Top things to do

The small town of Coaña lies 4km inland from the port of Navia, 19km west of Luarca. Two kilometres south, the hillside Castro de Coaña is one of northern Spain’s best-preserved Celtic settlements, dating back to th…

Spectacularly positioned on a grassy headland fringed by jagged cliffs, sandy beaches and crashing seas, this delicate little blue-and-white chapel 16km east of Luarca is absolutely worth finding for the sensational…

Ask Luarca locals to recommend the best seafood in town, and they'll point you to this portside eatery with its vintage barometer embedded in the wall out front. Specialities include arroz con bogavante (rice with f…

Twelve kilometres east of Luarca, wind-lashed Cabo Busto gives you an idea of the Asturian coast’s wildness as waves crash onto its rocky cliffs below a 19th-century lighthouse. The coastal views are fantastic.To ge…

Find your way up to Luarca’s Atalaya lookout, with its small church, surprisingly elaborate cemetery and dramatic coastal vistas, above the port’s northeastern end. Luarca’s mariners’ guild met for centuries at the …

This reliable seafood restaur­ant facing the river a few steps back from the harbour has been delighting customers with its daily changing menu of local fish and shellfish since the 1950s. Choose from tasty tapas or…

Part of a protected nat­ure reserve, Playa de Barayo is a good sandy beach in a pretty bay at the mouth of a river winding through wetlands and dunes. Turn off the N634 11km west of central Luarca onto the NV2 towar…

Soft, 600m-long Playa de Cueva, 7km east of Luarca on the old N634 coast road, is one of the district’s top beaches, with cliffs, caves, a river and occasional decent surf. It’s signposted.