© ParadoresHotelParador de Fuente Dé
Why we like it: Modern mountain refuge at the foot of the cable car, inside the Picos de Europa, with spacious rooms, a restaurant and pets admitted. Closed in the depths of winter.
Duration2 nights
From Santander1 h 45 via the A-8 and the gorge
From Oviedo2 h
Best timeMay · June · September · October
Budget€220–340 pp
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Friday evening and sleeping two nights in the Camaleño valley, between Potes and Fuente Dé. Saturday is for the mountain; Sunday, for the village, monastery and hot water.
Friday
- 119:30Arrival in the Camaleño valley
Via the A-8 to Unquera and the N-621 through the gorge. Sleep at the Posada San Pelayo, a manor house with a garden and pool a few kilometres from Potes, or at the Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya.
Saturday
- 19:30Fuente Dé cable car
Buy only the ride up, €13 in low season. In four minutes you are at 1,823 metres, at El Cable.
- 210:00Walk down via the Áliva passes
14.5 km downhill, about four and a quarter hours, on a track among meadows and through the Valdecoro forest to Fuente Dé. Bring water, food and a warm layer.
- 315:00Late lunch at the parador
At the foot of the cable car, Liébana stew or sirloin with Tresviso cheese.
Sunday
- 19:30Via ferrata with a guide
With Liébana Aventura: La Hermida if you already have experience, Camaleño if not. Private group.
- 214:00Stew in Potes and Santo Toribio
Casa Cayo, in the centre, and then the monastery, 3 km away: church and cloister from 16:00 to 19:00.
- 317:30Thermal cave and the drive back
Ninety minutes in the 38 °C pools of the La Hermida Spa, booked. Then you are on the road home.
Liébana is an hour and three quarters from Santander and about two hours from Oviedo, and asks for two nights: it is a closed valley entered by the La Hermida gorge, with the Fuente Dé cable car at the far end and Potes in the middle. This weekend you go up into the high mountains without climbing anything, walk down among meadows, eat Liébana stew and finish in the thermal pools of the gorge.
When to go?
From May to October, with the cable car on long hours and Áliva free of snow. September and October are quiet and mild. In August, the cable car queues are long. In November 2026 the cable car closes for a few weeks for works from the 16th, and the Parador de Fuente Dé closes from 22 December to 23 February.
| What | How much | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fuente Dé cable car | €20–30 return | €13–17 up only |
| Via ferrata with a guide | From €70 pp | Camaleño from €50 for families |
| La Hermida thermal cave | From €30 | 90 min, from age 3 |
| Santo Toribio, Potes, Áliva | Free | Lignum Crucis Monday to Saturday |
Where to sleep?
The Posada San Pelayo is a 13-room manor house with a garden crossed by a stream, from €90 a double. The Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, has 50 rooms, a pool and family rooms, from €87. The Parador de Fuente Dé is at the foot of the cable car and admits pets. To sleep in the thermal water, the four-star Hotel Balneario La Hermida.
With children or if the weather doesn't cooperate
With children, swap the long descent for the there-and-back walk towards Áliva, under two hours, and the ferrata for the Camaleño one or the Navedo canyon from age 8. If there is strong wind the cable car closes: spend Saturday on Potes, Santo Toribio and the spa.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Liébana and Potes, 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 Liébana and Potes
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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.
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.
70–120 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepPosada San Pelayo, a manor…
- Getting aroundN-621 through the gorge from…
- EatCocido lebaniego at Casa Cayo…
- ServicesSotama Visitor Centre, in Tama
Sleep
- Posada San Pelayo, a manor house with a garden in the Camaleño valley, doubles from €90
- Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, doubles from €87 and a pool
- Parador de Fuente Dé, at the foot of the cable car, closed in midwinter
Getting around
- N-621 through the gorge from Unquera, about 45 minutes from Panes to Potes
- The Potes to Fuente Dé road, which ends at the cable car
- Park at the entrance to Potes: the centre is narrow
Eat
- Cocido lebaniego at Casa Cayo, in Potes
- Grilled meats at the Asador Llorente
- The parador dining room, at the foot of the cable car
Services
- Sotama Visitor Centre, in Tama
- Electric charging at the Fuente Dé cable car
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.
60–110 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepParador de Fuente Dé, right…
- Getting aroundCable car to El Cable…
- EatEl Cable café, at the…
- ServicesSotama Visitor Centre: route and…
Sleep
- Parador de Fuente Dé, right where the routes start
- Posada San Pelayo, in the valley, with a €12 breakfast
- Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, a few minutes from the cable car
Getting around
- Cable car to El Cable and walk down via Áliva, 14.5 km
- With a guide: via ferratas, canyoning or snowshoeing with Liébana Aventura
Eat
- El Cable café, at the top of the cable car
- Bring water and food: at Áliva there is only the refuge hotel
Services
- Sotama Visitor Centre: route and snow conditions
- AEMET mountain forecast for the Picos, with avalanche risk in winter
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingif you're on foot
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
© ParadoresHotel
Hotel del Oso
Why we like it: Family hotel with 50 rooms in Cosgaya, in two stone-and-timber manor houses, with an outdoor pool, tennis, children's games and cocido in its dining room. Double from €87.
From €87
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Posada San Pelayo
Why we like it: Stone manor house with 13 rooms in San Pelayo, 5 km from Potes on the way to Fuente Dé, with a 2,000 m² garden crossed by a stream and a pool. Double from €90.
From €90
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Hotel Balneario La Hermida
Why we like it: Four-star spa hotel with 57 rooms in the La Hermida Gorge, with thermal circuit included for guests, an outdoor thermal cave and the Río Deva restaurant.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Potes | Base with everything to hand, restaurants | |
| Camaleño valley | Stately houses and hotels on the way to Fuente Dé | |
| La Hermida | Spa and gorge |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Liébana and Potes
Casa Cayo Restaurant
What to order: the cocido lebaniego, and if there are several of you, the roast suckling lamb; for something quick, portions at the bar
Asador Llorente
What to order: cocido lebaniego to start and charcoal-grilled red meat; for dessert, the cheesecake
© ParadoresParador de Fuente Dé Restaurant
What to order: the cocido lebaniego or the sirloin with Tresviso cheese, and the cheese board
Hotel del Oso Restaurant
What to order: 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
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Buy the cable car online a day ahead and check the webcam before you set off: they don't refund the ticket for fog.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Santander?
About 110 km, an hour and three quarters to Potes.
Do I need experience to walk down via Áliva?
No: it is track and path of low difficulty, but it takes over four hours.
Can I bring a dog?
Yes: in the cable car in a carrier and on a lead in the National Park. The Parador de Fuente Dé admits pets.
Where is it best to sleep?
In the Camaleño valley, between Potes and Fuente Dé: you reach the cable car early.