Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Picos de Europa: hiking Asturias and Cantabria
7 days from Bilbao to Oviedo: three nights in Potes for Fuente Dé and the Cares Gorge, three in Cangas de Onís for the Covadonga lakes and Bulnes.
7 days · Bilbao to Oviedo · up to 12 guests
Limestone peaks of the Picos de Europa in the evening light Photo: HACERCANDOME, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DSCF9499_PICOS_DE_EUROPA.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Bilbao to Oviedo
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3 h on day 1No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Active
Three long walking days (days 2, 4 and 5) of 4 to 6 hours and 10 to 13 km on mountain paths, with up to about 550 m of ascent and a high point of about 2,344 m at Horcados Rojos; the Cares path has long unfenced drops. Each long day has a shorter variant of about 2 hours. Day 6 is a shorter Bulnes day of about 6 km and 2 hours on foot, mostly downhill, which you can skip by riding the funicular down. Days 1, 3 and 7 are easy.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 535 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Fuente Dé cable car on one of the first runs of the morning, then the walk up to the Horcados Rojos col and its view of the Naranjo de Bulnes
- The Cares Gorge walked one way, from Caín to Poncebos, through rock tunnels and along a path cut into the cliff
- A Picón Bejes-Tresviso blue cheese tasted in the limestone cave where it ripens
- The lakes of Enol and Ercina early, before the buses, with lunch by the water
- The funicular through the mountain to Bulnes, a village with no road, and the walk back down
- A cider-house dinner in Cangas de Onís, with the cider poured from above the head
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 535 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3 h, on day 1.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Bilbao to Potes through the Hermida gorge
Bilbao Airport along the coast to Unquera, then up the Desfiladero de La Hermida to Potes
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Potes
- Drive about 3 h
Afternoon
Your guide meets the group in the arrivals hall at Bilbao Airport (BIO) in the early afternoon; plan to land by about 12:30 pm (the exact meeting time comes with your final itinerary). We drive west along the A-8 coast motorway, past Santander, and leave the sea at Unquera to follow the Deva river south into the Desfiladero de La Hermida, a gorge about 21 km long with limestone walls close on both sides of the road. It opens out into Liébana, a sheltered valley on the Cantabrian side of the Picos de Europa. Potes is a stone town where four valleys meet, built around the river and its bridges and the square tower of the Torre del Infantado.
Evening
After check-in your guide gives a short briefing on boots, weather and the three massifs of the park, with the map of the week's walks, then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in town.
Included
- Pick-up at Bilbao Airport (BIO)
- Drive through the Desfiladero de La Hermida
- Welcome briefing and welcome dinner in Potes
Free time: Free time in Potes before dinner
Activity: If you arrive a day early, Bilbao is the easier place to spend the night; ask us and we add the hotel night.
Fuente Dé cable car and Horcados Rojos
Potes to Fuente Dé, the cable car up, the walk to Horcados Rojos and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Potes
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
We drive half an hour up the valley to Fuente Dé, where the cliffs of the Central Massif close the valley in a wall, and take one of the first cable cars of the morning, before the summer queues build. The car rises about 750 m in a few minutes to the upper station at about 1,820 m, on the edge of a high limestone plateau. From there a broad track crosses the plateau past the Vueltona bend, then a rougher path climbs over scree and rock to the col of Horcados Rojos at about 2,344 m. Over the col the ground drops away, and on a clear day the Naranjo de Bulnes, the sheer pillar of rock the Asturians call Picu Urriellu, stands across the valley. We eat a picnic at the col with the view, then walk back the same way to the cable car. Expect chamois on the screes and alpine choughs around the top station.
Evening
Back in Potes by late afternoon, the evening is free.
Included
- The Fuente Dé cable car, up and down
- Guided walk from the upper station to the Horcados Rojos col (about 12 km return, about 5 hours)
- Picnic lunch at the col
Easier option: Walk the level track from the upper station to the Vueltona and back, about 2 hours, then ride down early and spend the afternoon in Potes.
More active option: In good conditions, add the short, steep climb from the col to Pico Tesorero, about 2,570 m, where Asturias, Cantabria and León meet.
Free time: Evening free in Potes
Activity: About 12 km and 5 hours with about 550 m of ascent on scree and rock at up to about 2,344 m. If cloud covers the top, the guide moves this walk to day 3.
