El Franco, Asturias: municipality guide

El Franco is a coastal municipality in western Asturias, in the Eo-Navia comarca. Its capital is La Caridad; it has 3,728 inhabitants (INE 2025) and covers 78.03 km².

The municipality of El Franco highlighted in green (western Asturias) on the map of Asturias

What to see in El Franco

The Arancedo manor-palace. This manor-palace is one of the finest examples of civil architecture in the municipality, a testament to the stately past of the Eo-Navia comarca. Its image, with the stone façade overlooking the landscape, is one of El Franco’s classic postcards.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Gandalín del Revellón (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The port of Viavélez. Nestled between cliffs, it is one of the most picturesque fishing ports on the Cantabrian coast, its breakwater sheltering a small harbor where the atmosphere of traditional fishing can still be felt. The village is also known for the schools funded by the indiano Eduardo Jardón, with a neoclassical doorway.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Robertoalonsomen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Fonfría palace. Another of the stately buildings scattered across the municipality. Together with the Arancedo manor-palace and the Miudes palace, it forms part of El Franco’s rich palatial heritage.

The church of Santa María. It preserves Romanesque remains, such as the semicircular apse. Inside it keeps a carving of the Virgin enthroned with the Child, a piece of great artistic value in the municipality’s religious heritage.

The Miudes palace. Linked to the Castropol family, it has a U-shaped plan with a crenellated wall and a square tower. It is one of the most unique examples of palatial architecture in western Asturias.

The Andina caves. Declared a Natural Heritage site (Patrimonio Natural), these Lower Cambrian cavities are one of the municipality’s most interesting geological spaces. A visit offers a glimpse into millions of years of geological history in western Asturias.

Camino de Santiago: the Camino del Norte — a UNESCO World Heritage site — passes through El Franco at La Caridad, which has a pilgrims’ hostel.

Getting there

The municipality is crossed by the A-8 motorway and the N-634 national road, between kilometers 532 and 538, as well as the local FR-1 to FR-6 roads. La Caridad, the municipal capital, lies 115 kilometers from Oviedo. The municipality borders Coaña to the east, Boal and Castropol to the south, and Tapia de Casariego to the west, and is organized into eight parishes.

The municipality of El Franco and its main towns · the capital, La Caridad, in gold

Municipality map: data © OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Own rendering, no Google, no cookies.

Festivals and gastronomy

Festivities are spread across the municipality: in June, Santo Antonio in Miudes (13th) and San Juan de Prendonés (24th), plus Corpus Christi in Valdepares; in August, Santo Ángel in Viavélez (2nd) and San Bartolomé in Valdepares (24th); on the last Saturday of August, La Noite Celta de Porcía is celebrated, a festival exalting Celtic culture held since 1983; in September, the Remedios pilgrimage in La Caridad (8th) and San Miguel (29th); and in October, El Pilar in La Caridad (12th). El Franco lies in the eonaviego-speaking area, the Galician-Asturian variety spoken in western Asturias.

Municipality data

Capital: La Caridad
Population: 3,728 inhabitants (INE 2025)
Area: 78.03 km²
Zone: West
Demonym: franquino, -a
Parishes: 8 (Arancedo, La Braña, La Caridad, Lebredo, Miudes, Prendones, Valdepares and Villalmarzo)
Town Council phone: 985 47 86 01
Address: Plaza de España, 3 — 33750 A Caridá