Cangas de Onís, Asturias: municipality guide

Cangas de Onís is a municipality in eastern Asturias, in the Oriente comarca. Its capital is the city of Cangas de Onís, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias until 774. With about 6,340 inhabitants, it is one of the most visited municipalities in Asturias thanks to the Sanctuary of Covadonga and the lakes.

The municipality of Cangas de Onís highlighted in gold (eastern Asturias) on the map of Asturias

What to see in Cangas de Onís

The Royal Site of Covadonga is the heart of the municipality. The Basilica of Santa María la Real de Covadonga, in Neo-Romanesque style, stands next to the Holy Cave, the chapel carved into the rock that houses the image of the Virgin of Covadonga, “La Santina”, and the tomb of Don Pelayo. The ensemble is completed by the Royal Collegiate Church of San Fernando, the Campanona bell and the bronze statue of the first Asturian king.

Basilica of Covadonga — Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Luis Fermín Turiel (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The lakes of Covadonga (Enol, Ercina and Bricial, the latter holding water only during the thaw) lie in the Picos de Europa national park, about 12 km from Covadonga. They form one of the most photographed landscapes in Asturias and are a regular stage finish of the Vuelta a España. In high season road access is regulated and visitors go up by public transport from Covadonga.

Lake Enol — Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Txo (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Roman bridge over the river Sella, actually a medieval construction from the reign of Alfonso XI, is the symbol of the town: the Victory Cross hangs from its central arch and it is a listed Historic-Artistic Monument. The chapel of Santa Cruz, built in 733 by order of Favila over a dolmen preserved in its crypt, is one of the oldest Christian temples in Spain. In the parish of Abamia, the church of Santa Eulalia de Abamia, of Visigothic origin, was the first burial place of Don Pelayo and his wife. And the monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva, founded in the time of Alfonso I and listed as a Historic-Artistic Monument, preserves a remarkable Romanesque church on the banks of the Sella.

Covadonga Route: the authorities are developing the Jacobean route from Santo Toribio de Liébana to Covadonga and Oviedo, presented at FITUR by Cangas de Onís town council. It is not yet an official historic route.

Getting there

The municipality is well connected by road: the N-634 (Oviedo–Santander), the N-625 towards León through the Picos de Europa, the AS-114 or Picos de Europa corridor (towards Onís, Cabrales and Panes), the AS-262 giving access to Covadonga and the national park, and the AS-340 towards Llanes. Cangas de Onís lies about 71 km from Oviedo.

The municipality of Cangas de Onís and its main towns · the capital, Cangas de Onís, in gold

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

Festivals and gastronomy

The main celebrations are the Fiesta del Pastor (Shepherds’ Festival), on 25 July at the Vega de Enol; the Day of Our Lady of Covadonga, “La Santina”, on 8 September, patron saint of the Principality of Asturias; and San Antonio de Padua, on 13 June, patron of the town. In October the Picos de Europa Cheese Competition (Certamen del Queso de los Picos de Europa) is held, a reflection of the municipality’s cheese-making tradition, land of the Picos cheeses.