Ribadesella, Asturias: municipality guide
Ribadesella is the great seafaring town at the mouth of the river Sella: 5,591 inhabitants on 84.37 km² of coast, estuary and mountains. Founded by Alfonso X the Wise in the 13th century, it guards the Tito Bustillo cave, one of the summits of world Palaeolithic art, and every August it hosts the finish of the Descenso Internacional del Sella, the only Festival of International Tourist Interest in Asturias.
Things to see in Ribadesella
The crown jewel is the Tito Bustillo cave, discovered in 1968 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site: a dozen ensembles of Magdalenian paintings and engravings that place it among the great sanctuaries of rock art. Its interpretation centre completes the visit. On the cliffs of Tereñes and Punta’l Pozu, dinosaur footprints add a Jurassic chapter to the municipality’s heritage.
The town displays its elegance along the Gran Vía and the Santa Marina beach promenade, flanked by the indiano mansions built in the early 20th century. On Mount Corberu, the hermitage of the Virgen de la Guía (16th century) watches over the harbour entrance, and the Sella estuary —with its bridge, the Paseo de la Princesa Letizia and the fish market— is the seafaring heart of the town. The Cuevona de Cueves, a cave that serves as the entrance to the village of the same name, and the Romanesque church of Santa María de Junco complete the tour.
The Camino del Norte crosses the municipality: the stage coming from Llanes passes through the town and continues via San Pedro, Abeo and La Vega towards Colunga. Next to the medieval sanctuary of San Mamés de Cuerres stands the Fuente de los Peregrinos (Pilgrims’ Fountain), from the same period.
Getting there
The A-8 runs through the municipality from east to west; the N-634 connects it with Oviedo and the N-632 with Gijón, while the AS-341 and AS-379 link it with Arriondas and Llanes. Oviedo is 83 km away and Asturias airport is just over an hour by motorway.
Map of the municipality of Ribadesella: the capital, in gold. Data © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Festivals and gastronomy
The big event is the Descenso Internacional del Sella, on the first Saturday of August after the 2nd: the finish of Les Piragües turns the town into the world capital of canoeing for a day. The calendar includes San Antón in Cuerres (the Saturday after 17 January), San Juan (24 June), the Virgen de la Guía (July), Ntra. Sra. de las Nieves in Tereñes (5 August), San Mamés (7 August) with the renowned Feria del Queso cheese fair (9 August) and the San Lorenzo cattle fair (10 August), Santa Marina (25 August) and Ntra. Sra. de la Esperanza in Collera (8 September). At the table, Sella salmon and the area’s cheeses.
Municipality facts
Coat of arms: Wikimedia Commons / SanchoPanzaXXI (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Capital: Ribadesella
- Population: 5,591 inhabitants (INE 2025)
- Area: 84.37 km²
- Zone: Eastern
- Demonym: riosellano, riosellana
- Town Hall: Plaza María Cristina, 1, 33560 Ribadesella. Tel. +34 985 86 02 55
Neighbouring municipalities
Useful links
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See it on the interactive map: The 78 municipalities of Asturias
