Boal, Asturias: municipality guide

Boal is a municipality in western Asturias, in the Eo-Navia comarca. Its capital is the town of Boal. With about 1,370 inhabitants, it is a mid-mountain territory crossed by the Navia river, with important pre-Roman hillforts and a renowned beekeeping tradition.

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

What to see in Boal

The hillfort of Pendia, one of the Celtic hillforts of western Asturias, is the municipality’s most emblematic archaeological site. This fortified Iron Age settlement, with its walls and ditches, offers a glimpse into the life of the pre-Roman communities that inhabited these mountains more than two thousand years ago.

The Doiras reservoir, on the Navia river, forms a large lake among the mountains that has shaped the municipality’s recent landscape and history. Its shores are a good place for a peaceful walk and nature watching.

Other places of interest: the Miranda palace in Prelo, from the 15th and 16th centuries and declared a cultural heritage site in 1982; the church of Santiago Apóstol in Boal, built between 1831 and 1837; the rock paintings of the Cova del Demo; the Los Mazos hillfort; the Penouta viewpoint, overlooking the Navia valley; the Casa de la Apicultura (Beekeeping House), which showcases the municipality’s honey-making tradition; and Villa Anita (1926), an example of the architecture of its time.

The mid-mountain territory, crossed by the Navia river, invites hiking and rural tourism, with villages that preserve the traditional architecture of western Asturias.

The Casa de la Apicultura (Beekeeping House), in the heart of the municipality, showcases the beekeepers’ craft and the importance of bees for the ecosystem, with activities and tastings that make it a highly recommended visit for families. The Penouta viewpoint, meanwhile, offers one of the best panoramic views of the Navia valley and the Doiras reservoir, especially at sunset.

Getting there

Boal revolves around the AS-12 road, which links Navia with Grandas de Salime and crosses the municipality from north to south. The town of Boal lies inland in western Asturias, just under half an hour from the Navia coast. Access from Oviedo is via the A-8 motorway to Navia and then the AS-12 inland; from Galicia, the natural connection comes via Grandas de Salime.

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

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

Festivals and gastronomy

Boal’s main festivities are those of Santiago Apóstol, from 24 to 26 July, the town’s patron saint. The last weekend of October brings the Feria de la Miel (Honey Fair), the municipality’s best-known event and a showcase of its beekeeping tradition, and on 13 and 14 June, San Antonio in Armal. At the table, honey is the great protagonist —Boal is one of the most honey-producing municipalities in Asturias—, accompanied by traditional dishes such as caldo (broth), berzas (cabbage stew), empanada, cured meats and arroz con leche (rice pudding) for dessert.