Three day driving route in Picos da Europa – Spain

The Natural Park of the Picos de Europa, located in the north of Spain, extends through the autonomous communities of Cantabria, Asturias and Castile and Leon. To know and enjoy this vast territory will need several days. In this article we share a car route for the places we liked the most during our visit to the Picos de Europa.

[zt_title type=”single-border”]Canga de Ónis – Covadonga – Enol and Ercina lakes[/zt_title]

These three destinations stay close to each other and can be done in one day. We recommend to spend a lot of time in the Lakes.

Canga de Onis

It is a small village near the massif of the Picos de Europa crossed by the river Sella. The main attraction is the Roman Bridge with the victory cross, which is the symbol of Asturias.

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<a title=”Conorohara [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons” href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spain_-_Pont_rom%C3%A0_(Cangas_de_On%C3%ADs)_-_20170723154559.jpg”><img width=”1024″ alt=”Spain – Pont romà (Cangas de Onís) – 20170723154559″ src=”https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Spain_-_Pont_rom%C3%A0_%28Cangas_de_On%C3%ADs%29_-_20170723154559.jpg/1024px-Spain_-_Pont_rom%C3%A0_%28Cangas_de_On%C3%ADs%29_-_20170723154559.jpg”></a>
<p style=”font-size: 9px;”> Conorohara [<a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0″>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>], <a href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spain_-_Pont_rom%C3%A0_(Cangas_de_On%C3%ADs)_-_20170723154559.jpg”>via Wikimedia Commons</a> </p>
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Covadonga

Leaving Canga de Onís towards the central massif we pass through Covadonga, where there is a basilica that deserves a stop.

Next to the basilica there is a cave – the Santa Cova – where the Virgin of Covadonga is venerated.

Enol and Ercina Lakes

After Covadonga and continuing towards the central massif we will find this magnificent area. The Enol and Ercina lakes are at the top of the mountains and if weather permitting the whole area offers magnificent panoramic views.

At the top there is a tourist reception center and several pedestrian paths marked.

In this zone you will also find many cows grazing quietly the green grass that springs everywhere.

There are also traces of a mine and several recovered utensils.

TIPS

When we visit the lakes, part of the access to the top are closed to the cars being necessary to park in one of the several parks that is next to the road. These parks are continuously served by buses that take visitors to the top.

[zt_title type=”single-border”]Potes, Caín and Cares trail[/zt_title]

Leaving Potes where we stay, we continue towards Caín, a small isolated village and where the Cares route begins or ends. The road, like many of those that exist in the Picos de Europa, constantly dazzles us with the rare beauty of the landscape.

Arriving in Cain we started the Route de Cares.

Learn more about the Cares route in this article.

[zt_title type=”single-border”]Potes, Fonte Dé[/zt_title]

This third day would be the day dedicated to high mountain, but time did not allow us. A recommendation for anyone visiting the Picos de Europa is to use the weather apps and organize the trip taking into account the weather forecasts.

From Fuente Dé, about 20km from Pótes towards the central massif, a cable car takes the visitors to 1,834 meters of altitude. If time permits, the views are magnificent. At the top there are several walking routes that you can do.

We unfortunately got very bad weather and ended up giving up the idea of getting on the cable car.

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<a title=”Juan Fernández [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons” href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Telef%C3%A9rico_de_Fuente_D%C3%A9.jpg”><img width=”1024″ alt=”Teleférico de Fuente Dé” src=”https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Telef%C3%A9rico_de_Fuente_D%C3%A9.jpg/1024px-Telef%C3%A9rico_de_Fuente_D%C3%A9.jpg”></a>
<p style=”font-size: 9px;”> Juan Fernández [<a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0″>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>], <a href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Telef%C3%A9rico_de_Fuente_D%C3%A9.jpg”>via Wikimedia Commons</a> </p>
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This public photo depicts the landscape that unfortunately we can not contemplate.

[zt_title type=”single-border”]Stay[/zt_title]

Of the several possible places to stay, we ended up choosing the village of Potes, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Potes is a small village dedicated to mountain tourism, since it is located near Fuente Dé, where you can go skiing. There are many restaurants, public services and souvenir shops. 

Compare the fly rates to OVIEDO!

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[zt_title type=”single-border”]Potes Map[/zt_title]

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 [zt_title type=”double-border”]Plan your trip using the following tools and / or websites[/zt_title]

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{source}<i class=”material-icons”>done_outline</i>{/source} To find the best hotels rates, use the Booking. It is one of the best booking websites for stays.

{source}<i class=”material-icons”>done_outline</i>{/source} To compare prices for stays you can use the Hotels Combined or hotellook. These search engines show the different prices of other websites to the same destination.

{source}<i class=”material-icons”>done_outline</i>{/source} If you need to travel by plane, search for flights on a price comparator. Highly recommend the jetradar.

{source}<i class=”material-icons”>done_outline</i>{/source} To search for activities you can access this existing comparator on the scannertrip.

{source}<i class=”material-icons”>done_outline</i>{/source} Transfers to and from the airport can be purchased through the website kiwitaxi. So you do not need to get in touch with the different companies in your destination looking for the best price.

{source}<i class=”material-icons”>done_outline</i>{/source} To find the best car rental price you can use the autoeurope website that compares the prices of different companies.

Using the links above and the tools on the website you will helping to keep Scannertrip. For the use of this links and tools you will not pay more for it but for Scannertrip will makes all the difference!

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[zt_title type=”single-border”]Popular resorts in Picos da Europa[/zt_title]

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 [zt_button color=”#ffffff” bgColor=”#1f7cd1″ borderStyle=”none” size=”lg” shape=”rounded” style=”primary” textTransform=”none” link=”https://www.scannertrip.com/hotel” target=”_blank”]>> SEARCH IN ALL RESORTS[/zt_button]

[zt_title type=”single-border”]Pratical Guide[/zt_title]  

When to visit

We chose to visit the Picos de Europa during the summer and did not regret it. Being a mountain area the best heights to visit will be between spring and autumn since it is a height with mild temperatures.

Popular areas such as the Lakes and Cares Route may have many visitors and it is advisable to arrive early.

How to visit

By plane you can travel to Oviedo airport and then rent a car. The Spain roads are excellent to drive.

[zt_title type=”single-border”]Compare prices to your holidays[/zt_title]  

 [zt_columns][zt_column md=”6″] Booking.com

[/zt_column][zt_column md=”6″] Booking.com

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Booking.com

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