Santo Toribio and a cheese cave in Bejes
Potes to Santo Toribio de Liébana, then down the Hermida gorge to Bejes and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Potes
- Drive about 1.5 h
An easier day after the high walk.
Morning
In the morning we go up the hill above Potes to the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, which keeps a relic held to be the largest surviving piece of the True Cross, and where the monk Beatus of Liébana wrote his commentary on the Apocalypse in the 8th century. A short path climbs on through oak woods to the hermitage of San Miguel and a view over the four valleys of Liébana.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the valley, with cocido lebaniego, the local chickpea stew, if you want it. In the afternoon we drive down the Hermida gorge and up a narrow road to Bejes, one of the two villages that make Picón Bejes-Tresviso, a blue cheese ripened in limestone caves. A local cheesemaker shows us the cave and the cheese at its different ages, and we taste it with bread and local wine.
Evening
The evening is free in Potes.
Included
- Santo Toribio de Liébana monastery
- Walk to the hermitage of San Miguel viewpoint
- Sit-down lunch in Liébana
- Picón Bejes-Tresviso cheese cave visit and tasting in Bejes
More active option: Walk from Potes up to Santo Toribio on the old path, about 3 km and an hour, instead of riding.
Free time: Evening free in Potes
Activity: About 3 to 4 km of easy walking in the morning, plus a short walk in Bejes.
The Cares Gorge, Caín to Poncebos
Potes over the San Glorio pass to Caín, the Cares Gorge on foot to Poncebos, then Cangas de Onís
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cangas de Onís
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Potes at 8 am with the luggage on board and cross the San Glorio pass into the Valdeón valley, on the León side of the park, then go down the narrow road to Caín, the village at the upper end of the Cares Gorge. Starting here by about 10 am puts the tunnel section near Caín first, before the walkers coming the other way from Poncebos reach it. The path was cut into the rock in the mid-20th century to service a hydroelectric canal, and it runs through short tunnels and over bridges with the river far below and walls rising more than 1,000 m on either side. It is about 12 km to Poncebos; we stop for a picnic on a ledge above the river. Our vehicle drives round to meet the group at Poncebos, and it is about 45 minutes through Arenas de Cabrales, with the Naranjo de Bulnes in view on the way, to Cangas de Onís.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Drive over the San Glorio pass and through the Valdeón valley
- Guided walk through the Cares Gorge from Caín to Poncebos (about 12 km, 4 to 5 hours)
- Picnic lunch in the gorge
- Luggage moved by our vehicle from Potes to Cangas de Onís
Easier option: Walk the first 3 km from Caín, through the tunnels, and back, about 2 hours, then ride round to Poncebos in the vehicle and meet the group there.
Free time: Evening free in Cangas de Onís
Activity: About 12 km and 4 to 5 hours on a rocky path with long unfenced drops; not for anyone with a strong fear of heights. The last section climbs over a shoulder and drops steeply to Poncebos.
Covadonga and the lakes
Cangas de Onís to Covadonga and up to the lakes of Enol and Ercina, then back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cangas de Onís
- Drive about 1.5 h
We go early to Covadonga, ten minutes up the valley, where tradition places the battle of about 722 that began the Christian kingdom of Asturias. The Santa Cueva, a chapel set into the cliff above a waterfall, holds the tomb attributed to King Pelayo, and a pink stone basilica stands on the rise opposite. Then a narrow road climbs about 12 km to the lakes of Enol and Ercina at around 1,100 m, set among limestone peaks and summer pastures; in the busiest weeks the road closes to private vehicles, and if our minibus has no access permit we ride the park's shuttle bus instead.
Afternoon
From the lakes we walk out across the pastures and huts of the Western Massif, a 4-hour loop with views to the high peaks, and come back to a sit-down lunch at a restaurant by the lakes.
Evening
We are back in Cangas de Onís by mid-afternoon, with time to cross the high medieval bridge over the Sella and an evening of your own.
Included
- Covadonga: the Santa Cueva and the basilica
- The lakes of Enol and Ercina
- Guided walk over the pastures of the Western Massif (about 10 km, about 4 hours)
- Sit-down lunch by the lakes
- The park shuttle bus fare if our vehicle cannot drive up to the lakes
Easier option: Walk the marked loop between the two lakes, about 5 km and 2 hours, and meet the group for lunch.
