{"id":887506,"date":"2026-07-23T15:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/?p=887506"},"modified":"2026-07-23T15:48:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:48:38","slug":"picos-de-europa-national-park-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/picos-de-europa-national-park-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"A Love Letter to Picos De Europa National Park: The Jewel of Northern Spain\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Getting off the beaten path is high on many travelers’ lists, but doing so in Europe can be difficult. However, you can still find pockets that are relatively undiscovered \u2014 if you know where to look (or who to ask). One of the most magnificent, according to Trafalgar Travel Director Maddy, is The Picos de Europa \u2014 Spain\u2019s 20km-long mountain range, stretching inland from the Cantabrian Sea on Spain’s northern coast, and brimming with lakes, meadows, gorges, rivers and mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy has only lived in Spain<\/a> permanently for a couple of years, but this vibrant country has been drawing her in for much longer. \u201cI first visited the Picos de Europa<\/a> six years ago and I’ve been three more times since, so there\u2019s still so much for me to explore,” she says. “It really is such a beautiful place, and it’s still a little undiscovered. You arrive and think, \u2018How is nobody on this hiking trail?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Empty
The Picos de Europa is a hiker’s paradise, with miles of tracks and hiking trails largely untrodden by other walkers. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever way you hike it… you’ll see the beauty\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maddy\u2019s first trip to the Picos\u00a0started as an add-on to\u00a0her itinerary. \u201cMy friend lived in\u00a0Barcelona\u00a0and\u00a0she wanted to go to Northern Spain\u00a0\u2014\u00a0San Sebasti\u00e1n, Oviedo, Gij\u00f3n\u00a0\u2014\u00a0because\u00a0she’s\u00a0a foodie.\u00a0I started looking into what else we could do.\u00a0I found\u00a0the Lagos de Covadonga\u00a0lakes up in the mountains,\u00a0and\u00a0I’m\u00a0an absolute sucker for that kind of stuff,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to hike the Cares Trail, which most people do from Poncebos to Ca\u00edn, but we couldn’t find accommodation in Poncebos \u2014 so we realized we could drive through the mountains, stay in Ca\u00edn and hike it from the other side. We didn’t realize that we had to drive through the entire mountain massif to get to that village.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe stopped at every viewpoint because the sun was about to set. Sunsets and sunrises in the Picos are just beautiful. In the morning it’s this pinkish\u2013purple color, and in the afternoon it’s more orange.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn’t know what to expect, but the section in Ca\u00edn is beautiful. The path along the gorge has mountains on both sides, with the gorge dropping nearly three hundred meters down into a valley where the river is. The river is glacial, so the water is cold but super clear. It’s almost like being in Switzerland.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Maddy took an untraditional route through the park, she acknowledges that it\u2019s difficult to go wrong in this beautiful part of the world. \u201cWhatever way you hike it, if you go through the whole gorge you’ll see the beauty of it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lagos
Lagos de Covadonga is one of the Picos’ top sights.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“On one side you have the ocean, and on the other the mountains\u201d<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most unique things about the\u00a0Picos\u00a0de Europa is its proximity to the ocean \u2014 some areas are just 12 miles (20km) from the coast.\u00a0\u201cThat makes\u00a0a big difference,\u201d says Maddy.\u00a0\u201cYou have ocean beaches, then green flat\u00a0meadows and towns like Cangas de On\u00eds,\u00a0Covadonga\u00a0and\u00a0Potes. Then you enter the mountain massif, all\u00a0within\u00a0maybe an\u00a0hour’s drive. Depending on what direction\u00a0you’re\u00a0traveling, on one side you have the ocean and on the other you have the mountains”, she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFurther in you enter the gorges, which were created by the rivers running through the area. The gorges are so narrow that everything feels much higher than it really is.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe higher you get in altitude the more rugged it becomes. It\u2019s proper mountain terrain, almost glacial with light gray limestone. Due to tectonic plate movement and glacier movement, there are plateaus and basins up there \u2014 that’s where the Lagos de Covadonga are. They’re around 1,500 meters altitude but still luscious and green, with beautiful blue lakes in the middle. They formed during the ice age; when the glaciers melted, the lakes and basins were created.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View
