The best viewpoints in Picos de Europa

The word viewpoint in Asturias takes on a very special meaning, and of course it is always synonymous with discovery, surprise, unusual beauty?

From the viewpoints you will catch a glimpse of impressive, peaceful, hidden landscapes, prone to stories and legends, with hundreds and thousands of years of life.

The viewpoints, those marvellous vantage points that give you a glimpse of incredible landscapes and help you to get to know a way of life, a culture, a whole universe that will undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience...

The journey that begins here will take us to the most beautiful viewpoints that exist in the Picos de Europa, and also to others that are in the surroundings and from which we will contemplate the Picos de Europa.

Climbing up in Asturias is a fascinating adventure: you see the Picos from the inside, you see what surrounds them, or you simply see them from a panoramic viewpoint.

A tour that will not leave you indifferent!

Cuadonga/Covadonga has always been a different place, and with a setting that is conducive to good views.

One of the most popular viewpoints in the surroundings of the Royal Site of Cuadonga/Covadonga is the Mirador de los Canónigos, located a few metres from the Santa Cueva, on the road that goes up to Los Lagos.

It is said that it is named after the canons who used to go there on foot to enjoy a privileged view of Cuadonga/Covadonga.

Nowadays it is not only the inhabitants of Cuadonga/Covadonga who enjoy these views, but also the numerous pilgrims, travellers and tourists who come here.

Picos de Europa has a viewpoint dedicated to a Queen of Spain.

This famous viewpoint is one of the most popular in Picos de Europa, as it is located at the foot of the road on the way up to Los Lagos and offers splendid views of the surrounding area of the National Park.

The Mirador de la Reina viewpoint is like a sort of balcony from the Picos de Europa to the rest of the world: the Cantabrian coast at Ribadesella and Llanes, Mount Sueve, the meadow of the mythical river Güena, the Cuera mountain range, the lands of Onís, Cangas de Onís and Cabrales...

And of course, a curious note is that it owes its name to Queen Victoria Eugenia de Battenberg, wife of Alfonso XIII, who at some point in her life visited Covadonga and the surrounding area.

And don't forget that one of the best times to emulate the queen's gaze and enjoy the landscape is early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

The Princesa viewpoint, the latest to be inaugurated in Picos de Europa in September 2018 to commemorate the centenary of the National Park, is located on Sohornín peak, at an altitude of over 1000 metres, with Lake Enol at its feet, and a panoramic view of the great peaks of the western massif of the Picos de Europa that will leave you impressed.

It is also the fourth viewpoint dedicated to Spanish royalty in the Picos de Europa National Park. In this case, the princess is Leonor de Borbón, the current heir to the Spanish throne, and the first princess in history to have a dedication in Picos de Europa in the form of a viewpoint.

The Entrelagos viewpoint offers a unique panoramic view of the lakes Enol and Ercina.

A gentle slope between the two lakes is the hillock that serves as a viewpoint, and at a glance, Enol and Ercina on your retina.

Whether you go up from Lake Enol or Ercina, you can take a quiet and easy walk, and at the top you can contemplate this subtle view.

And very importantly, with little effort, so that you have the energy reserve to enjoy taking photographs, making videos or simply contemplating the landscape...

Picos de Europa also has a viewpoint dedicated to a king. Specifically, the king is Alfonso XIII, a lover of the area and under whose reign the National Park of the mountain of Covadonga was conceived and created, the seed of today's Picos de Europa National Park.

At the end of the track that runs through the beautiful Vega de Enol, you will find the Mirador del Rey viewpoint, the great vantage point overlooking the beech forest or fayéu de Pome. This viewpoint also has interpretive panels, which always help you to better understand what you have in front of you.

In Asturias, and of course, in the Picos de Europa, the beech forests are a natural spectacle all year round: in spring, with their green shoots of pure life, and in autumn with the multiple shades of their foliage, which turn the forest into an infinite chromatic spiral. It is therefore a real privilege to have a viewpoint that, at this altitude, allows you to enjoy the full life of the Asturian forest.

As could not be otherwise, the Picos also have a viewpoint dedicated to a prince, and which prince would that be? Well, none other than the current King of Spain, Felipe VI, to whom this viewpoint was dedicated when he was Prince of Asturias.

Well, the Prince's viewpoint is another of those places with spectacular views that you cannot miss in the Picos de Europa. Located near the Buferrera area, in the heart of the western massif of the Picos de Europa, it offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Vega de Comeya.

Comeya is today a large wet plain, also known as the absent lake of Covadonga, because it was once a large lake, which, with the passage of time, dried up, due to the porous conditions of the subsoil.

You will be impressed to walk around it. It is enormous and very green. A plain between mountains that still preserves the remains of old mining installations, and which gives you an idea of the living and changing universe of the Picos de Europa.

Roberto Frassinelli, "El Alemán de Corao", and especially Pedro Pidal, Marquis of Villaviciosa, are key figures in the history of the Picos de Europa. On the route that takes us to the viewpoint of Ordiales, you will come across the well-known Pozo del Alemán in the river Pomperi, where Roberto Frassinelli used to bathe - hence the name -, and once in Ordiales, you will culminate your walk with spectacular views over the Angón Valley and much more. And as a surprising fact of historical relevance, Pedro Pidal is buried in the viewpoint itself.

The creation of the Montaña de Covadonga National Park, the first in our country, was made possible largely thanks to the mediation and encouragement of Pedro Pidal. So this route to the Ordiales viewpoint is a tribute to this remarkable historical figure.