More active option: Walk on to the Vega de Ario hut, about 15 km return and 6 hours, for the view across the Cares to the Central Massif.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Cangas de Onís
Activity: About 10 km and 4 hours with about 400 m of ascent on paths and tracks, some of them muddy after rain.
Bulnes by funicular, Cabrales cheese and a cider evening
Cangas de Onís to Arenas de Cabrales and Poncebos, the funicular to Bulnes, then back to Cangas de Onís
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cangas de Onís
- Drive about 1.5 h
We drive about 45 minutes east to Arenas de Cabrales and on to Poncebos, where a funicular runs about 2 km inside the mountain up to Bulnes. Until it opened in 2001 the village could be reached only on foot, and it still has no road.
Afternoon
We walk through its two hamlets, the lower one by the river and the upper Bulnes del Castillo, with the old stone barns and the high walls around them, and have a sit-down lunch in the village. In the afternoon we walk down the Canal del Texu, the old mule path to Poncebos, about 2 hours with a steady descent. On the way back we stop in Arenas de Cabrales for the Cueva del Queso, a cave that shows how Cabrales blue cheese is made and ripened, with a tasting.
Evening
In the evening we go together to a sidrería in Cangas de Onís, where the cider is poured from above the head into a short glass, for a last dinner of Asturian dishes.
Included
- The Bulnes funicular from Poncebos
- Guided walk through Bulnes and Bulnes del Castillo
- Sit-down lunch in Bulnes
- Walk down the Canal del Texu to Poncebos (about 4 km, 2 hours)
- Cueva del Queso de Cabrales in Arenas de Cabrales, with a tasting
- Cider-house dinner in Cangas de Onís
Easier option: Ride the funicular back down instead of walking the Canal del Texu, and wait for the group with a coffee at Poncebos.
More active option: Walk up the Canal del Texu to Bulnes in the morning as well, about 1 hour 30 with about 400 m of ascent, and ride down only if your knees ask.
Free time: Free hour in Cangas de Onís before dinner
Activity: About 6 km in all, with a descent of about 400 m on a stony mule path. Walking poles help.
Cangas de Onís to Oviedo
Cangas de Onís to Oviedo, or to Asturias Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A slow last morning: breakfast, a walk by the Sella if you want one, and, if your departure ends on a Sunday, the market stalls on the square.
Afternoon
Mid-morning we drive west out of the mountains through the green farm country of eastern Asturias, about an hour on the motorway, to Oviedo, the Asturian capital, arriving around midday. Our vehicle drops you in the old town or at the railway station; if you are flying, we take you instead to Asturias Airport (OVD), about 1 hour 15 from Cangas de Onís on the coast near Avilés. Asturias Airport has mostly domestic and European flights, so most guests connect through Madrid.
Evening
If you want to stay on, Oviedo's cathedral, its cider street of Gascona and the pre-Romanesque churches on Monte Naranco are a good reason for an extra night, and we can book it. Book a flight from Asturias Airport leaving after about 2 pm. Your guide sees you to the drop-off and checks your onward plans before saying goodbye.
Included
- Drop-off in central Oviedo or at Asturias Airport (OVD)
Free time: Morning free in Cangas de Onís
Activity: Book a flight from Asturias Airport leaving after about 2 pm.
