Travel Guide Llanes

Llanes is a friendly and lively port city, where culture and pleasure are easily alternated. The district on the left bank of the river is protected by walls and a moat where four gates used to open. At the heart of the moat is the Gothic-style Basilica of Santa María. Also worth seeing are the Renaissance Casa de Cercau and the Palacio Posada Herrera, with its Baroque façade, which has been converted into a House of Culture and now houses the Tourist Office (www.llanes.es). It is open every day in summer from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm; in winter, Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 6.30 pm, and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. It was here, on the Left Bank, that the wealthiest social class of Llanes was settled. Miners and peasants lived on the other bank, without the protection of the walls. In the nineteenth century, on the return of the Indianos, a residential area was created in the Concepción district, where a series of Indian and modernist houses can still be admired. The coast became a refuge for mass tourism, which is concentrated around Llanes. In the port, the Cubos de la memoria, by the Basque artist Augustín Ibarrola, give a modern touch to the city. The Paseo de San Pedro is a walk along the cliffs, from where the view of the city and the sea is fabulous. To get there from Ribadesella, take the A-8 motorway. By bus, the Alsa company has regular connections with Oviedo and Gijón. There are also trains to Oviedo.