Things to do in Asturias when it rains: 10 ideas for enjoying this natural paradise

Is it raining during your trip to Asturias? Don’t change your plans. Museums, cider houses, cheese shops, caves, industrial tourism experiences and cultural activities are just some of the alternatives for continuing to explore this Natural Paradise. Here are 10 ideas for enjoying Asturias even on rainy days.

The museums of Asturias are ideal places to visit on rainy days. They offer the perfect way to combine your thirst for culture with a desire to learn a little more about the traditions, history and prehistory of the region you’re visiting.

Some are highly interactive and offer activities that spark your creativity. Others feature fascinating permanent exhibitions. Still others host travelling exhibitions that are equally captivating.

And all these museums have their own unique charm, whether they’re in the countryside or in the city. That’s why it’s really important to always have a plan B, for those days when you don’t fancy getting a bit wet out in the great outdoors…

Any day or time is a good one to enjoy the many delights of Asturian Cider Culture, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. But if it rains, the experience becomes truly magical… The ‘chigre’, with its traditional songs, its tapas and dishes showcasing the very best of Asturian cuisine, and its lively atmosphere, fills you with life the moment you set foot inside it – or in any of the many cider houses dotted throughout Asturias, in both villages and towns.

What’s more, one of those peaceful, rainy days is the perfect time to try your hand – if you haven’t already – at the art of pouring. You’ll realise that it requires a great deal of calm, concentration and technique, and above all, that you need to heed the expert advice. All in all, it’s an experience you’ll want to repeat time and time again…

And of course, Asturian autumn and winter provide the ideal setting, together with their constant companion, the rain, to fully enjoy, in a friendly atmosphere, all the tradition and immense vitality offered by the so-called ‘spoon dishes’ – precisely because the spoon is the most suitable utensil for savouring them.

Les fabes and stews reign supreme on the tables at this time of year, with all the traditional accompaniments – and many others – depending on the chef’s creativity and the seasonal produce.

In any case, it’s the perfect time to savour these ‘spoon dishes’, and even to try your hand at making thesetime-honoured recipes, which never cease to surprise you…

It’s no coincidence that Asturias is known as the land of fifty cheeses. You’ll soon realise why. As soon as you start eating with an Asturian accent, you’ll see that cheese is more than half the story in a land where pastures, mountains, livestock and farmers have been key to the survival and continuity of the culinary culture of the ‘Natural Paradise’.

Nowadays, it’s very easy, enjoyable and educational to visit a cheese dairy and learn about the process of making such iconic cheeses as Cabrales, Gamonéu, Casín and Afuega’l pitu, to name but a few.

What’s more, these visits always have a happy ending, as they usually round off with a tasting…

Asturias’s underground world is incredibly rich and varied, encompassing both natural formations and those created and shaped by human hands.

And, of course, when it rains, it’s the perfect plan for a guided tour, provided the necessary safety conditions are in place.

Whether you’re going down into a mine or exploring a natural cave, these are unique experiences you won’t forget and which you’ll most likely recommend to your friends.

That said, they are very different experiences.

At the mine, you realise just how much ingenuity and human effort have gone into survival and social development. If you want to discover the world of mining, Asturias offers a wide range of options for you to enjoy various industrial tourism experiences.

Inside the cave, you become aware of the grandeur of nature and its infinite beauty. This is what you’ll experience, for example, at Cueva Huerta (Teverga), which is the one shown in the photograph. And it’s the same in other caves open to visitors in Asturias.

Asturias’ cultural life is vibrant and varied at any time of year, but it is even more so during the autumn and winter. Dozens of shows are staged in various theatres, cultural centres and other venues, catering to all tastes and audiences.

Music, concerts, theatre performances and all manner of cultural activities delight an audience that is always eager and receptive to Asturias’s vast cultural offering.

So rainy days are the perfect time to add a great show to your diary – you’re sure to find it thoroughly rewarding.

To find out what’s on over the coming weeks, check out the Asturias Events Calendar!

The skies of Asturias are a true blessing for the senses. Full of nuances, different clouds and unexpected light, where, when the sun shines, it does so in a thousand different ways…

And those skies provide the perfect canvas for a rainbow to suddenly appear, especially when there are water droplets in the atmosphere.

The rainbow is surely one of the optical phenomena – with its luminous spectrum of colours – that best complements the Asturian sky and landscape. With those skies of infinite blues and that landscape of a thousand shades of green and ochre.

After a spell of rain, keep your eyes peeled wherever you are, because in a matter of seconds you might spot a rainbow, with the sea in the background, or the mountains, or simply from any square in any village or town…

Seeing the rainbow, etching the image into your memory, or capturing the moment with your camera is one of those incredible experiences.

On rainy and stormy days, the sea is particularly beautiful and offers a spectacle of waves and white foam that is often breathtaking.

Contemplating the shapes and sounds of the waves is truly a unique experience of connecting with nature on the coast. The power of the tide is one of the phenomena that most re-energises both locals and visitors alike.

These tides are often so powerful that, on the karst coastline of eastern Asturias, they give rise to the ‘bufones’ – those columns of salt water that surge up through the rock chimneys along the coast.

The truth is that the bufones are a sight to behold and a sound to hear, and it is hard to say whether they are more impressive for the height and size they can reach, or for the immense roar they produce. On the eastern coast of Asturias, particularly from Llames de Pría (on the border between Ribadesella and Llanes), and along the entire coastline of Llanes and Ribadedeva, they are a common sight when tidal conditions are just right.

So, with waves, tides and the ‘bufones’, all topped off with a few drops of rain, the recipe for thrills and a strong connection with nature and the environment is served… Now it’s time to savour it!

In Asturias, the orbayu is sometimes your companion on a hike. You just need to be properly prepared so you don’t get too wet. Otherwise, this fine drizzle can actually be quite pleasant and refreshing. Just like finding yourself in the middle of a hiking trail, with a waterfall gushing with water, or a mighty torrent that suddenly turns into a sort of open-air spa…

The water vapour sprayed onto your face will give you a sense of freedom and the feeling that you are literally drinking in nature – an experience that will be simply unforgettable.

What’s more, the powerful resonance of the full flow of water will make you reflect on the strength and vitality of nature, which must be cherished so that it can continue to offer such delights.

Come rain or shine, the rivers of Asturias are one of the main attractions of this Natural Paradise. The riverside landscapes are particularly beautiful. Lush riverbanks, forests bathed in fresh water, rapids and waterfalls, rivers plunging into the depths of breathtaking gorges… Hundreds of different scenes, all of them fascinating.

And the rain enhances the scene, with thousands of raindrops falling into the riverbed, and that unmistakable scent of damp grass and wet earth. It is, in fact, yet another natural hallmark of the Asturian countryside.

The rain gives the river strength and vigour, and you watch as the landscape is transformed in the blink of an eye.

The sound of rain on windows, or on wood, or on the ground – especially in villages – takes on a special quality. It provides a very soothing backdrop for contemplation, conversation, reading or listening to music… In short, the rain is excellent company for moments of relaxation, and if it’s accompanied by a log fire, it allows you to reach a true ‘nirvana’.

Asturias has tourist accommodation that offers the ideal atmosphere for enjoying those moments of total peace on rainy days. This is certainly true of the Club de Calidad de Hoteles Casonas Asturianas.

The city has its own charm too, especially with its theatres, cafés, museums and shops, or on a stroll by the sea or along the river…