Luanco

Luanco is a fishing village and beach resort in Asturias on the north coast of Spain, with a population of 5400 in 2023. == Get in == A8 is the main east-west highway. Leave it for AS-110 to Candás on the coast then take AS-118 north into town. ALSA buses run every 30 min from Gijón (35 min) and hourly from Oviedo (45 min); the direct bus L19 from Avilés no longer runs. From Asturias Airport (OVD IATA) take the bus to Gijón. 1 Estación Bus is central, on Anselmo Vega. It's drab but functional. Renfe Cercanías Train C4 runs hourly from Pravia via Soto del Barco, Castrillón and Avilés to Candás and Gijón. == Get around == Luanco is small enough to walk around, but you need wheels to explore the coast. Radio Taxi Luanco Gozón is on +34 985 883333. == See == A total solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 Aug 2026, starting at 20:27 and lasting two minutes. The chances of a clear sky are only 45%, and you need to find a spot with a clear view to the northwest horizon, where the sun will be setting. Museo Marítimo de Asturias, Gijón 6 (by town hall and bus station), ☏ +34 985 880101. M-Sa 11:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00, Su 11:00-14:00. Displaying the maritime culture of Asturias and Cantabria. Adult €4 (free on M), child free. (updated Dec 2025) San Juan Bautista is a tiny chapel, almost a kiosk, on San Juan. Casa Mori is a fine modernista building of 1902 just north of town centre at Salvador Escandón 1. No tours. Torre del Reloj a block east of Casa Mori is a Baroque 4-storey clock tower built in 1705, no interior access. It was variously a prison and gunpowder magazine, then after 200 years they realised it would help if they installed a clock. 1 Santa María A parish church built in 1730, on La Riba, corner of Ramón de Benita. It's open M-Sa 08:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00, Su 09:00-14:00. The legend goes that when a fishing fleet was caught in a storm, the villagers took the Christ icon from the church and paraded it around the town while praying until the storm died down and the entire fleet got home safely. Palacio de los Menéndez Pola next to the church is a 17th / 18th century mansion. It's falling derelict, no visits. 2 Bañugues is a village with a good beach 4 km north of Luanco. "Bañ-" indicates a bathing place but scholars debate whether "-ugues" meant it was originally for Romans or oxen or fish. Maybe they all took turns with the scholars. 3 Cabo de Peñas is the headland at the north tip of the Asturias coastline. (At 43.6505°N it's not the northernmost point of Spain, that's Estaca de Bares near Ferrol at 43.7903°N). The lighthouse was built in 1852 and has a range of 65 km / 35 nautical miles. 4 Candás is a village 5 km southeast of Luanco with a small beach. The main sight is the sculpture museum dedicated to Antonio Rodríguez García (1911-37), shot by the Nationalists during the Civil War. It's open Tu-Su 12:00-14:00, 18:00-21:00. == Do == Casa de Cultura is a library and auditorium on Plaza Zapardel. Beach: Playa de la Ribera is by town centre, Playa de Luanco is north of the church. Both are sandy and mobbed on summer weekends, but covered at high tide. Going northwest, Bañugues has the next decent beach. Beach Tennis Championships are played in late July on Playa de la Ribera. This is tennis-cum-volleyball, with a high net and a slower ball which must not touch the ground. Since 2008 the sport has been recognised by the International Tennis Federation, which oversees tournaments, player rankings and the like. Fiestas are on 5 Feb (Cristo del Socorro), 16 July (El Carmen) and summer carnival (14 Aug). == Buy == Luanco has a dozen supermarkets, such as Supercor on La Teya a block west of the bus station, open M-Sa 09:00-21:30. == Eat == Marino de Luanco earns great reviews and gets booked solid. It's at San Juan 2, open M 12:00-17:30, W-Su 12:00-17:30, 20:00-01:00. La Ribera is at San Juan 10, open daily 11:00-00:00. Náutico is at San Juan 12, open Tu-Sa 12:00-00:00, Su 12:00-19:00. California Street Food does burgers and Texmex. It's at Marcelino Rodríguez 6, open M, W-F 20:00-23:30, Sa Su 14:00-16:00, 20:00-23:00. Las Delicias de Güela is a seafood restaurant on Valeriano Fernández Viña, open Tu-Th 08:30-16:00, F Sa 08:30, 16:00, 20:00-23:00, Su 12:00-16:00. El Parque is a sidrería at Av de Gayo 33, open Tu-Su 12:00-16:00, 19:30-23:30. La Tasca de Pablo is at Av de Gayo 42, open F-Su 13:00-16:00, 20:00-00:00. L'italiano di Maria is at Ortega y Gasset 14, open Th-Tu 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:30. Camarote is at Ortega y Gasset 16, open Su M W Th 12:00-17:30, F Sa 12:00-17:30, 19:30-00:00. Raiz de Mar is at Ortega y Gasset 19, open Th 13:00-18:30, F Sa 13:00-17:00, 20:00-00:00. Onde Gaby is at Oviedo 8, open Su & W 12:00-15:30, Th-Sa & M 12:00-15:00-20:00-23:30. El Tormentín is on El Muelle the harbour mole, open daily 12:00-18:00, 20:30-00:00. El Muelle is a sidrería on El Muelle open daily 11:00-22:00. Guernica is a seafood restaurant at La Riba 20, open W-M 11:00-17:00. La Rula is a tapas bar at La Riba 24, open daily 12:30-00:00. Hamburguesería Monty is at Ramón Pérez de Ayala 4, open M-F 13:00-16:30, 19:00-00:00, Sa Su 13:00-00:00. Burger Cristal is next door, open Th-Tu. D de Diego is a restaurant at España 1, open Su, Tu-Th 13:00-15:30, F Sa 13:00-15:30, 20:00-23:00. == Drink == Cider is the traditional drink in Asturias. The ritual is for the bartender to pour it from a bottle above your head into a cup below waist-height. Town centre bars include Cafe del Mar, Salitre, Ochoa, El Topo Clandestino and La Marina. == Sleep == Hotel La Estación de Luanco, Gijón 10, ☏ +34 985 883516. Next to the bus station as the name indicates, this is friendly though worn and sometimes grubby. B&B double €100. (updated Dec 2025) 1 La Plaza 1, Plaza Baragaña 5, ☏ +34 985 880879. Simple place by the harbour. B&B double €60. (updated Dec 2025) 2 Finca El Palomar, Altamira Alta 264, ☏ +34 637 116677. Welcoming hotel in the countryside just outside town. B&B double €120. (updated Dec 2025) Brisamar Hotel, La Ribera, Bañugues, ☏ +34 985 881266. Relaxing budget hotel near Bañugues beach, dog-friendly. B&B double €70. (updated Dec 2025) == Connect == As of Dec 2025, Luanco and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers, but coverage is variable further north towards Cabo de Peñas. == Go next == Gijón has a historic centre on its peninsula. Oviedo has lots of old churches and museums. El Camino means the network of pilgrimage trails converging on Santiago de Compostela. The principal trail runs a long way inland, but another follows the coast through Gijón whence a side-trail branches for Oviedo.