Luarca: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Luarca is called the white town of the Green Coast, for the white houses packed into a narrow valley where the river Negro meets the sea. For centuries its life was the sea: whaling, then fishing, all ruled by a guild of mariners that met on the headland. This walk crosses the river from the square, climbs past the harbour to the headland, and ends at the lighthouse. About an hour and a half with a steep climb; go late in the afternoon for the light on the bay.
A short history of Luarca
Luarca is a fishing town on the coast of Asturias, built around a small harbour in the bay where the River Negro flows into the sea. For centuries whalers set out from here. In the 19th and 20th centuries many of its residents emigrated to the Americas, and those who came back rich built large houses here, known as 'casas de indianos'. Severo Ochoa was born in Luarca in 1905; he won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1959 and is buried in the town cemetery, on the cliff above the sea.
The ten best sights in Luarca
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1Luarca Cemetery
White tombs on the headland above the sea; Severo Ochoa is buried here
2Mesa de MareantesThe stone table where the sailors' guild met, on the headland
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3Atalaya Chapel
The sailors' chapel on the headland, beside the lighthouse
4Church of Santa EulaliaThe parish church in the centre, a short walk from the port
5Castro de CoañaAn Iron Age hill fort of round stone houses, 20 minutes west
6Monastery of ObonaA Romanesque monastery on the Camino Primitivo, inland in the hills
7Plaza de Alfonso XThe town square by the river, with the town hall and cafés
8Kiss BridgeA small bridge over the river Negro with a sad legend
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9Luarca Lighthouse
At the tip of the headland; the walk up gives the best view of the harbour
10Luarca BeachesTwo small town beaches by the harbour; sheltered, but the water is cold
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Luarca →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Luarca:
Free walking tours in Luarca
The white town
Luarca is called the white town of the Green Coast, for the white houses packed into a narrow valley where the river Negro meets the sea. For centuries its life was the sea: whaling, then fishing, all ruled by a guild of mariners that met on the headland. This walk crosses the river from the square, climbs past the harbour to the headland, and ends at the lighthouse. About an hour and a half with a steep climb; go late in the afternoon for the light on the bay.
- Plaza de Alfonso X · The square is named after Alfonso X the Wise, the 13th-century king of Castile, and the town hall faces it across the gardens. It is the flat heart of a town that otherwise climbs in every direction.
- Kiss Bridge · Legend says a pirate named Cambaral was captured and wounded here, and the lord's daughter nursed him and fell in love. When the couple tried to escape, her father caught them kissing on this bridge and killed them both with one stroke of his sword.
- Mesa de Mareantes · The mariners' guild met around a stone table here to decide whether the boats would go out, to settle disputes and to share the catch. The guild ran the town's fishing for centuries; the table is now a memorial with a view over the harbour.
- Atalaya Chapel · Atalaya means watchtower: from this headland lookouts watched for whales and gave the signal for the boats to launch. The chapel is the sailors' own, and it was for them that it was built on the headland.
- Luarca Cemetery · Severo Ochoa, born in Luarca in 1905, shared the 1959 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on how cells make RNA. He asked to be buried here, beside his wife Carmen, in the white cemetery on the cliff facing the open sea.
- Luarca Lighthouse · The lighthouse stands at the very tip of the headland, beside the chapel and the cemetery. From here you see why the harbour was built where it is: the headland is the only shelter for the boats along this exposed stretch of coast.
East along the cliffs
East of Luarca the coast is high and broken, with coves you can only reach on foot and villages perched where a stream cuts through the cliff. This route follows the old coast road to Cudillero, one of the most photographed fishing villages in Spain. About 45 km each way; the beach paths are steep, so wear shoes with grip and leave time for the climb back up.
- Cueva Beach · A beach at the mouth of the river Esva, a few minutes from Luarca, where the river spreads over the sand before reaching the sea. It is wide and less crowded than the town beaches.
- Hermitage of La Regalina · The little chapel at Cadavedo stands on a green cliff top beside two hórreos, the raised stone granaries of Asturias. At the end of August it hosts La Regalina, a festival of traditional dress and music.
- Playa del Silencio · The 'beach of silence' is a curve of grey pebbles closed in by cliffs and rock stacks, protected as a natural monument. There are no buildings, and you reach it by a path of a few hundred metres down from the village of Castañeras.
- Gueirúa Beach · A small beach just west of El Silencio with tall rock needles standing in the surf. It is best at low tide, when you can walk between them on the sand.
- Cabo Vidío · The cape ends in sheer cliffs about 80 metres high, with a lighthouse and wide views east and west along the coast. Seabirds nest on the ledges below.
- Cudillero · The houses of Cudillero are stacked in a steep amphitheatre around the tiny port, so tight that streets turn into stairs. Its fishermen spoke their own dialect, called pixueto, and the people of the town are still called pixuetos.
