8 experiences for Easter Week in Asturias

Easter in Asturias is just around the corner, and there are many and varied options for enjoying the best leisure activities in paradise. From a good walk in the middle of nature, to the practice of some activity, to shows, workshops and games, and always without forgetting the excellent gastronomy or the contact with the good Asturian people. And all in an incomparable and unforgettable setting that guarantees total relaxation and disconnection...

Here are 8 experiences for this Easter in Asturias!

Get lost in our Biosphere Reserves

Asturias has seven Biosphere Reserves, each with a different charm. A walk through each and every one of them will be an experience.

Oscos-Eo

This is the ideal time to be seduced by the magic of the river Eo. This reserve is the most westerly of the Asturian reserves, and it has forests of a thousand colours, black slate roofs that contrast with the green of the landscape, unique hórreos (raised granaries), and lots of ethnography.

Water and river - the Eo - are the protagonists of a nature that leaves its mark, and as if that were not enough, this famous border river, when it becomes an estuary, flows into marvellous beaches and cliffs of great beauty.

Furthermore, this Oscos-Eo Biosphere Reserve is home to the cradle of rural tourism: the village of Taramundi, with its traditional knifemaking and craftsmanship, and its deeply welcoming people.

Picos de Europa National Park

This Reserve of the Picos de Europa National Park is home to the highest peaks of the Cantabrian mountain range. These peaks are steeped in history, like the rest of the territory, where the Kingdom of Asturias was born and where a legendary page of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe was written.

Amidst so much history, there is always time for a quiet walk amidst film-like scenery, or for tasting famous cheeses such as Cabrales or Gamonéu, the production of which is closely linked to the livestock and pastoral life of the Picos de Europa.

Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Nature Reserve

This Reserve is one of the youngest to be declared as such, as it was the last one to be recognised by UNESCO. A unique area of great beauty, it is home to the highest peaks in Asturias after the Picos de Europa, the famous Ubiñas, the dream of mountaineers and nature lovers.

This Reserve is also rich in history, as a famous Roman road, known as the Camín Real de la Mesa, runs through it.

Furthermore, as far as fauna is concerned, Las Ubiñas-La Mesa is one of the favourite refuges of the Cantabrian Brown Bear.

Redes Nature Reserve

This Reserve is characterised by a humanised nature, pastures and livestock, beautiful mountains, good and very famous cheeses such as Casín, capercaillies, lost villages?

In short, a world where time stands still and that instant will be engraved forever on the retina and in the memory.

The smell of cheese, the sound of the cattle shearing, the huts, the outline of the mountains. Everything in the Redes Natural Park is familiar and very close...

Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias Natural Park

This corner of Asturias hides great environmental treasures: the largest oak forest in Europe, the Muniellos forest, and a notable population of brown bears. But its scenic surroundings are also of spectacular beauty, plain and simple.

It is the only wine-producing Biosphere Reserve in Asturias, and the reason for this is that it is the only area in Asturias where wine is produced, and with a great tradition.

The viticulture of this area is defined as heroic because it is made up of mountain vineyards, literally hanging from steep slopes.

This Reserve of the Natural Park of Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias therefore holds enormous surprises and landscape contrasts that range from dreamy forests to vineyards that invite you to stay...

Somiedo Natural Park

Somiedo is a land of "brañas", "cabanas de teito", livestock, lakes and dream landscapes. It is another of those places where you can lose yourself ad infinitum. Here the air is one of the purest on the planet, and serenity and tranquillity are eternal travelling companions.

The truth is that precisely because of this special combination of man and cattle, the Somiedo Nature Reserve is also a great ethnographic reserve and a great repository of the customs and traditions of yesteryear, and also one of the places in Asturias where you can best appreciate the history and way of life of the vaqueiro people (transhumant herdsmen).

Ponga Natural Park

The Ponga Nature Reserve is the natural space of captivating views, precisely because of its rugged and untamed orography, made up of an enormous limestone mass that outlines mountain ranges and ridges, where there are numerous privileged vantage points.

The seventh and last Biosphere Reserve of Asturias is a true Eden. A hidden treasure with more than twenty hectares of exotic and rich landscape, located to the west of the Picos de Europa, and halfway between them and the Redes Natural Park, making up this chain of territories a great spot of the Biosphere in the world.

Mountain passes, remote villages, sheepfolds and trails are scattered in this steep land, which does not even soften its slopes on the banks of the river Ponga, which runs between gorges and gorges in its passionate descent to the plains that bathe the river Sella.

