Cudillero (Asturias)

Cudillero is a working fishing village on the western coast of Asturias, built so steeply around its harbour that the painted houses rise above the Plaza de la Marina like the rows of a theatre; Asturias tourism calls it the anfiteatro. You get there on the A-8 motorway, leave the car at the edge of the village and walk down to the harbour square, with its fish restaurants and a ring of viewpoints above. It suits walkers and seafood lovers; skip it if steps and steep lanes are a problem, or if you want a long sandy beach on the doorstep.

Quick facts

• Names: Cudillero in Spanish, Cuideiru in Asturian. Locals are called pixuetos, and the village is also known as the Villa Pixueta, after its own fishermen’s dialect, the pixueto.
• Where: capital of the municipality of Cudillero, on the western coast of Asturias.
• Coordinates: 43.5630, -6.1452 (Plaza de la Marina, the harbour square).
• Known for: the amphitheatre of houses around the port, fish taverns, the L’Amuravela sermon on 29 June, and curadillo, small dogfish dried in the open air.
• Listed: one of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain (Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España) since 2021 (Wikipedia).
• Tourist office: Puerto del Oeste, Cudillero; phone 985 591 377 (Asturias tourism).

Access and parking

By car: Asturias tourism gives the route as the A-8 motorway and then the local roads into the village. For the motorhome car park by the harbour wall it says to take exit 431 off the A-8, follow the CU-3 towards Cudillero and turn left at the last bend.

Parking: the lanes in the old village are tight and the street parking by the slipway is for permit holders only (OpenStreetMap). OpenStreetMap shows two paid car parks run by Telpark on the harbour, about 550 m west of the square, and a free car park about 650 m south, at the top of the village by the bus stop. From there you walk down the main street to the harbour. The motorhome area by the harbour wall is paid, has five places and a 48-hour limit (Asturias tourism).

By train or bus: Cudillero has a railway station, but it lies about 1.5 km south-west of the harbour in a straight line and higher up, so allow for the walk. The village bus stop is next to the free car park.

What to expect

There is almost no flat ground. The houses, many in bright colours, climb the slopes on three sides of a small harbour, and the life of the village is in the Plaza de la Marina at the bottom, lined with fish restaurants and terraces. Spain.info describes a walking route of viewpoints: to the lighthouse, La Garita, La Atalaya and El Pico. OpenStreetMap marks seven miradores within about 125 m of the square, including the Mirador del Pico and the Garita-Atalaya, so you can do a short loop of steps and lanes and come back down to the harbour.

• Church of San Pedro: a 16th-century Gothic parish church, burnt in the Civil War and rebuilt (Wikipedia, Spanish).
• Capilla del Humilladero: a small Gothic chapel at the entrance to the village, which Spain.info calls the oldest building in Cudillero.
• Lighthouse: on the headland north of the harbour; Asturias tourism recommends the views from the lighthouse and from the Atalaya.
• El Pito and the Palacio de Selgas: on the way in, the district of El Pito has houses built by emigrants who came back rich from the Americas, and the 19th-century Quinta de Selgas, a palace with formal gardens that Asturias tourism calls the “Asturian Versailles”. It is run as a museum by the Selgas-Fagalde foundation.

Practical details

Tourist office hours (Asturias tourism, checked November 2026): 1 July to 31 August and Easter week, daily 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–19:30; June and September, daily 11:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00; rest of the year, Monday to Saturday 10:00–15:00.

Food: the fish taverns around the cobbled harbour square are the main draw (Spain.info). Look out for curadillo: Asturias tourism explains that fishermen once dried small dogfish for months outside their doors as a way of keeping food.

Beaches: the village itself has only a small gravel beach by the harbour. The municipality’s well-known beaches are outside it: the Playa del Silencio, Gueirúa, the Concha de Artedo and San Pedro de la Ribera, plus the cliffs of Cabo Vidio (Asturias tourism).

Marina: Cudillero has a small marina run by the local yacht club (Asturias tourism).

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

The village is busiest in July and August, when the tourist office keeps its longest hours. The big local days are the San Pedro fiestas: on 29 June a sailor stands on a boat in the harbour and delivers L’Amuravela, a sermon in verse in pixueto that pokes fun at the events of the year, followed by San Pablo on 30 June and San Pablín on 1 July (Asturias tourism; Wikipedia, Spanish). Spring and early autumn are quieter, and the tourist office keeps shorter hours from October.

Nearby alternatives

• Isla de la Deva (Castrillón), 10 km away: a small island off the Castrillón coast.
• Cabo de Peñas, 26 km away: a high cape with a lighthouse and cliff views.
• Senda del Oso, 33 km away: a walking and cycling trail inland.
• Lastres (Colunga), 71 km away: another fishing village on a hillside, on the eastern Asturian coast.

Distances are in a straight line from the harbour square.

FAQ

Where can I park in Cudillero?

Use the paid Telpark car parks on the harbour, about 550 m west of the square, or the free car park at the top of the village by the bus stop, about 650 m from the square. Street parking by the slipway is for permit holders.

Can I get to Cudillero by train?

Yes, there is a railway station, but it is about 1.5 km from the harbour in a straight line and uphill.

Is Cudillero walkable?

Yes, it is small, but very steep. Expect steps rather than distance once you leave the harbour square.

Does Cudillero have a beach?

Only a small gravel beach by the harbour. For swimming, drive to the Playa del Silencio, Gueirúa or the Concha de Artedo elsewhere in the municipality.

What is L’Amuravela?

A satirical sermon in verse, in the local pixueto dialect, delivered from a boat in the harbour every 29 June during the San Pedro fiesta. Wikipedia dates the tradition to the 16th century.

Sources and freshness