Bimenes, Asturias: municipality guide

Bimenes is a municipality in east-central Asturias, in the Pra river valley. Its capital is Martimporra, 32 kilometres from Oviedo. With 1,639 inhabitants, it preserves an important heritage of palaces and manor houses and a strong cultural identity, with the Fiesta de la Oficialidá every summer.

The municipality of Bimenes highlighted in blue (central Asturias) on the map of Asturias

What to see in Bimenes

The church of San Julián, in Santuyano, is a typical 19th-century Asturian church and one of the municipality’s most representative religious buildings. Located in the heart of the Pra valley, it hosts the parish’s patron celebrations and is a good first stop to discover the area’s traditional architecture.

Church of San Julián de Bimenes. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Rodelar (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Ruta de los Molinos (Mills Route) is a trail through the municipality’s old watermills, a testimony to the rural economy of bygone times. The walk runs through meadows and riverside woods and reveals the folk engineering of these flour mills, tied to the valley’s everyday life for generations.

The most important building in the municipality is the Martimporra palace, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument, in the capital. Nearby stand out the 14th–15th-century tower house, the Santa Bárbara chapel with its rectory and the Careaga house-and-chapel ensemble. In the landscape, Peña Mayor hosts the Pastor y el Montañero pilgrimage every July, while the old coal mines of Pinganón and Los Malatos recall Bimenes’ mining past.

Covering just 32.69 km², Bimenes is an eminently rural municipality, ideal for slow tourism: stone villages, hórreos and paneras (raised granaries), meadows and woods follow one another in a landscape that has kept its traditional character just half an hour from Oviedo.

The Pra valley, which runs through the municipality, offers a landscape of meadows and gentle slopes much appreciated by hiking and cycling enthusiasts. Several local routes start from Martimporra, connecting the parishes and bringing visitors closer to the rural architecture, with hórreos, paneras and manor houses scattered across the territory. The proximity to Oviedo —just 32 kilometres away— makes Bimenes a perfect destination for a day trip without giving up the peace of the rural environment.

Getting there

Bimenes is connected by road via the AS-119, which links Lieres with El Entrego, and the regional AS-251 and AS-382 roads, which run through the interior of the municipality. Its capital, Martimporra, lies 32 kilometres from Oviedo, making the municipality an easy getaway from the Asturian capital. From the east, access is via El Entrego, and from the centre via Lieres, both well connected to the main road network.

The municipality of Bimenes and its main towns · the capital, Martimporra, in gold

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

Festivals and gastronomy

Bimenes’ festive calendar is marked by the Fiesta de la Oficialidá, held on the first Saturday of July with concerts and cultural events. On the last Sunday of July comes the Pastor y el Montañero pilgrimage on Peña Mayor, and on the third Sunday of June, the Recimuru horse fair. The first weekend of December brings the Xornaes del Gochu, gastronomic days dedicated to pork. Local cuisine follows the Asturian tradition —fabada, hearty stews and cured meats— washed down with good cider.