The most interesting viewpoints to get a glimpse of paradise

One of the senses that you exercise the most and that you enjoy the most in Asturias is the sight, and the fact is that in any nook, corner, place or direction that you focus your gaze, you find beauty and more beauty.

So there is no route or path, road or cove that boasts, or place of mountain or coast, where there is not a viewpoint, erected in a privileged place, with the best orientation and of course with the best views, for the enjoyment of travellers, pilgrims or hikers.

So, here we suggest 12 viewpoints to get a glimpse of paradise!

Llastres is a charming fishing village, in the council of Colunga, which looks out passionately to the sea and the Sueve mountain.

You will find it an absolute pleasure to stroll through this village where the air is impregnated with the aromas of the sea and where every corner, every house, every detail is reminiscent of the Bay of Biscay.

On your peaceful stroll you will reach the highest point of the village, where the chapel of San Roque - a deeply-rooted devotion - is located, and from which you can see the entire eastern coast and also the mountains of the area, including the Picos de Europa.

There is a place on the western coast of Asturias that is very characteristic and well known for being the location of the hermitage of La Regalina, in Cadavéu, in the council of Valdés, where every year, coinciding with the last Sunday in August, one of the most celebrated pilgrimages of all those that take place in Asturias is held.

The whole is simply spectacular: a chapel painted blue, a granary and in perspective the whole sea and the entire western coast, with the capes Busto and Vidio, ready to be sighted on days when the haze gives permission. And in the foreground, of course, the beach of Cadavéu.

If you travel through the eastern region of Asturias, the Fitu viewpoint is a must-see and a must-see to enjoy a three hundred and sixty-degree panoramic sweep of all the scenic grandeur of an area, in which two very unusual features on the entire European continent are particularly striking: the profusion of mountains, crowned by the high limestone peaks of the Picos de Europa, and their proximity to the sea, to the point that on a good day, you will see the boats passing...

From the viewpoint of El Fitu, in the council of Parres, and on the outskirts of the Sueve mountain range, you can spend a glorious time with the imposing and at the same time gentle Asturian orography.

Few cities in the world have the privilege of having as a viewpoint a mountain like Naranco, on whose slopes glorious chapters of the history of the ancient kingdom of Asturias have been written, and for this reason the pre-Romanesque monuments of Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo still stand there as a testimony to that era.

So, at the same time as you enjoy contemplating history, you can take a look at the city of Oviedo/Uviéu and see it in all its splendour, at any time of the day or night, because Mount Naranco is a kind of immense window onto the capital of Asturias and its surroundings.

Two beaches and only one viewpoint. That could be your headline for the day when you go to La Boriza, in the council of Llanes, precisely because from there you will have the best panoramic views of the beaches of Andrín - to the east - and Ballota - to the west -.

You will also see the town of Llanes, the Cuera mountain range and the Picos de Europa. In fact, the La Boriza viewpoint is a unique and spectacular spot, where your gaze will never tire of treasuring unforgettable images.

The Picos de Europa, by their very morphology, are a succession of slopes, where the jous and the channels give way to the high peaks in an infinite spiral of landscape that is both enveloping and surprising.

One of the viewpoints with the most epic history of all those in the Picos de Europa is that of Ordiales, whose origin is closely linked to a key figure in the creation of the Picos de Europa National Park a century ago: Pedro Pidal.

Pidal, a lover of the Picos and an excellent connoisseur of them, is buried in the Mirador de Ordiales viewpoint itself. So, as you look out over the splendid views of the Angón Valley that this place offers you, you are living with a romantic story. You will also be able to see the whole of Amieva, Ponga and a large part of Asturias, especially on clear days.

The coastline in Asturias will bring you constant discoveries that will leave you amazed, and among them is one of the most surprising places for its natural beauty and scenic power: the Cabu Peñes (Gozón), an old acquaintance of sailors of all latitudes, as it is the northernmost point of Asturias, and one of those that mark the north in the Iberian Peninsula.

From Cabu Peñes you will not only enjoy the immensity of the view to the east and west, but also the impressive cliffs and islets that break up the coastline. In addition, the surroundings - very green -, with its lighthouse and the different paths that are drawn in the area, make up a film-like scene.

If there is one thing you will strive to do when you are in the Picos de Europa region, it is to see (and if you can touch) the mythical Naranjo de Bulnes or Picu Urriellu, a great summit that has marked the history of Spanish mountaineering, as it is one of the most impregnable mountains in the whole continent.

Coincidentally, the first to summit the Urriellu were Pedro Pidal and Gregorio Pérez, "el cainejo". And to top it all off, a few years ago, another great Spanish mountaineer, Pedro Udaondo, gave his name to a viewpoint located in a marvellous village in Cabrales called Asiegu.

Well, from Asiegu you have one of the most charming views - in the panoramic distance - of the Picu Urriellu.

The viewpoint of the Penouta mountain range, in Boal, is one of the great vantage points of western Asturias. From its altitude of 800 metres, it offers splendid views of the councils of Villayón and Boal, and if the light is with you at that moment, you can see as far as central Asturias.

And the fact is that the mountain ranges and mountains of western Asturias, with their size and immensity, make you feel like a small being in the midst of the grandeur of a landscape that is always friendly and ready to show you the best of itself.

If you go to A Paicega, in Pesoz, you will discover an old settlement built in the mid-20th century to house the workers who built the imposing Salime reservoir dam. Today it is an uninhabited place, whose architecture stands the test of time and gives you a glimpse of what life was like for that group, as you can still see some buildings such as the barracks used as dwellings, the church and the remains of a cable car.

Because of the location of this village, on a hillside that slopes down towards the reservoir, you will have splendid views over the Navia river and the surrounding mountain ranges in the area.

On the way to Los Oscos, a little before the pass of La Garganta, you will find this spectacular viewpoint, where you can contemplate a beautiful landscape of meadows and pastures of intense and varied green tones.

You will realise that you are entering an ancestral land, where at times you will feel as if time has stood still. A land that is an authentic ethnographic and ingenious reserve, as well as a land of traditional uses and customs.

Moreover, a few kilometres away you have the village of Morlongo, with its hórreos (raised granaries), its castro and its mill. And just a few metres from the road, the famous and beautiful waterfall of Morlongo.

There are several viewpoints to contemplate Munieḷḷos, in the Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias Natural Park, and one of them is located on the road that connects Cangas del Narcea with Ibias through the Puerto del Connio. This road is part of the tourist route called "Ruta de los Puertos", which is also the only road that crosses the Munieḷḷos Integral Nature Reserve.

From there the views are marvellous at any time of day, and the sunsets have a special charm. The viewpoint is located at the foot of the road and has a car park, as well as benches where you can sit quietly and admire the forest, its stillness, its flora and also the fauna that inhabits it.