera La Hermida a Potes, s/n, 39580 La Hermida. It is 90 km from Santander airport and 172 from Asturias airport; from Madrid, about 500 km. The hotel has parking, which is booked through an external platform linked on its website; ask whether it has a cost.
From here, the gorge offers the next day: the La Hermida via ferrata and the Navedo canyon start in the same canyon, and Potes is about 20 km up the road.
### Servicios
- **Sotama National Park Visitor Centre**: National Park information in Tama, at the entrance to Liébana · Open all year except Christmas
- **Fuente Dé cable car ticket office and car park**: Car park at the end of the road · Same-day ticket office · Café · Electric charging

## On foot: On foot in the Picos, with the cable car as a lift
The cable car drops you at 1,823 metres without tiring your legs: from there start routes such as the descent via Áliva or the climb towards Horcados Rojos. Federated mountaineers have their own fare, with booking 72 hours ahead.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Parador de Fuente Dé** (Hotel): Where the Camaleño valley road ends, inside the Picos de Europa National Park and a few steps from the cable car's lower station, is the Parador de Fuente Dé. It is a modern mountain building, with warm interiors, spacious rooms and lounges that look onto the walls of the Fuente Dé cirque. At night, when the cable car closes and the cars leave, Fuente Dé falls silent.
At the foot of the cable car and the Áliva route
The reason to sleep here is to be at the door of the mountain. In the morning you walk to the cable car ticket office before the cars from Potes arrive; from October to the end of the year it opens at 10:00 on weekdays and at 9:00 at weekends. At the top begins the descent through the Áliva pastures, 14.5 km that end again at Fuente Dé, at the parador's door.
In November 2026: the cable car closes for works from 16 November, for a few weeks. If you book for those dates, count on there being no ride up.
With a dog, a bike, an electric car
The parador admits pets, with conditions to read when booking. Note that in the National Park the dog must always be on a lead and that on the cable car it goes up only in a closed carrier, with a supplement. It is set up for cycle tourists and has an electric-car charging point.
Dining without going down to the valley
The parador restaurant serves Liébana cooking: cocido, Liébana cheeses, sirloin with Tresviso cheese and local meats. It is also open to those who are not staying, so in summer it is wise to book a table even if you are sleeping in the building.
The road to the very end
From Santander it is 135 km: the A-8 to Unquera, the N-621 through the La Hermida Gorge to Potes and, from there, the Fuente Dé road until it runs out. The last kilometres climb the Camaleño valley through Cosgaya and Espinama.
Closed in the harshest winter
It closes from 22 to 31 December 2026 and from 1 January to 23 February 2027. For summer and long weekends, book in good time. Telephone, 942 736 651; email, fuentede@parador.es. Tourist registration number: G-5129.
- **Hotel del Oso** (Hotel, desde 87 € / night): Two mountain-style buildings, of ashlar stone and timber, with 50 rooms between them: that is the Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, a village in the Camaleño valley on the road that climbs from Potes to Fuente Dé. It is run by the Rivas family. For those travelling with children, the useful part is inside the grounds: a garden with a pool, a tennis court and a play area.
Cosgaya, between Potes and the cable car
Sleeping here leaves you halfway between the two things people come to Liébana to see: the Fuente Dé cable car, up the road, and Potes with the Santo Toribio monastery, down the road. To get around the valley you need a car. Note that the cable car closes for works from 16 November 2026 for a few weeks.
Double, family and connecting rooms
Most are doubles; there are also singles, family rooms and connecting rooms. Ask how many people fit in each when you book. All have television, telephone, a safe and a hairdryer, and views of the surroundings. For babies a cot is available on request.
What each season costs


RoomLowJune and SeptemberEaster, July and August


Double€87€98€115
Single€77€82€95
Family€130€140€162
Connecting€145€155€176
Extra bed€28€32€36


