Founded in 1918 as one of Spain's first two national parks, the 646-square-kilometre Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa encompasses some of Europe's most riveting mountain scenery. The park's many natural wonders – high meadows and lakes, dramatic limestone crags, precipitous river gorges and abundant wildlife, including dozens of species of birds – are accessible by a vast, well-signposted network of hiking trails.
Shutterstock / Fabian Junge
Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa
Top choice in Picos de Europa
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.23 MILES
Some of Spain’s finest cave art, including superb horse paintings probably done around 15,000 to 10,000 BCE, is within this World Heritage–listed cave,…
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2.31 MILES
In less than four minutes, this spine-tingling cable car whisks visitors up from the valley floor to the top of the 600m-high sheer southern wall of the…
28.76 MILES
The 2km-long, soft-blonde Playa Oyambre, 5km west of Comillas, is a sandy dream protected by the Parque Natural Oyambre. It has frequently surfable waves,…
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18.38 MILES
A beautiful, gold-blonde crescent bounded by rocky headlands and a bowl of green hills, 9km west of Llanes, Torimbia is truly spectacular. Turn off the…
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Monasterio de Santo Toribio de Liébana
8.52 MILES
Christian refugees, fleeing to Liébana from Muslim-occupied Spain in the 8th century, brought with them the Lígnum Crucis, purportedly the single biggest…
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19.58 MILES
The small town of Colombres, 21km east of Llanes, has a particularly fine collection of indiano architecture –florid buildings of eclectic styles…
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18.24 MILES
About 8km west of Llanes, the 250m-long sands of Playa de Toranda are backed by green fields and a forested headland. Snorkellers should see a good…
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14.87 MILES
This cave, now with a chapel installed, is where the Virgin supposedly appeared to Pelayo's warriors before their 722 CE victory over the Muslims…
Nearby Picos de Europa attractions
2.31 MILES
In less than four minutes, this spine-tingling cable car whisks visitors up from the valley floor to the top of the 600m-high sheer southern wall of the…
5.89 MILES
One of Cantabria's most picturesque villages, tiny Mogrovejo (population 40) hugs a hillside 10km west of Potes. It's well worth a wander, especially in…
3. Cueva del Queso de Cabrales
8.41 MILES
Learn all about and sample the fine smelly Cabrales cheese at Arenas' Cueva de Cabrales, a cheese-cave museum 500m south of the centre on the Poncebos…
4. Monasterio de Santo Toribio de Liébana
8.52 MILES
Christian refugees, fleeing to Liébana from Muslim-occupied Spain in the 8th century, brought with them the Lígnum Crucis, purportedly the single biggest…
8.93 MILES
While not a must-see, this painstakingly restored 19th-century country home offers an intriguing insight into traditional Picos-area life and architecture…
9.99 MILES
Moved from Fuente Dé to downtown Potes in 2016, the Casa del Oso has interactive exhibits and documentaries on endangered Cantabrian brown bears. It's run…
10 MILES
Situated beside Potes' medieval San Cayetano bridge, the squat Torre del Infantado, with an amazingly modern interior inside its 15th-century shell,…
8. Iglesia de Santa María de Lebeña
11.83 MILES
The fascinating Lebeña church, 9km northeast of Potes, dates back to the 9th or 10th century. The horseshoe arches are a telltale sign of its Mozarabic…