Ribadesella, Spain: a guide to the Asturian seaside town

Ribadesella, Spain, is a fishing town of about 5,600 people in eastern Asturias, where the River Sella meets the Bay of Biscay. The old town and harbour sit on one bank; Santa Marina beach and its early 20th-century villas on the other. It is small enough to walk everywhere, the Picos de Europa are within reach, and it changes a lot with the seasons: beaches and the Sella canoe race in summer, caves and coastal walks the rest of the year.

Ribadesella at a glance

Where	Eastern Asturias, on the north coast of Spain
Population	About 5,600 (INE, 2025)
Nearest airports	Asturias (about 100 km), Santander (about 120 km), Bilbao (about 220 km)
Oviedo	About 45 minutes by motorway
Best known for	Tito Bustillo cave, Santa Marina beach, the Sella canoe race in August
Climate	Mild all year: around 9 °C in January and 19 °C in August on average

Where is Ribadesella?

Ribadesella, Asturias, lies roughly halfway between Oviedo and Santander, on the A-8 coastal motorway. The town is small enough to walk everywhere: the historic centre and harbour are on the east bank of the Sella estuary, and Santa Marina beach is across the bridge on the west bank.

What to see in Ribadesella

• The old town. Narrow streets with the Casa de los Ardines, the Palacio Prieto Cutre, now the town hall, and the church of Santa María Magdalena, decorated with murals by the Uría-Aza brothers.
• The painted staircase. In the Portiellu fishing quarter, 56 steps painted in bright colours by the artist Jonathan Hevia in 2015.
• Ermita de Guía. A 16th-century chapel on Monte Corberu, dedicated to the patron saint of sailors, with the best view over the estuary and the beach.
• The harbour walk. Along the Paseo de la Grúa, six ceramic murals drawn by the cartoonist Antonio Mingote tell the history of Ribadesella from prehistory onwards.
• Tito Bustillo cave. One of the UNESCO-listed Palaeolithic painted caves of northern Spain, a World Heritage Site since 2008. In 2026 it opens from 4 March to 30 October, Wednesday to Sunday, for one-hour guided tours in groups of 15, in Spanish only. In busy months, buy tickets online well in advance from the official ticket site.
• La Cuevona. About 5 km from town, a 300-metre natural cave that forms the road into the village of Cueves. It is free to walk through; vehicles are restricted to residents.

One day in Ribadesella

A day is enough for the essentials if you book Tito Bustillo in advance. Start in the old town and walk the harbour murals along the Paseo de la Grúa, then climb to the Ermita de Guía for the view before lunch. In the afternoon, take your cave slot and allow time for the Rock Art Centre next to it, which has a separate ticket. End the day crossing the bridge to Santa Marina and walking the promenade past the indianos’ villas, such as the Chalet de Llano, built in 1922. With a second day, add Vega beach, La Cuevona and the cliff walk.

Beaches

Santa Marina is the town beach: around 1,200 metres of golden sand with lifeguards from mid-June to mid-September, lined with villas built by “indianos”, locals who made their fortune in the Americas. Further west, Vega beach stretches for 1,500 metres backed by dunes, and its eastern end preserves dinosaur footprints. For a quick swim, La Atalaya is a small cove within walking distance of the centre.

Dinosaur footprints can also be seen at Tereñes. To see the cliffs, the Acantilados del Infierno walk is an easy 11 km circular route that starts at the Guadamía picnic area and takes three to five hours.

Where to go nearby

Ribadesella sits in the middle of the eastern Asturian coast, so it works well as a base:

• Llanes, another fishing town with a harbour and beaches, to the east. Nearby, in the same municipality, the Bufones de Pría are blowholes where the sea bursts up through the rock on rough days.
• Cangas de Onís and the Picos de Europa, inland, following the Sella upriver past Arriondas, where the August canoe race starts.
• Lastres, a fishing village in the municipality of Colunga, to the west.

Getting to Ribadesella from the UK

• By air. Asturias Airport has flights from London Gatwick with Vueling, and Wizz Air has announced a London Luton route from 27 October 2026. Santander has Ryanair flights from London Stansted, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham. Bilbao has the widest choice, with Vueling, easyJet and Wizz Air flying from London, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. Check current schedules, as some routes are seasonal.
• By ferry. Brittany Ferries sails from Portsmouth to Santander all year and from Portsmouth to Bilbao, and runs a seasonal Plymouth to Santander route. From Santander, Ribadesella is about 120 km along the coast.
• Once in Spain. Ribadesella has a station on Renfe’s narrow-gauge line between Oviedo and Santander, and ALSA buses link it frequently with Oviedo and Gijón. By car, the A-8 motorway passes just outside town.

When to go

Summer is warm rather than hot, with average August temperatures of around 19 °C at the nearest weather station, and the town is at its busiest. On the first Saturday in August, or the second if the first falls on the 1st or 2nd, the International Descent of the Sella sends canoeists down 20 km of river from Arriondas to the finish under Ribadesella’s bridge. In 2026 it takes place on 8 August.

Spring and autumn are quieter, with Tito Bustillo open from March to October and the coastal walks at their best. Winter is mild, with January averages of around 9 °C, and rain is frequent: the nearest weather station, at Asturias Airport, records about 1,060 mm a year, which is why the landscape stays so green.

Living in Ribadesella

Outside the summer season, Ribadesella is a quiet, working town with a train station, daily buses to Oviedo and Gijón and the motorway on its doorstep. If you are thinking of buying a home here, our guide to flats in Ribadesella covers what to weigh up before you buy.

FAQs about Ribadesella, Spain

A home in Ribadesella

Las Terrazas de Ribadesella, our development on the Carretera de la Estación, is a five-minute walk from the train station, with terraces and views over the bay. See the homes and floor plans on the Las Terrazas de Ribadesella page.