Passion in our cities

The passion of Holy Week finds its perfect counterpoint in the three cities of Asturias: Oviedo/Uviéu, Gijón/Xixón and Avilés. The three make up a geography of dynamism and good atmosphere, which is ideal for the days of Holy Week.

The highlight, both in the case of Avilés and Oviedo/Uviéu, are the processions, which are also held in the incomparable setting of their respective historic centres, each one more pleasant and dazzling, especially with the characteristic lighting and scenery of these dates.

Gijón/Xixón reserves the privilege of a well-known procession in the historic fishermen's quarter - Cimavilla -, and indulges in the pleasures of good food with the 'preba' of the first cider of the year, as the perfect prelude to Easter.

In any case, any of the three options is more than ideal, or all three, because the three agendas are complementary. The highlight is the Bollo festival in Avilés on Easter Monday.

Give unforgettable emotions to your children

Easter is a time for school holidays, so children always appreciate different plans, unexpected and imaginative entertainment. It's time to give unforgettable emotions as a present, and in Asturias it's quite easy.

You can visit the Teverga Prehistoric Park, where you can see prehistoric animals in its enclosure, or enjoy its workshops, and of course the spectacular natural surroundings of the area, with places such as Cueva Huerta or the Senda del Oso (Bear's Path) standing out. Another option is the Tito Bustillo Cave Art Centre, in Ribadesella/Ribeseya, where the surroundings are also of great beauty. Or the Pre-Romanesque Centre, in Oviedo/Uviéu, on the very slopes of Monte Naranco. Or La Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura in Gijón/Xixón, where there is also a huge amount of leisure activity.

And if your little ones are fascinated by dinosaurs, your place is the Jurassic Museum of Asturias, better known as MUJA, where they will be amazed by the 39 life-size replicas of dinosaurs that they will find in the green space outside the museum, and also by the entertaining and educational activities that this hyperactive facility always has. So you have museums for all tastes and moments.

A complete and varied offer for a holiday time.

Check out the details at www.agendadeasturias.es!

Eat like never before

Easter is coming and it's time to marvel at the shop windows of Asturias' confectioner's shops, and at the rich and varied range of sweets that can be enjoyed at this time of year.

But it is also a time for savoury dishes, and to enjoy eating that fabada you have been waiting for, or discovering the fish and seafood of the Bay of Biscay. It is a time for cooking, and for great tables and after-dinner meals.

In addition, the first ciders are knocking at the door and the espichas begin, and with them the joy that invades every corner. It is a time for leisurely gatherings, tastings, songs and music..., in short, unforgettable celebrations.

There are dozens of gastronomic experiences to enjoy in Asturias!

Release your adrenaline

Easter is an excellent time to let off some adrenaline by doing some kind of activity that encourages a connection with nature. It can be a great time to go on a guided route, or to go canyoning (the latter for the less cold-hearted).

If the weather conditions are good, you can also try canoeing or rafting, for example. Another advisable option is a horse-riding or cycling route. And of course, a more than advisable option is skiing in the two Asturian resorts of Valgrande-Pajares and Fuentes de Invierno, before the end of the season...

Be that as it may, there are many options for active tourism, and the choice of one or the other is a matter of taste.

And there are even those to see how others let off some adrenaline, and a clear example is the great spectacle of the Tapia Surfing Championship...

Fall in love with culture and music in Asturias

Easter is a great time to give free rein to your passion for culture and a wide variety of shows, and in this respect the Asturian agenda is wide and varied. All the theatres, museums and exhibition centres are bursting with activity to make you fall in love with Asturias in this respect too.

Within the framework of this festive and fun-filled hustle and bustle, you will find cultural events all over Asturias.

Culture lovers really do have a wide range of possibilities to choose from.

Check out all the possibilities at www.agendadeasturias.es!

Get in touch with Asturian people

Undoubtedly, one of the great attractions of Asturias is its people, who are very open-minded and make the traveller's stay very easy.

Meeting people can be one of the most interesting incentives of a trip to Asturias. With the help of its hospitable inhabitants, it is very easy to get to know the customs and daily life of this land, as well as its festive moments, its landscapes and its history.

Interacting with the people of Asturias is always a great cultural and personal heritage in the form of emotions, unique moments and memories.

Wake up from a wonderful dream

Waking up in Asturias is always a wonderful feeling. Restful rest, relaxing silence, and often splendid views, whether urban or rural.

Intense emotions when contemplating from a room the old part of a city, its most curious corners, its streets full of atmosphere, or a dreamy village landscape, where there is room for mountains and valleys, hillsides and mountains, forests, rivers, coast and beach?

Waking up in Asturias is always a chain of dreams: you wake up from one and start another...