West to the Navia
West of Luarca the land rises towards the valley of the river Navia, where people lived in fortified hill villages, castros, long before the Romans came. This route starts at a fishing port and a dune beach, visits two of the best castros in Asturias, and follows the river inland to a giant dam. About 130 km in all, on winding roads inland; the castros close one day a week, usually Monday, so check before you go.
- Casa Trelles, Puerto de Vega · Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, the great Asturian thinker of the Spanish Enlightenment, fled Gijón by sea before the French in 1811. A storm drove his boat into Puerto de Vega, and he died here in this house less than three weeks later.
- Frexulfe Beach · A long beach backed by dunes and pine woods, protected as a natural monument. With no town behind it, it stays wild even in August.
- Castro de Coaña · Dozens of round and oval stone houses survive inside the walls of this hill fort, lived in from the Iron Age into Roman times. One building is a stone sauna, with a furnace and a steam room, of the kind found only in the castros of this corner of Iberia.
- Castro de Pendia · Pendia sits on a spur in a deep wooded valley, and has not one but two stone saunas. The walk down from the road takes ten minutes, and the setting, with no modern building in sight, is part of the visit.
- Salime Dam · The dam on the Navia was built between 1945 and 1955 and was then one of the largest in Europe. The painter Joaquín Vaquero Palacios designed the art and murals of the power station, and the lake behind it drowned several villages.
- Grandas de Salime Ethnographic Museum · The museum was started by José Naveiras, known as Pepe el Ferreiro, who collected tools and furniture as rural life disappeared. It fills a former rectory and the buildings around it with a mill, a forge and a whole farmhouse kitchen.
Getting to Luarca and getting around
- Asturias Airport · About 45 minutes east by car; the main airport of the region
- Luarca Station · Slow narrow-gauge coastal trains, on the hill above town
- Luarca Bus Station · Buses along the coast and to Oviedo, in the centre
Cheap eats in Luarca
Luarca eats what its boats bring in, above all hake: merluza del pincho, caught on a line one fish at a time, is the pride of this coast and costs more than net-caught fish. The rest of the menu is Asturian: fabada, cheese, and cider poured from a height. Cafés around the square serve a coffee and pincho for a few euros, and lunch menus are cheaper than dinner.
- Aldín · Bakery for bread and pastries, about 1-4 €
- Café La Sucursal · Coffee on the square, about 1.5-3 €
- El Asturiano · Ice cream by the river, about 3-4 €
- Bar Cambaral · A coffee or a pincho near the Kiss Bridge, about 2-4 €
- La Pizzería · Pizza at the harbour, about 8-14 €
- Sidrería El Duernu · Cider and raciones off the square, about 3-14 €
Museums in Luarca
- Grandas de Salime Ethnographic Museum · Rural life of western Asturias in a whole village of rooms
- Castro de Coaña · Iron Age village with a small interpretation room
- Castro de Pendia · A hill fort in a wooded valley, with two stone saunas
- Monastery of Obona · Romanesque church on the pilgrim road; check opening times
- Mesa de Mareantes · The open-air memorial of the mariners' guild
Nature and day trips near Luarca
- Playa del Silencio · Grey pebbles, cliffs and sea stacks; no facilities
- Frexulfe Beach · Wild dunes and pines west of Navia
- Cabo Busto Path · Cliff path to a lighthouse, 10 minutes east of Luarca
- Cabo Vidío · High cliffs and seabirds at the end of a cape
- Gueirúa Beach · Rock needles in the surf; go at low tide
- Salime Dam · A giant dam in the deep Navia valley; viewpoint over the wall
Things to do in Luarca with kids
- Luarca Beaches · Two sheltered town beaches with lifeguards in summer
- Luarca Lighthouse · A short climb with harbour views; spot the boats coming in
- Kiss Bridge · The pirate legend, told on the spot
- Castro de Coaña · Walk inside a 2,000-year-old village of round houses
- Cudillero · Stairs and alleys to explore around a tiny port
Where to eat in Luarca
- La Dársena · Seafood at the harbour
- La Montañesa del Muelle · Fish and raciones on the quay
- Restaurante Marisol · The restaurant of the old clocks, east of the centre
- El Barómetro · Dinner by the port
- Miramar · Fish by the town beach
- Sidrería El Chigre · Cider house in the centre
Frequently asked questions about Luarca
What is there to see in Luarca?
The top sights in Luarca are Luarca Cemetery, Mesa de Mareantes and Atalaya Chapel. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Luarca?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Luarca without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Luarca?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Luarca, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The white town.
How do you get to Luarca and get around?
The main ways are Asturias Airport, Luarca Station and Luarca Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Luarca, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Luarca that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Luarca for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.