Between Lake Enol and the viewpoint you will find a mosaic of pastures, mountain meadows and rock, where you will gain height, and with it you will have beautiful views beyond the Picos de Europa, reaching as far as the Cantabrian coast itself.

And when you reach the viewpoint, paradise is before your eyes, with incredible views of the valley of Angón, Amieva, Ponga and half of Asturias.

Pedro Pidal's dream come true!

The village of Bulnes continues to be a hidden treasure in the middle of the Picos. A true example of survival, resilience and humanisation of the environment. You will soon realise that shepherding and the production of Cabrales cheese have been its signs of identity since time immemorial, and that the mark of this culture is still very present today.

For many years, the Canal del Texu was the means of communication between Bulnes and the rest of the world. It was a 'goat path' to which the humans of the area adapted with prodigious naturalness, just as you will adapt if you do this Canal, and get into the skin of the inhabitants of the Picos de Europa.

However, another option for getting to know Bulnes is to take a rack railway or funicular railway, which will take you to this uniquely charming place in a trice.

In Bulnes you will feel like you are in a fairytale village, with a mountaineers' cemetery and a beautiful church. With a bridge over the river that looks like a film set, and a group of stone houses linked by cobbled paths. You are in the district of La Villa, one of the two that make up Bulnes.

But once you have visited the Villa, and enjoyed its terraces by the river, savouring some cider with some good local food, it will be time to go up to Bulnes de Arriba or El Castillo. This is another Bulnes. With splendid panoramic views over the whole valley, over the neighbourhood of La Villa, and over the Canal del Texu, which from a bird's eye view looks like a drawing drawn by the hand of a mischievous child...

And the icing on the cake to complete this journey is to go to the Bulnes viewpoint, about fifteen minutes from the Villa district, where you will discover one of the thousand faces of the Urriellu, which rises imposingly before you. There is also an explanatory panel at the viewpoint, which is a great help, as always, to find out a little more about this spectacular environment.

Camarmeña is a secluded hamlet nestled among the highest crags, which rises above the Cares gorge and overlooks the Picu Urriellu.

It is one of the four Asturian villages, together with Sotres, Tielve and Bulnes, which are in the Picos de Europa National Park, and one of the two - together with Bulnes - which has a viewpoint to contemplate this mythical peak.

In Camarmeña, both in the ascent along its winding road from Poncebos, with its 9 epic curves, and in the walk through this village, you will feel that verticality is your travelling companion. You could metaphorically say that Camarmeña is not a walk, it is a climb...

Located in the council of Cabrales, with its stone houses anchored to the rock and its sober medieval church, whose belfry outlines the sky of the Picos de Europa, Camarmeña is an incomparable haven of peace.

At any time of the day or night, magic travels through Camarmeña, and devotion to one of the icons of human verticality, the Picu Urriellu, can be felt in every corner.

Asiegu is another of those Asturian villages with absolutely brilliant views. Its 'graphic panel' of the central massif of the Picos de Europa is prodigious.

So from Asiegu the presence and vision of the picu Urriellu is constant, and creates an atmosphere of spectacular beauty.

For this reason, Asiegu has a famous viewpoint called "Pedro Udaondo", in memory of this Basque mountaineer, who died in the Picos de Europa in 2007, the same year that this viewpoint was inaugurated.

It is a unique place to observe and enjoy the thousand faces of the Urriellu.

Just as unique is the whole village of Asiegu, with its traditional houses, its panoramic benches, its church with spectacular mural paintings, its Venida de les Vaques, its atmosphere of shepherds and mountaineers, its Tebrandi sheepfold - with its dreamlike landscape and views.

Asiegu, which was Exemplary Village of Asturias in 2019, is a village designed for peace and quiet and the enjoyment of rural and natural life.

Whether you are a mountain enthusiast or not, when you get to Cabrales, you must make a stop at the Pozo de la Oración, very close to the village of Po, and easily accessible, as it is at the foot of the road.

The place invites you to relax. Before your eyes, not far away, rises the majestic central massif of the Picos de Europa, and among its almost magical outlines, the Picu Urriellu, simply the Picu for the locals, and also known as the Naranjo de Bulnes, stands out.

This viewpoint was built in the 1930s, and it is said that it was Pedro Pidal himself who wanted to highlight the figure of Gregorio Pérez, the cainejo, who had been his companion on the first ever ascent of Picu Urriellu. "I only put my feet and hands where Gregorio told me to," said Pidal, in a gesture of honesty and consideration that has been recorded for posterity.

But the story-legend of this viewpoint does not end there, because it is also said that every spring, Pedro Pidal would approach the Pozo de la Oración and with tears in his eyes, he would ask the Picu: "How have you spent the winter, old friend?

So it is clear that the Pozo de la Oración is an inspirational place full of good vibrations, which for decades has been the focus of attraction for thousands of people, fascinated by so much beauty, at any time of the year.

Another classic place to look out over the Picos de Europa is theAmieva viewpoint . Located on a hill, from here you can enjoy one of the best panoramic views of the western massif of the Picos de Europa.

At the same time, small, secluded villages in the council of Amieva will also be in your mind's eye. These are places well worth visiting, where you can sample traditional Asturian cuisine, as well as enjoying the rural atmosphere and the beautiful landscapes of this rugged and mountainous area.

The viewpoint is halfway between well-known villages such as San Román and Carbes - the latter has important climbing routes - and is an unmissable stop on your way to the Angón valley.

This valley, the valley of Angón, can be seen in all its fullness and magnitude from the viewpoint of Ordiales, where Pedro Pidal is eternally resting.

The best way to complete this prodigious circle of panoramic views!