Ribadesella

Ribadesella (Ribeseya in Asturian) is a fishing town on the eastern coast of Asturias, where the River Sella meets the sea, about 25 km west of Llanes. It is known for two things: the Tito Bustillo Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Palaeolithic paintings, and the International Descent of the Sella canoe race, which finishes here on the first Saturday in August. The town is on the A-8 motorway and the N-632 road and has a railway station and a bus station. It suits people who want cave art, a town beach and a base between Lastres and Llanes; skip the first weekend of August if you dislike crowds.

Quick facts

• Names: Ribadesella in Spanish, Ribeseya in Asturian; the official name is Ribadesella/Ribeseya. The town is the capital of the municipality of the same name.
• Where: eastern Asturias, on the estuary of the Sella. The old town lies on the east bank; the Tito Bustillo Cave and the Santa Marina beach district are on the west bank, across the bridge (Spain.info).
• Coordinates: 43.4618, -5.0589 (town centre, OpenStreetMap).
• Municipality: 6,209 inhabitants and 84.37 km²; weekly market on Wednesday (Turismo Asturias).
• Founded: by King Alfonso X in the 13th century; the historic quarter is a Property of Cultural Interest (Spain.info).
• Tourist office: Paseo Princesa Letizia, tel. 985 860 038.

Getting there and parking

By car: Turismo Asturias gives the A-8 motorway and the N-632 road as the way in (Turismo Asturias). In a straight line the town is about 18 km east of Lastres and 25 km west of Llanes.

By train and bus: OpenStreetMap shows the railway station about 400 m from the centre and a bus station on Avenida Palacio Valdés. We could not open the operators’ timetables; check them before you travel.

Parking: we found no official information on town parking; the Santa Marina beach page lists a car park with spaces for people with reduced mobility (Turismo Asturias).

Tito Bustillo Cave and the Cave Art Centre

The cave was discovered in 1968 and was declared a World Heritage Site in July 2008, together with other caves of the Cantabrian coast (Turismo Asturias). It is part of a karst system in the Ardines massif next to the mouth of the Sella: a single gallery about 700 m long with side chambers, and more than a hundred engraved and painted figures in 11 groups. People used the cave between 22,000 and 10,000 BC. The best-known are the polychrome horses and reindeer and the Chamber of the Vulvas (Turismo Asturias).

The cave itself (checked November 2026, Turismo Asturias): open from 4 March to 30 October, Wednesday to Sunday, first visit 10.15 and last 17.00; closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and on 8 and 9 August, and closed for the season from November to March. Tickets cost €4.14, €2.12 reduced, and entry is free on Wednesdays. Guided visits last about an hour, for at most 15 people (150 a day), minimum age 7. Arrive 30 minutes before your slot or you lose it, and bring warm clothes. In busy periods buy tickets online well ahead.

The Cave Art Centre, 250 m from the cave entrance, has a permanent exhibition with reconstructions of panels that are hard to reach inside the cave. It opens Wednesday to Sunday all year except January; in November and December, Wednesday to Friday 10.00–14.30 and weekends 10.30–18.00, and in July and August daily except Monday and Tuesday, 9.45–19.00 (checked November 2026). Tickets cost €5.45, €3.29 reduced, and entry is free on Wednesdays and for children under 4 (Turismo Asturias).

What else to see

The old town and port. Spain.info names the Romanesque-origin churches of Santa María de Junco and San Esteban de Leces, the Gothic chapel of Santa Ana, the 16th-century Guía chapel, the Renaissance town hall and many 17th- and 18th-century mansions.

Santa Marina. The district behind the beach was built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries with Modernist and eclectic villas, among them Villa Rosario, paid for by families who made their money in the Americas (Spain.info).

Dinosaur footprints. Ribadesella is one end of the Dinosaur Coast: footprints are found at Vega beach, on the cliffs of Tereñes and at the western end of the town beach, at Punta’l Pozu (Turismo Asturias).

Cuevona de Cuevas. A cave with large rock formations that serves as the road into the village of Cuevas, about 3 km south of town (Turismo Asturias).

Beaches

Santa Marina is the town beach: about a kilometre of golden sand (Turismo Asturias lists 1,200 m) at the mouth of the Sella, with a promenade and full facilities. The waves are usually strong and several surf schools work here. Lifeguards are on duty every day from 15 June to 15 September, 11.30–19.30. From 8 June to 15 September dogs are banned from the sand between 8.00 and 21.00 (Turismo Asturias).

Vega, about 6 km west of town, is a quieter beach with a small dune system and a wooden walkway, part of the Entrepeñes and Vega Beach Natural Monument (Turismo Asturias).

Events

• International Descent of the Sella: the canoe race on the first Saturday in August, the only festival in Asturias declared of International Tourist Interest (Turismo Asturias). It runs about 20 km down the river from Arriondas and finishes under the bridge in Ribadesella (Wikipedia). The tourist office closes on 6 and 7 August.
• Horse races on Santa Marina beach: held in Easter Week (3–4 April on the current Turismo Asturias listing), a Festivity of Tourist Interest of the Principality (Turismo Asturias).

Practical details

• Tourist office: Paseo Princesa Letizia. From 1 July to 31 August, daily 10.00–14.00 and 16.00–19.00; the rest of the year Tuesday to Saturday 10.00–14.00 and 16.00–18.00, closed Sunday and Monday (Turismo Asturias, checked November 2026).

Accessibility and safety

Santa Marina has accessible toilets and showers, a ramp, reserved parking and assisted bathing with an amphibious chair (ask the lifeguards). The Cave Art Centre has an accessibility sheet on its Turismo Asturias page. Children under 7 cannot enter the cave. The surf at Santa Marina can be strong; swim in the lifeguard season.

Best time to visit

For the cave, come between March and October, Wednesday to Sunday, and book ahead in summer. Spain.info suggests arriving early in summer if you want to be sure of a place. The town is at its busiest around the first Saturday in August. In winter only the Cave Art Centre is open.

Nearby alternatives

• Mirador del Fitu – the sea-and-Picos viewpoint on the Sierra del Sueve, 11 km west.
• Lastres – a fishing village stepped above its harbour, 18 km west.
• Playa de Gulpiyuri – the inland beach near Naves, 14 km east.
• Llanes – the walled town and its coves, 25 km east.
• Picos de Europa – the national park inland, 22 km south.

FAQ

Do you need to book the Tito Bustillo Cave?

Yes, in practice. Visits are guided, limited to 15 people per visit and 150 a day, and Turismo Asturias advises buying tickets online well in advance in busy periods.

When is the Tito Bustillo Cave open?

From 4 March to 30 October, Wednesday to Sunday, with visits from 10.15 to 17.00 (checked November 2026). It is closed from November to March; the Cave Art Centre stays open except in January.

When is the Descent of the Sella?

On the first Saturday in August. The canoes start in Arriondas and finish under the bridge in Ribadesella.

Can you swim at Ribadesella?

Yes, at Santa Marina, with lifeguards every day from 15 June to 15 September. The waves are usually strong, which is why surfers use it.

Sources and freshness

Checked 6 November 2026 · 12 sources Show

Checked 6 November 2026. Turismo Asturias on Ribadesella as a fishing village, the municipality, Tito Bustillo Cave, the Cave Art Centre, Santa Marina beach, Entrepeñes and Vega beach, the dinosaur footprint sites, the beach horse races and the tourist office. Spain.info on Ribadesella. Wikipedia on the Descent of the Sella (background). Locations, station and distances from OpenStreetMap. The cave’s own website and the town hall site could not be opened from here; prices and hours are as Turismo Asturias gives them and may change.