Fuente Dé Cable Car, 753 metres of rock face in under four minutes.

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

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.