- Bilbaostart
- Potes3 nights
- Cangas de Onís3 nights
- Oviedoend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to September brings the long days and open high paths; July and August are warm in the valleys and busiest at Fuente Dé, the Cares and the lakes, so we start early. Cloud and rain are possible in any month. Look for griffon vultures over the gorges, chamois on the high ground around Horcados Rojos, and cows, sheep and goats on the summer pastures.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Regular walkers who are happy on mountain paths for 4 to 6 hours
- Travellers who want both sides of the Picos, not a week in one village
- Food lovers curious about cave-ripened cheese and Asturian cider
- Couples and solo travellers who want a small group with free evenings
Not for you if you want
- Anyone with a strong fear of heights: the Cares path has long unfenced drops
- Travellers who need step-free access or level ground
- Those looking for multi-day hut-to-hut trekking or technical climbing
- A city or beach holiday
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Potes3 nights
- Cangas de Onís3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights in central 3-star-plus hotels: 3 in Potes and 3 in Cangas de Onís
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Bilbao Airport (BIO) and drop-off in Oviedo or at Asturias Airport (OVD)
- Our own vehicle and driver for the whole trip, moving your luggage between hotels
- The Fuente Dé cable car, up and down
- The Bulnes funicular
- The park shuttle bus to the Covadonga lakes when the road is closed to private vehicles
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, with a qualified local mountain guide on the high walks where required
Activities
- Liébana: Santo Toribio de Liébana and the San Miguel viewpoint
- Fuente Dé: the guided walk to Horcados Rojos
- Bejes: a Picón Bejes-Tresviso cheese cave visit and tasting
- The Cares Gorge, Caín to Poncebos
- Covadonga: the Santa Cueva and the basilica
- The lakes of Enol and Ercina and a guided walk on the Western Massif
- Bulnes and the Canal del Texu walk
- Arenas de Cabrales: the Cueva del Queso de Cabrales with a tasting
Meals
- 6 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: picnics on the Horcados Rojos and Cares days, sit-down lunches in Liébana, by the Covadonga lakes and in Bulnes
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Potes and a cider-house dinner in Cangas de Onís
Not included
- International flights to Bilbao and from Asturias
- Visas or the ETIAS travel authorisation if it applies
- Travel insurance with mountain walking cover
- Meals not listed
- Drinks, except the cider at the cider-house dinner and the wine at the cheese tastings
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Walking boots, poles and other personal gear
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 535 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in central hotels in Potes and Cangas de Onís, 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners, airport pick-up and drop-off, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the Fuente Dé cable car, the Bulnes funicular, two cheese-cave tastings, Covadonga and the lakes, and every guided walk in the day plan.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, never more. On narrow paths like the Cares that keeps the group together and lets everyone hear the guide, and 12 people fit around one table at lunch in a mountain village.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with you from Bilbao to Oviedo. On the high walks at Fuente Dé and in the Cares, a qualified local mountain guide joins where Spanish rules or conditions call for one. We name your guide when your dates are confirmed.
How fit do I need to be for the Picos de Europa walks?
You should be comfortable walking 4 to 6 hours on rocky mountain paths, with up to about 550 m of ascent, on three of the seven days. Each of those has a 2-hour version led from the same start, the Bulnes day is about 2 hours on foot, and the vehicle is on hand, so you can take an easier day without missing the place.
Is the Cares Gorge walk scary?
The path is about 2 to 3 m wide and mostly level, but much of it has no railing above long drops to the river. Most walkers find it comfortable; if heights trouble you, take the easy option of the first 3 km from Caín and back, and ride round to meet the group.
Can I travel solo, and is there a single supplement?
Yes. Solo travellers are welcome and pay the same trip price plus a single supplement from CAD 535 for a room of your own, which is a real single or double room, not a box room. If you would rather share, ask us about matching you with a roommate.
When is the best time to hike the Picos de Europa?
June to September, when the high paths are usually free of snow and the Fuente Dé cable car runs long hours. June and September are quieter; July and August are warmest and busiest, so we start early. Cloud and rain are possible in any month.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. The small group starts from CAD 3,155 per person sharing, taxes included; the private trip starts from CAD 5,680.
Can we go on our own dates?
Yes. The private version runs for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather walk independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, transfers and lifts without a guide.
Do I need a visa for Spain?
Canadian, US, UK and Australian passport holders do not need a visa for a short tourist stay in the Schengen area. ETIAS has not started and the EU has not confirmed a start date; we tell you at booking if it applies to your dates.
Which airports do I fly into and out of?
Fly into Bilbao (BIO) and out of Asturias Airport (OVD), or Oviedo by train. It is a one-way route, so book an open-jaw ticket; it can cost a little more than a return to one airport, and that cost is yours. Land in Bilbao by about 12:30 pm on day 1 and book your flight home after about 2 pm on day 7.
What if the weather closes the mountains?
The guide watches the forecast and swaps days or routes. If cloud covers Fuente Dé, that walk moves to day 3; if the high ground is unsafe, we choose a lower valley walk. The cable car and funicular are used whenever they run safely.
What is Cabrales cheese and do we taste it?
Cabrales is a strong blue cheese from the Cabrales valley in Asturias, ripened in limestone caves. We taste it at the Cueva del Queso in Arenas de Cabrales on day 6, and its Cantabrian cousin, Picón Bejes-Tresviso, in a cheesemaker's cave in Bejes on day 3.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.