Prices per night with VAT included. Breakfast is paid separately: the buffet costs €14 per adult and €7.50 for children up to age 10, and at the bar there is a mini breakfast for €7.50.
Pool, tennis and a hórreo to play in
The garden has an outdoor pool and a tennis court. The children have their own play area, with a little house and an hórreo (granary). The terrace looks onto the river and the village church, and inside there are several stone-and-timber lounges, with a fireplace for winter.
Dining without taking the car
For dinner you do not have to go anywhere: its restaurant publishes the menu with prices, with the cocido lebaniego at €14, mushroom-stuffed trotters and homemade desserts at €7.
- **Posada San Pelayo** (Small hotel, desde 90 € / night): Posada San Pelayo is a traditional stone manor house in the centre of San Pelayo, a hamlet in the Camaleño valley 5 km from Potes in the direction of Fuente Dé. It has 13 rooms, a garden of about 2,000 m² with local trees and plants, crossed by the Purón stream, and an outdoor pool with the Picos de Europa as a backdrop. It is run by a family, and is away from the bustle of Potes but 5 km from its restaurants.
The San Pelayo turn-off
You leave Potes along the Fuente Dé road and, after about 5 km, turn right where it says San Pelayo; the inn is in the middle of the village. From here, the Santo Toribio monastery is also 5 km away and the Fuente Dé cable car, 15. To go to the coast, San Vicente de la Barquera is 57 km away, the El Soplao caves 60 and Santander 113.
Balcony or attic
The 13 rooms differ in size, shape and decoration. Many have large windows or a balcony onto the National Park and the garden. All have satellite television, telephone, heating, a kettle and a full bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries. The price depends on whether it has a balcony or is an attic room:


DoubleLow seasonJune and SeptemberJuly, August, Easter and long weekends


With balcony€100€110€120
Attic€90€95€105


Prices per night with VAT. Breakfast is charged separately, at €12 per person.
The house inside
Downstairs there is a reading and games room with a library, a rest corner with a fireplace and free internet, and a bar-café. There is wifi throughout the house, room service, luggage storage and tourist information. Parking is private and free.
Deposit, arrival and cancellation
You check in from 16:00 and leave the room by 11:30. To confirm the booking they ask for a deposit of at least the price of the first night. If you cancel or change between 30 and 7 days before arrival, they may keep half the deposit; with less than 7 days, all of it. If you shorten your stay once there, you pay for the nights used and the deposit is not returned.
The website says nothing about pets or children's beds: ask on 942 733 210 or 615 604 895, or at informacion@posadasanpelayo.com.
### Servicios
- **Sotama National Park Visitor Centre**: National Park information in Tama, at the entrance to Liébana · Open all year except Christmas

## As a family: A valley with a cable car, hot springs and flat walks

Liébana works for families because the most spectacular thing takes little effort: four minutes in a cabin and you are in the high mountains. The rest of the day fits in the valley.

### What works best
The Fuente Dé cable car: children aged 4 to 12 from €8 return, free up to 3

At the top, the out-and-back walk towards Áliva, under two hours, on a track

The La Hermida thermal cave, from age 3

The Navedo canyon with a guide, from about age 8

### Sleep
Hotel del Oso, with a pool, tennis, play areas and family rooms

Posada San Pelayo, with a garden and a stream

### Eat
Cocido lebaniego in Potes or at the Hotel del Oso

A café at both cable car stations

### Worth knowing
It is cold at the top even in summer: bring an extra layer

In August, buy the cable car online a day ahead

The spa's indoor circuit is for ages 6 and over

### Qué hacer as a family
- Fuente Dé Cable Car
- Walk Down Through the Áliva Pastures
- Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana and the Lignum Crucis
- Walk Round Potes, Between the Deva and the Quiviesa
- Driving the La Hermida Gorge
- Thermal Cave and Circuit at La Hermida Spa
- Navedo Canyon, in the La Hermida Gorge

## With teenagers: Via ferratas, canyons and 753 metres of cable

For teenagers, Liébana has a mountain guide who tests them on a rock face or in a river, and a long route that goes downhill.

### What works best
Camaleño via ferrata to start out, and La Hermida's if they already have one under their belt

Navedo canyon, jumps and slides over two to three hours

The descent via Áliva, 14.5 km on a track after going up by cable car

In winter, snowshoeing with a guide

### Sleep
Posada San Pelayo or Hotel del Oso, near Fuente Dé

### Eat
Cocido in Potes after the activity

### Worth knowing
Guided activities are for a private group: the bigger it is, the cheaper per person

The La Hermida ferrata is intermediate level

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Fuente Dé Cable Car
- Walk Down Through the Áliva Pastures
- La Hermida Via Ferrata with a Guide
- Navedo Canyon, in the La Hermida Gorge
- Guided Snowshoeing in Liébana and the Picos

## With young children: A cabin, warm pools and a flat village

With small children, the perfect day in Liébana is a short one: cable car in the morning, lunch in Potes and a thermal bath in the afternoon.