Naranjo de Bulnes (Picu Urriellu) is one of the most iconic peaks in the mountain range.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat part of the country is often forgotten\u201d<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So why is this area still relatively underrated?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpain is associated with beaches and big cathedrals \u2014 people don’t necessarily think of green Spain,\u201d says Maddy, referring to Northern Spain. \u201cThat part of the country is often forgotten, in part because it\u2019s not as accessible by train or plane.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Picos were\u00a0also discovered a lot later than other European mountain ranges.\u00a0There’s\u00a0one\u00a0very famous\u00a0mountain in the Picos called the Naranjo de Bulnes (‘Picu Urriellu’ in Asturian).\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a unique shape and\u00a0so steep that you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0really\u00a0hike the mountain itself\u00a0\u2014\u00a0you can only climb it. People first climbed it\u00a0maybe 100\u00a0years ago,\u00a0whereas\u00a0people were climbing mountains like the Matterhorn or the Jungfrau 70 years\u00a0before then, so those were already\u00a0established\u00a0mountaineering destinations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it is becoming more popular \u2014 it recently topped Time Out<\/a>\u2019s list of most beautiful places in the world \u2014 as travelers seek quieter, off-the-beaten-path destinations, it hasn’t lost its magic. \u201cWhen you go to the Picos, it still feels like you’re finding a place that hasn’t been fully uncovered or made it into typical guidebooks yet,\u201d Maddy says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Despite Picos de Europe being off the beaten path, it’s far from inaccessible. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Look into what you want to experience\u201d<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no simple answer when it comes to the best time to visit the Picos de Europa as it depends on what you prioritize, but Maddy has her favorites.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Spanish tend to go in May or June, when the heat starts moving in further south. In July and August it does get quite crowded \u2014 it’s summer holidays, and people from the southern coast often come up into the mountains to escape the heat,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really like traveling in September because the weather is just a little more stable, but late May to mid\u2013June is really special too. There’s a higher chance of rain, but the mist adds to the atmosphere and makes it feel mystic. You still have a little snowmelt, so there are small streams coming down. Everything is starting to bloom.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’d say the shoulder seasons \u2014 May and September \u2014 are the best times to visit. It never gets as crowded as, say, the mountains in Switzerland, Austria or Italy. The Picos are still very underrated by comparison.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But doing your own research into what you\u2019d like to experience \u2014 spring flowers, quieter trails, flowing rivers \u2014 is paramount. \u201cI\u2019d definitely recommend looking into what you specifically want to experience to work out when to visit,\u201d Maddy suggests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Close
Chamois are just one of the many species of wildlife that calls the Picos home<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The weather changes as drastically as the scenery\u201d<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spain is known for dry summers, sunny days and sandy beaches. But, as Maddy\u2019s already explained, that doesn’t apply to northern Spain \u2014 so here are her tips for visiting the Picos de Europa, and how to settle into mountain life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExpect all weathers in one day. We would drive into a valley with pouring rain, then go through a tunnel into another valley and it would be sunny. The weather changes just as drastically as the scenery itself. You have to be open to that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn terms of where to base yourself, you can stay in the bigger coastal cities like Oviedo or Gij\u00f3n where you can get into the park within an hour. But to really experience the essence of the Picos, I’d strongly suggest going further in and staying in one or two of the small towns,\u201d she advises. \u201cA lot of them are tiny \u2014 maybe four or five B&Bs and just a small convenience store \u2014 but you can find little bars and restaurants in most places. The Spanish are still Spanish, even in the mountains. They like to sit down and have their coffee or beer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though experiencing the viewpoints and hiking trails of these mountains is a huge draw for travelers, a trip to the Picos isn\u2019t all go. In fact, it\u2019s strongly advised to do a little less in this part of the world. \u201cThe locals told us: when the sun starts setting, just sit outside, have a glass of wine, and watch how everything changes with the light,\u201d Maddy recalls. \u201cBecause the color of the limestone is so light, when the sun goes down the mountains almost look like they’re on fire. Then the sun drops completely and they become silhouettes, and the sky fills with stars. There’s absolutely no light pollution; it’s just a sea of stars.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a place where humans, animals and nature coexist. You really have to take the time to just enjoy it; the fresh mountain air, the locals you hear in the distance, cicadas or other animals running through. When you go further into the mountains and the small villages, it’s a beautiful opportunity to just slow down.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Distant
Maddy encourages visitors to Picos de Europa to slow down and take in the wild beauty of the landscapes, especially at sunset.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting off the beaten path is high on many travelers’ lists, but doing so in Europe can be difficult. However, you can still find pockets that are relatively undiscovered \u2014 if you know where to look (or who to ask). One of the most magnificent, according to Trafalgar Travel Director Maddy, is The Picos de Europa 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