Its buildings were charming and it reminded us a little bit of a Colorado ski town, but Spanish style.Being from Colorado, we had this one down. It’s only about 30 minutes away by car and in the summer you can take the public bus system up to Covadonga for only €2 and it runs every fifteen minutes.When we left Covadonga, we passed through Cangas de Onis and parked to see its historical Roman bridge that dates back to the medieval era. Remember, this is a mountainous, northern terrain and many times it can be rainy or foggy. Not to mention amenities like grocery stores and plenty of more options for where to stay and eat well.If you’re interested in visiting Covadonga or doing a return trip, we’d love to share with you our six tips for truly enjoying one of Spain’s most sacred sites. There’s one bus daily at 10am, though it didn’t leave until 10.15.
They'll most definitely love you for it, 100% guarantee.Once you’re at the lakes, don’t worry you don’t have to wait until 9pm to go back; you can take the road to leave the lakes whenever you want.You can download the GPX file by clicking on the image above if you want to use in your GPS app/smartwatch.If you are spending several days in the area, I recommend checking the weather at the lakes before going, to make sure you’ll be able to actually see something there.Here’s the profil of the 3rd hike, the longest one:After walking around half of the lake, I went behind the mountain towering above the 2 lakes.On these dates, the road closed during the day; if you want to avoid having to take the bus to the lakes, you’ll need to wake up early, to go through the checkpoint before they close the gates.From June to October & a few days at the end of the year the road to the lakes closes; however, you can still access it before 8:30am and after 9pm.If you go outside of the dates above, you can enter with your car at any time of the day.The trail is on the left-middle part of the image, crossing the mountain to do a loop towards Lago EnolAnd I can tell you I’m glad I did, because the sunset was amazing!We spent around 30 minutes at this spot, taking photos & taking in the view, then hopped back in the car to drive the rest of the way to the lakes.If you plan to drive straight to the Covadonga Lakes, you’ll find below the estimated time it takes from the nearby cities:I loved hiking around los Lagos de Covadonga, as even in August we were all by ourselves with my friend Laurent after just walking a bit further than the main spot where all the tourists stay.If you don’t have a car, or if you don’t want to wake up really early, you can reach the lakes by bus.As we climbed the hill, we saw our first animals of the day: cows.
Built entirely of pink limestone, its neo-Romanesque style of tall steeples and stone arches lend a splash of color to the verdant surroundings.
Thank you!Now, if you want to spend more time by the Sanctuary or don’t like picnics, you still have several nice options in Covadonga itself.
Make sure to take layers appropriate for being in the mountains and at high-alpine elevations. Very near each other, the lower lake is Lake Enol and the higher lake is Lake Ercina.The simple answer is, in the morning. You can either get to the lakes of Covadonga by car, or by bus. But really, any time during the day is great.For years we heard that visiting Covadonga was a must-have experience for anyone who appreciates and loves Spain. The wind can really get intense up there and when it does, it’s cold.Do you know how certain places you visit remain with you and draw you back?
This is more likely in the spring and fall months. And even then, there was a decent amount of other people visiting as well. Pretty cool, huh. We’re Amalia and Eric – a traveling couple who are living a traveling lifestyle. After visiting Covadonga and the mountain Lakes of Covadonga in the Picos de Europa on 12.28.2019, I stopped in this town on the way back to the hotel. I quickly got away from the crowds, and found myself in a quiet area next to the lake, with only wild animals around.I hope you enjoy your trip to Asturias and to Spain!We woke up early, around 7:00 am, to make sure we could make it to the lakes on time before they close the road at 8:30 am.Here’s the autobus Lagos de Covadonga schedules:We drove down the road on the side of the lake, and parked the car in the parking Lagos de Covadonga, next to the first lake.Here’s when the road is closed:Let’s see everything you need to plan your trip there!The part of the hike behind the mountain feels like you’re in a different place, surrounded by tall mountains, walking on rocky terrain, and occasionally getting stuck in cows traffic jams.We got close to the lake, then followed the trail leading up the hill to get a better view of the lake from above.Once you get to the Covadonga Lakes with your car, drive all the way to the end of the road, to reach the lakes. Also get there early to avoid the mealie of crowds.
There are also occasional buses from Llanes on the coast to Arenas de Cabrales. We hope we don’t have to tell you to make sure and prioritize having a good lunch, because throughout Spain especially it’s a major part of the experience and having a great time. The prices are so low it’s hard to beat, and breakfast is included too! The only thing we didn’t like was that it was a bit of a more formal and longer lunch, so when we made it to the lakes, we didn’t have as much time there.We visited Covadonga during the fall, in the first week of October. Then help a fellow traveler and pin it!