### What works best
The cable car: free up to age 3, and the journey takes under four minutes

A walk through Potes, beside the river, with a pushchair

The La Hermida thermal cave and the outdoor children's area, from age 3

### Sleep
Hotel del Oso: play area with a little house and a granary, and a pool

### Eat
Roomy dining rooms: the one at the Hotel del Oso or the parador's

### Worth knowing
The gorge road has many bends: stop if anyone feels carsick

At the top of the cable car, bring a coat even if it is warm below

### Qué hacer with young children
- Fuente Dé Cable Car
- Walk Round Potes, Between the Deva and the Quiviesa
- Thermal Cave and Circuit at La Hermida Spa

## With friends: Canyon, Via Ferrata and Cocido in the Picos

Liébana puts the Picos de Europa within reach of a group without needing to be a mountaineer: the La Hermida gorge brings together a beginner's canyon, a via ferrata and a spa to end the day, and Potes offers cocido and chargrilled meat for everyone to sit down together.
The plan comes together easily: a day of canyoning or via ferrata at La Hermida, the spa in the afternoon and, the next day, Potes for a stroll and a meal. In winter the canyon is swapped for guided snowshoeing over the mountain passes. Guided activities are booked ahead, and some set the price by group size, so settle the numbers before calling.

### What works best
The Navedo canyon, beginner level and guided: two or three hours in the water, from age 8 and from €60 per person

The La Hermida via ferrata, intermediate level with a qualified guide, from €70 per person in a group of three; the Camaleño one, for beginners, starts at €50

The La Hermida thermal cave, an open-air cave at 38 ºC from €30, to loosen your legs after the via ferrata; booking required

Guided snowshoeing in winter, towards Lloroza, Fuente Escondida or San Glorio

### Where to sleep
The Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, with fifty rooms in two manor houses, an outdoor pool and tennis: a place for a big group

The Posada San Pelayo, a thirteen-room manor house with a garden and pool five kilometres from Potes

### Where to eat
Asador Llorente, at the entrance to Potes: Liébana cocido and chargrilled red meats, between €35 and €60

Casa Cayo, in the heart of Potes, with cocido, roast lamb and raciones at the bar for under €35

### Keep in mind
The Fuente Dé cable car is closed for works from 16 November 2026: don't include it in the plan without confirming the reopening

The canyon requires being able to swim; the via ferrata, not having a fear of heights

Book guided activities in advance in high season

### Qué hacer with friends
- Thermal Cave and Circuit at La Hermida Spa
- La Hermida Via Ferrata with a Guide
- Navedo Canyon, in the La Hermida Gorge
- Guided Snowshoeing in Liébana and the Picos

## Consejos

### Check the Fuente Dé webcam before you set off
If it is foggy at the top, you see nothing and they don't refund your ticket.

### Go up on the first cable car
The morning queue is the shortest, and the light the cleanest.

### Leave the spa for last
With tired legs, the 38 °C pools are even more welcome.

### Sunday without the Lignum Crucis
The relic's chapel is open Monday to Saturday; on Sunday you see only the church and the cloister.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Santander to Potes?
About 110 km and an hour and three quarters by the A-8 and the La Hermida gorge.

### How much does the Fuente Dé cable car cost?
In 2026, €20 return for an adult in low season and €30 in high season. Children aged 4 to 12, €8 or €15.

### Is the cable car open in November?
It closes for works from 16 November 2026, for a few weeks.

### Can you go with a dog?
Yes. On the cable car, in a closed carrier and with a supplement; in the National Park, always on a lead. The Parador de Fuente Dé accepts pets.

### Can you bathe at La Hermida without staying there?
Yes. The thermal cave costs from €30 and the circuit from €39, with booking.

### Is it worth it in a day?
Yes, but it is a long day from Santander. With a night you enjoy it much more.