Tapia de Casariego, Asturias: municipality guide
Tapia de Casariego is a seafaring municipality in western Asturias: 3,538 inhabitants on 65.99 km². Its capital is the town of Tapia, a fishing port facing the Cantabrian Sea between the mouths of the Porcía and the Eo. Its population is spread between the town and villages such as Serantes, La Roda, Campos and Salave. Blue Flag beaches, a lighthouse on an island joined to the harbour by a breakwater, and a remarkable fishing tradition define its identity.
What to see in Tapia de Casariego
The fishing port is the heart of the town: sheltered by the breakwater lies the island of Tapia, crowned by its lighthouse, one of the symbols of western Asturias. The harbour promenade, with its indiano houses and views over the Cantabrian Sea, is the finest viewpoint in the municipality.
The church of San Esteban, built in 1898 in Neo-Gothic style, presides over the town with its slender tower. Next to it, Plaza de la Constitución is the centre of local life, and the municipality keeps the palaces of Campos, Cancio and Las Nogueiras, examples of the area’s manorial architecture.
The beaches are the other great attraction: Penarronda, declared a Natural Monument in 2002 and flying the Blue Flag, shared with Castropol; Porcía, Los Campos (La Grande), El Murallón, Serantes (Sarello), La Paloma and Santa Gadea (Pantorgas). Inland, the Salave lagoons occupy an ancient Roman open-cast gold mine, today a wetland of great interest.
Camino de Santiago: the Camino del Norte, an official Jacobean route declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, runs along the municipality’s coastline; Tapia was historically a passing place for pilgrims on their way to Santiago.
Getting there
The A-8 motorway (Autovía del Cantábrico) crosses the municipality and connects it with Oviedo and with Galicia. The N-634 is the historic road of the western coast, linking Tapia with the neighbouring fishing towns of El Franco and Castropol.
Festivals and gastronomy
The patron saint is the Virgen del Carmen, celebrated in July with the traditional seafaring procession. The calendar includes San Blas in February, San Pedro in June, Corpus Christi in Serantes, Nuestra Señora de la Porteira in Salave and the Romería de los Remedios in Porcía, the last two in September. August brings the FID’O festival and Holy Week an international surfing championship. At the table: octopus, goose barnacles, hake and pixín (monkfish), the flavours of the Cantabrian Sea.
Municipality data
Coat of arms: Wikimedia Commons (SanchoPanzaXXI, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Capital: Tapia
- Population: 3,538 inhabitants (INE 2025)
- Area: 65.99 km²
- Zone: Western
- Demonym: tapiego, -a
- Town Hall: Plaza de la Constitución, 1, 33740 Tapia de Casariego. Tel. +34 985 62 80 80
Neighbouring municipalities
Useful links
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