Nature in Asturias: the Picos de Europa and around Oviedo

One of the perks of settling in Oviedo is how close nature is, without giving up the comfort of living in a city. Here’s what’s within reach.

Spain’s first national park

The Picos de Europa were declared a national park in 1918, the first in Spain, and today they stretch across Asturias, Cantabria and León. It’s one of the most spectacular mountain areas in northern Spain, with limestone peaks, glacial lakes like those of Covadonga, and hiking routes for every level.

From Oviedo to the mountains

Even though Oviedo is a city, nature is close by: the Picos de Europa are just over an hour’s drive from the centre, and the Somiedo Biosphere Reserve, with its lakes and traditional mountain huts (brañas), is a similar distance to the west of Asturias.

The Camino Primitivo

Oviedo is also a waypoint on the Camino Primitivo, the oldest pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, which crosses inland Asturias through mountain scenery before reaching Galicia — an option for anyone who wants to combine their stay in the city with a stage or two on foot.

Cheese from a cave, nature on the table

The Picos de Europa’s own environment is behind one of the region’s best-known products: Cabrales cheese matures in natural caves in this mountain area, where humidity and cold air currents are part of the process.